Plenty of musicians keep busy schedules, but it’s hard to imagine anyone competing with Hayley Jane’s calendar.
Jane came up in the Boston scene over the past few years while fronting her funky, soulful band, the Primates, who seem to be permanently on tour. Less than six months ago, Jane and the Primates released the LP “We’re Here Now,” a forceful rock album with detours into folk, r&b and Afro-pop. Currently, she’s finishing up a project with fellow Boston scene alum Ryan Montbleau called Yes Darling. The duo composes humorous and heartfelt songs about love, romance and your partner driving you nuts.
And somehow Jane has found time to book a Tuesday night residency at Atwood’s Tavern in February.
“I have loved collaborating with Ryan on the Yes Darling songs,” Jane said. “And whether it is with Ryan or my band, I’ve become so used to playing with people. Doing actual solo shows, like these Atwood’s dates, makes me a little nervous.”
Jane says she’s more comfortable playing for a thousand people with the Primates than playing for 10 people on her own. But she knows after some initial jitters, she’ll settle in to the residency.
“One thing I do love is being able to have conversations with the audience, connecting with them,” she said. “And that can be hard when you’re playing through a huge festival.
“But it won’t be a problem at Atwood’s,” she added with a laugh.
The singer plans to hold down the first night on her own. It will be just her, her guitar, set covers and solo songs, some of which may be debuts. As the weeks roll on, she plans to ask a few special guests to sit in with her. Many will be the musical heroes she spent the past decade grooving to at Atwood’s.
“I would love to have Dana Colley (of Vapors of Morphine), Tim Gearan, Duke Levine, all come up and sit in with me. If I can get any of them,” she said with another laugh. “I will also have my guitarist in the Primates, Justin Hancock, join me for some band covers.”
Not surprisingly, Jane sandwiched her residency with more work. She just returned from Los Angeles, where she is putting together another project. Expect a more “mainstream” single this summer. As soon as the residency finishes, she will jump on a national tour with the Primates.
“I know it’s a lot, four projects if you count my solo work, but I love doing each of them,” she said. “Each offers something new, something I can’t get from the others, so staying busy keeps me staying creative.”
Hayley Jane, every Tuesday in February, at Atwood’s Tavern, 877 Cambridge St., Cambridge: Tickets: $12; atwoodstavern.com.
