Chicago’s music scene is world class, multifaceted and famously cooperative. As WBEZ considered inviting an emerging local artist to our studios for our inaugural “Live From Studio 10” series, one name kept popping up: Sofia Jensen, the creative force behind Chicago’s Free Range.
Jensen began writing songs at 14. Five years later, Free Range has released a debut album, Practice, and Jensen has been touring with a band around the U.S. Earlier this year, the band played a South by Southwest Showcase in Austin, Texas, and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Now Jensen is preparing to play a set at the historic Newport Folk Festival at the end of July.
While in the WBEZ studios, Jensen played acoustic versions of some of the singles from Practice. Click on the video above to hear the songs and a short conversation with the musician, who talked about the concentric circles of the Chicago independent music scene and recording new music at Wilco’s Loft on the Northwest Side.
Contributors include WBEZ visual journalist Manuel Martinez with Mendy Kong and Ysa Quiballo. Sound engineering by Dave Miska. The video was edited by Brian Ernst. Project editor is Cassie Walker Burke.
