Photo by Sadie Purnell

Nominated for the New England Music Awards’ Female Performer of the Year (2023) and the Boston Music Awards’ Singer-Songwriter and Vocalist of the Year (2023), Jill McCracken is a force to reckon with in the Boston music community. 

Jill describes her genre as retro soul — retro because of her musical influences from the 60s and 70s, including Stevie Wonder and PJ Morton, and soul because her voice is soulful with inspiration from Paul Simon and Margaret Glaspy.

To celebrate the release of her latest EMCP idle, Jill is having a special show on Friday, October 20th, at Warehouse XI in Union Square. “It’s going to be an intimate evening of foreground music where we can connect and be in a safe space. I try to make everything really fucking special.” Going into this show, Jill has been very intentional with who’s going to open for her — Brandie Blaze. Jill not only trusts Brandie musically but also loves how their different styles overlap in terms of the vulnerability of their songwriting. 

For people who haven’t seen Jill perform before, she wants them to know that they can turn to her music for a soft and safe space. “It is scary to be vulnerable, but it is also what it’s all about. These songs give a voice to the loudest, most tender, and vulnerable parts of myself. Sometimes you forget other people also have these feelings, and if you can relate, I’m sorry. But it’s something that you can point to,” reflected Jill.

Jill describes the genre of idle as leaning more towards a singer-songwriter vibe as it relates to the sound of the songs. idle features a style that she hasn’t done as much in the past — just Jill on vocals with her guitar instead of the bigger band production of her earlier album Shake Me Up. Her song “help me, hold me, heal me” was the first song she put out that combined the band with a more exposed feel. “With idle, I want to let the songs speak for themselves. This EP is like a whisper, and a whisper can be as powerful as a yell.” Jill chose the name idle for the EP because the songs get at a heart being charged in the world with nowhere to go, so it sits idle on a shelf. She describes the feeling of this EP as tender and a way of storytelling that’s more personal and intimate. idle features 3 songs: “break my heart,” “danger detector,” and “walk to the moon.” In fact, Jill’s favorite lines from “walk to the moon” sum up the sense of isolation that she feels during the song: “baby, i’m a baby grand piano in an empty room, i was made to be played, to be played by you.” 

The official fans of idle (including myself) belong to “Jill McCracken’s Idle Hearts Society.” You can even get an official shirt that’s only available until Friday, October 20th. If I were you, I’d be running to order this shirt so you can show everyone you’re a part of the club. 

Jill wanted me to make sure I give a huge shoutout to her manager and best friend, JD, who helped put this show together. JD hates the attention, but definitely say hi to him on Friday (he’s the very tall guy who’s probably holding a beer in his hand and singing along to all of Jill’s songs). If Jill could collab with some other local artists, she’d work with Coco Smith because of their songwriting and authenticity, Red Shaydez for her creativity and excellence, and Blue Light Bandits for their endless harmonies and hooks. 

Jill also mentioned there may be some unique surprises at this show to make it more of a community experience. If you didn’t know, she’s been running Tuesday Polls™ through Instagram and Patreon for almost 3 years now. There is a chance that she will do live polls on Friday, even though it’s not a Tuesday — “The polls life chose me!” exclaimed Jill as she remembered all the debates we’ve had (ask her about the PB&J saga) via Tuesday Polls™.

So come on out to Warehouse XI this Friday (October 20th), and get ready to be vulnerable at Jill’s release show for idle!