It is just over two years since the inception of Telegraph Tree. I had long wanted for more artists I love to come perform in Pittsburgh, but getting a real ‘yes’ from one of those artists was the impetus to bring it from notion into solid reality. That artist was the great Meg Duffy. Meg had a new record of guitar instrumentals made with their long-time collaborator Gregory Uhlmann and they were open-hearted enough to add Pittsburgh, based on nothing more than a few brief messages, to a string of east coast dates in support of that record. It was the exciting—slightly terrifying—first chance to see if this nebulous booking/artist-appreciation project had any legs. I hastily registered an LLC and my more-kind-than-I-deserve wife took time she could not spare to set up a website and ticketing system to substantially legitimize the effort. My dear friend and collaborator Morgan agreed to have the show in her design studio. There, everything was set for the first show. Much to our surprise, however, another show managed to sneak in and claim the first spot.
Jenn Wasner is one-of-a-kind. I, like many people, first became aware of Jenn’s music upon release of her band Wye Oak’s breakout record Civilian. I, like far fewer people, however, got to meet Jenn when my band opened for Wye Oak in 2011 at Pittsburgh’s Club Cafe. It was a great night, getting to play to their sold-out crowd and then watching as Jenn and her bandmate, Andy Stack, delivered exhilarating renditions of the tunes from their hit record. But what struck me, even before they played a note, were the people themselves. Jenn and Andy did not carry themselves like stars about whom all of indie culture had been buzzing. They were kind, present, and even a little awkward. Jenn, in particular, seemed ill-at-ease in the most charming way, like someone who is not quite certain they had been invited to a party even though, in this case, the ‘party’, as it were, was for her, or at least for her songs. The two of them exceeded any expectations I had before that evening, both musically and personally, by being refreshingly, excellently human.
Cut to early 2024. Wye Oak had put out several more records and Jenn had also started a new project called Flock of Dimes. I had kept an eye and ear on what she was doing because she continued to deliver great songs. Music is already so personal and Jenn’s especially so as she clearly puts so much of herself into her writing and playing, but I had no ideas of reconnecting beyond listening to the records and attending a show here and there. So when, in the first part of 2024, Morgan and I found out that Morgan’s interior design headquarters, Studio Lithe, would be the site of a Flock of Dimes performance on Jenn’s house show tour, we were thrilled. And, even though the arrangements for the Duffy x Uhlmann show were finalized prior to that of Jenn’s, it happened to work out that the FOD show would take place just a bit ahead of that, making it the first time we would host a performance for a non-Pittsburgh artist in that space. It was the first chance to see what hosting shows in that space, as it had been our intention to do, might look like going forward.
When Jenn and her bandmate Alan arrived, it immediately set a good tone for the evening. I had not really gotten to know Jenn all those years ago at Club Cafe, but it was reassuring that the same kind, interested person I seemed to recall was again present. Alan, too, projected only optimism about being there and the chance to share music in this new (to them) environment. For us it was a mixture of elation and caution—this is exactly the kind of thing we had hoped for in this space, but now it had to actually work. We had an artist we love in a room we love, but now we needed to do our part to make sure they felt good, sounded good (we knew Jenn and Alan could handle their part of sounding good), and that an audience of strangers would have an excellent experience.
As the evening progressed we felt more and more certain that the show would be a success. Soundcheck went great. We had dinner and good conversation. And by the time the attendees started to trickle in and find their seats, everything seemed to be in place. As expected, the music was outstanding. Everything I remembered from that show in 2011, from all the records and other shows along the way, had only deepened in quality. Flock of Dimes, as embodied by those two musicians that night, simply captivated each person in that room for every one of the 70 or so minutes that they played. And when the music ended, Jenn proceeded to graciously greet everyone who lined up at the merch table, signing records, shaking hands, and generally rounding out the experience for all.
Jumping ahead again, we find ourselves in the month of April and the year 2026. Almost two years exactly since Flock of Dimes first visited Studio Lithe, they returned to what has since been dubbed Baum Baum Club. It’s the same room at the same address (on Baum Blvd, hence the moniker), but in the intervening years a lot has happened inside those walls. Artists such as Duffy x Uhlmann, The Building, Eamon Fogarty, Katy Pinke, Courtney Hartman, Jana Horn, and Paul Spring have come through. There have also been dinners, parties, DJs, Hi-Fi listening events, and even a wedding reception. The sound system has been upgraded and the decor modified. But when we learned that Jenn and Alan wanted to return on another house show tour, it was a delight to have them back in what is, in many ways, the same room. Only this time it felt a lot more like home.
In October of 2025, Flock of Dimes released the record The Life You Save. Much has been written about it already so I won’t go into a review of any kind here but, suffice it to say, the record is a beautiful, emotionally true statement that is as sonically and lyrically rich a document as I have ever heard from Jenn Wasner. I felt extremely fortunate that the first time I would get to hear those songs performed live (save for one which they previewed during their show here in 2024) would be back in Morgan’s studio to an audience limited to fewer than 70 people. The intimacy of the music would (hopefully) be complimented by that of the context.
Jenn and Alan were as charming as ever and greeted us like old friends. We had only loosely kept in touch over the last couple of years, but having them return under such similar circumstances really made it feel like hardly any time had passed. The space looked and felt even better than last time, thanks to Morgan’s tireless efforts and excellent sense of style. James, another friend and resident of the studio, who was also present for the first Flock of Dimes show, helped make sure the sound set-up was all as it should be. Around 7pm the audience began to file in and by eight o’clock the room was full.
What followed exceeded all expectations. Though The Life You Save is layered with beautiful instrumentation and production, the songs lacked nothing as Jenn and Alan filled every inch of the room with their lush renditions, lovingly arranged for this duo performance. And, while I can still feel myself swimming a bit in the atmosphere created by their two guitars, it’s Jenn’s vocals that are the indelible souvenir. Each note she sings, like each word she writes, seems pulled from her very being. The person you meet in conversation is the person playing, singing, writing, and living each moment. And that is the magic of Jenn. What read as a slight discomfort or awkwardness in our first meeting in 2011 was really just one facet of the authenticity she brings to everything she does. I think it is also why so many artists, like Jenn, tend to eschew things like social media as much as possible: because compartmentalizing the person and the creator can be such a bizarre dichotomy. Some people can flip a switch and become the entertainer; the headline version of themselves appears for a purpose and then vanishes. But some—maybe most—of us who make things to be shared with the world do so via the only vessel available to us and that is ourselves.
What happened on April 15th, 2026 is a bit like Flock of Dimes itself. It’s something magic; lightning in a bottle. However, it is also something that, if you make space for it in your life and keep seeking it out, can happen anew over and over again. Telegraph Tree will continue to have live music at Baum Baum Club to celebrate artists we love. Jenn, I hope, will continue to write and perform her songs. As often as those two endeavors can collaborate, I for one, am ready to welcome that magic.