Jenna Mammina had her next 24 months mapped out.
“I had my whole year of 2020 and 2021 planned,” says the popular Northern California vocal stylist.
Of course, those plans were made before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered countless nightclubs and other performances venues.
With all of her touring plans canceled, the singer-songwriter — who handles jazz, pop, rock and other genres with equal style and grace — suddenly found herself with a lot of free time on her hands.
So, she did an amazing thing. Mammina began hosting twice-daily webcast/livestreaming events on March 23, 2020. And she hasn’t missed a single day since she started.
She calls them “11:11 with Jenna” — with a new episode debuting daily at 11:11 a.m. and totally different one following at 11:11 p.m. (Those times are ET, which means people on both coasts can watch the shows at a reasonable hour. West Coast viewers tune in at 8:11 a.m. and 8:11 p.m.)
She’s now closing in on one full year of “11:11 with Jenna,” which amounts to 730 unique shows in one year.
To celebrate the milestone anniversary, Mammina will host a marathon “funraiser” that begins at 8:11 a.m. and runs through at least 8:11 p.m. (both times PT) on March 23.
She hosts these shows via Zoom and people can join in by visiting www.facebook.com/jenna.mammina. For more information about the artist, visit jennamammina.com.
We recently spoke with Mammina about her twice-daily shows, which she plans to continue hosting well past the one-year anniversary.
Q: You actually were in Mexico when gigs started getting canceled due to COVID-19 and you decided to return back to the U.S. But you didn’t go back to the Bay Area, right?
A: I decided to go back and see my mom (Mamma Grace) in Michigan to spend Easter with her. I left on March 11. That was the day they closed the customs in most airports. I got in about two hours before the onslaught.
I jumped on the train, made it back and started to not feel so great. I decided to unpack slowly and two days in, I realized I wasn’t feeling well. At that point they were asking people to quarantine if you weren’t feeling well and get a test if you could. I ended up testing positive (for COVID-19) and couldn’t see my than 88-year-old mom.
Q: Oh, no. How awful to be so close and yet still so far away.
A: She lived three blocks away. I was so sick for up to three weeks that even if I wanted to see her I couldn’t. But once I finally did, we would be separated by a window and talk on our phones. Thank goodness for FaceTime.
Q: How did you come up with the idea of the “11:11” show?
A: On the morning of March 23, 2020, I was sitting at my iPad and thought, “Well, I’ve done a lot of Facebook Live concerts with Jenna and the Charmers.” Rolf (Sturm, guitarist) and I had always wanted to start interviewing my friends and call it “11:11 with Jenna.” But I was intimidated by the technology — the lighting, the editing, all that stuff. As I sat there and it turned 11:11 a.m., I just said what the heck and I pressed go live. I was sitting on the floor in the living room, drinking tea.
That evening at 11:11 p.m., I decided to go live again. Since that date, I have gone live every 11:11 a.m. and 11:11 p.m. and haven’t missed one.
Q: That’s quite a commitment. Why did you decide to do it every day, twice a day, month after month?
A: I decided to do it every day because I was quarantined with my dog, Lillian Pearl. I think she was getting a little tired of listening to my stories, and my cough. I have really great friends. My cough would get so bad at night that I would call a friend and they would just keep their phone on while I slept in case my breathing was compromised. My brother was downstairs and said he was ready at any moment to take me to the hospital but one of us had to be healthy for Mamma Grace. So we mostly communicated through text.
Q: Was the original goal to mount such an impressive streak — where you wouldn’t miss a single show for a year or more?
A: I never had an original goal. But now that I’m in it, I never want to stop. I love the community that we have created, the inner connectivity with people all over the world. I’m ready to keep going for as long as it stays in line with my life.
Q: What has been the reaction to these sessions?
A: I think the reaction has been quite positive. Some people set their alarms so they can be there right at 11:11. If I’m not there at 11:13 — which has happened due to technological and emergency potty breaks with Lillian Pearl — people text me to make sure that I’m OK. And there are some people that if I don’t see them in the first few minutes I text them. We have become a family, and there is always room for more.
Q: How do you fill up all that time online each week? Tell me what we might see by tuning in on, let’s say, a Sunday.
A: The show has evolved, and is ever evolving.
Sunday mornings are smoothie mornings. I get out my favorite blender and make a super-food smoothie. I share the ingredients and sometimes people make them along with me.
Sunday nights are Musicians Square Table. We have had as many as six people, musicians, fans, producers, promoters all getting together talking about this year and how we will move forward. It’s fascinating.
Q: That is fascinating. OK, give me one more example.
A: Wednesday morning I am in the kitchen with my friend Patti and Mamma Grace. We bake cookies, cakes and counting.
Wednesday nights, it’s community night. People that want to jump on the Zoom jump on and we eat the cookies, have a cocktail, talk about life and the show.
Q: I love cookies. Plus, you have special guests on the show, including such talents as Cassandra Wilson and Peter Apfelbaum.
A: I have had dancers, musicians, painters, chefs, lawyers, doctors, healers, children — wow!
Q: And even an amphibian/reptile or two.
A: A frog named Junior and a bearded dragon named Annabelle.
Q: What are your plans for once we can safely gather together again?
A: Honestly, I’m not sure. But I’m really looking forward to more music, celebrating life and walking with Lillian Pearl. Oh — and going to concerts to hear all my talented friends and meeting new ones.
