Jenny Toomey

“There is a loneliness that can be rocked.” — Toni Morrison

“If there is a loneliness that can be rocked, I want to punk rock it with you.” — Jenny Toomey

Welcome, beautiful punks and rockers, to my first website since the ’90s!

2024 has brought overwhelming change—some of it brutal, some of it hopeful. In a time of cruelty and chaos, gathering to reconnect with friends, make music, reflect, entertain the troops, and imagine better systems feels like a key ingredient in the antidote to paralysis, fear and cynicism.

I'm fighting the power, waking up my voice, and trying to hold on to joy. I hope you are the same.

What's up? Well…last year, after more than 25 years of near complete dormancy, Tsunami reunited to play @numerogroup’s 20th anniversary celebration. Afterwards, @kristinthomson and I began working with Numero to re-release music from our long-neglected @simplemachinesrecords catalog. That effort launched the Loud is As box set and stuck us in the sprinter for a 12-date  “Coin Toss” Tour  across the U.S. with the brilliant and hilarious @talesofbraveida crew. For those who came out, it was so good to see all your beautiful human faces.

Then, in a twist I didn’t see coming, I recorded my first new album in nearly 30 years—this time with my hero, Nick Krgovich (more on that soon). A random glance at Discogs reminded me I’ve played on dozens of records I’d completely forgotten. To top it all off, I’m writing pretty regularly about music and tech and artist's rights again with the brilliant Peter Dicola. So it just seemed like a good time to try to pull everything into one place for safekeeping. With generous help from @stacyconde, we have done just that.   My intention is to keep things somewhat current and consolidated here and through the “jennytoomeynoises” facebook group and… As per usual, “I want to rock with you.”  xo JT.

In the mid-1990s, the musical lives of DC-based Tsunami and the NYC-based Ida were intertwined. In addition to sharing many bills and tours together, Tsunami’s label, Simple Machines Records, released Ida’s first three albums, and the band members frequently collaborated on other musical projects. Now, 25 years later, both bands celebrated the reissue of these releases by The Numero Group with the Coin Toss tour in March and April 2025. 

In a nod to equity, whimsy, and jamming econo, the two bands shared equipment and van space, and determined each night’s stage order by a flip of the coin. The audience joined the bands for the entire evening as Ida and Tsunami fused their sets together. Special guests – representing the bands’ wide network of musical friends and heroes – joined them on stage at most shows, to lend a crazy guitar part, or guest vocals, or to play one of their own songs. There were sewn-on patches, swag, challenge coins, and a joyful noise. 

Though the tour is over, the memories live on HERE. 

It's true...About 6% of the music streaming revenue, currently shared by the major labels and the streaming services, could cover the annual premiums for every professional musician in the U.S.! Peter Dicola and I wrote an op-ed about the massive transfer of wealth from creators to platforms. Thanks Chappell Roan and Liz Pelly for the inspiration. This may seem like small potatoes considering what's going on in the world. But normalized exploitation of artists is an expression of the same rotten system that's ruining everything and I personally have enough outrage for it all. If we want to live in a less exploitative world we need to imagine how it could change.

Read about it here on the Chicago Tribune website or here in pdf form.