The first time I heard about Jerk Church I asked what it was, and in a twist on the DPW motto, a friend told me “it’s a drinking club with a singing problem.” 

I thought I’d take a deeper look into the rapidly-spreading Sunday phenomenon that is Jerk Church, so I got in touch with Rachael ‘Roach’ Devlin, Pope and one of the founders of Jerk Church.  Roach kindly agreed to give me the low-down.

Whatsblem the Pro:
What is Jerk Church?

Rachael Devlin:
Jerk Church is a weekly community gathering centered around music and learning music.  We have musicians and non-musicians alike and have crafted a space in which it’s safe to learn.
To refine that a bit, it’s acoustic music and instruments, and we’ve curated a songbook that grows each week.  It’s a place where people can participate in music and play with a band who normally wouldn’t have otherwise.

We have three chapters, so I can only really speak to Oakland (the founding chapter), but each week someone in the community offers to host ‘church’ and outlines what the meal for that week will be.  Folks are encouraged to ‘tithe’ by bringing something to eat and drink to share.  We cook food, sing songs, teach people new ones. . . if you “can’t sing,” then have a beer or shot of whiskey and sing louder!
Because we meet on Sundays and have created a community of alternative people, we called it “Jerk Church,” a church for jerks, as a cheeky way to describe the areligious nature of our gatherings.

Whatsblem the Pro:
You’re “those jerks who aren’t at church.”

Rachael Devlin:
Pretty much.  We’re all folks who were raised in a fairly religious fashion (lots of reformed Catholics in the group), and we see the value in community and ritual to a certain point.  The ‘jerk’ is mostly tongue-in-cheek.

Whatsblem the Pro:
I thought perhaps ‘jerk’ might tie in somehow with cultural artifacts like the DPW/Jub-Jub “fuck yer day” thing.

Rachael Devlin:
There is a bit of cognate, culturally, with the DPW “fuck yer day” theatre, but although many of us come from DPW, Gate etc., I think Jerk Church is just a clever name more than it is part of any theatrical ethos.

Whatsblem the Pro:
You’re the Pope of Jerk Church, right?  So you’re the leader?

Rachael Devlin:
We all have silly titles in a ‘rules make fun more fun’ kind of way.  I’m the Pope because the first church was hosted at my house and was born from my desire to create Irish Caroling.  I’m also the curator of the songbook.

Whatsblem the Pro:
How did this all begin?

Rachael Devlin:
Nearly two years ago I hosted a “hangover cure BBQ and Irish Caroling practice” at my house.  That year I planned our first annual Irish Caroling Extravaganza. . . so I printed out ten Irish songs and people came over and practiced them before St. Patrick’s Day.  We had so much fun that we vowed to do it every week.

“We should do this every week!”
“We should call it church!”
“We should call it Jerk Church.”

and the rest is kinda history?

I knew a few musician types, a few guitar players and a fiddle player; I just bought an accordion so we taught ourselves the songs, and as we kept doing it and inviting more musicians or musically interested folks, it grew of its own accord.

Whatsblem the Pro:
Tell me the rest that is history!

Rachael Devlin:
Well, it started as seventeen of us with instruments and backyards and inclination and a love of cooking and sharing food, etc.  After our first Irish Caroling we got some more folks in, because it was nice to do something on St. Patrick’s day that wasn’t drinking green beer and getting puked on by fratboys.

We held a few Jerk Churches during Burning Man 2011 — in the Commissary, at a few of our theme camps – and we had a lot more interest after that, so it grew and grew and grew. . .

Our “group” on facebook is nearly three hundred strong now, with Chapters in Portland and Seattle.  Vancouver is hosting their first Jerk Church this coming Sunday!  There’s been some talk of starting one in New York, and one in Phoenix!

Whatsblem the Pro:
Congratulations.

Rachael Devlin:
In addition to the ‘community’ aspect of Jerk Church, we also have our “Jerk Church Tabernacle Choir” which produces sing-along shows at local events and bars.

Whatsblem the Pro:
What do you get out of it, personally?

Has it changed your life much?

Rachael Devlin:
Its a very tight-knit, fantastically creative, dynamic community full of incredibly talented and intelligent humans.  There’s something really primal about raising your voice with a group. . . and I hate to sound cliché, but the community has been so important over the past few years.

Whatsblem the Pro:
Yes, I think we’re all supposed to take a drink when anyone says the word ‘community.’  But I hear you!

Rachael Devlin:
Ugh, i know.  (laughs)

There’s something to the ritual of actively choosing to see a group of people each week and working on those relationships.  The attention and intention given to creating something together is pretty fantastic.

Whatsblem the Pro:
What kind of presence does Jerk Church have out on the playa these days?

Rachael Devlin:
On playa we hosted church every Sunday we were there.

We played at the man-waxing party, and at pre-event Friday (because many of us volunteer with Gate and couldn’t do Sunday).  We also did Sunday that week; then we did Temple Sunday, and finally post-event Sunday in Gerlach.

Next year we’ll try to get into the WWW to get more folks from the larger populace involved.

Whatsblem the Pro:
Is ‘Freebird‘ in your songbook?

Rachael Devlin:
Freebird is being worked on in our songbook for Joey, of course.

The problem with Freebird — while it’s a great sing-along — is that it’s also seven minutes of wicked guitar solo. . . so unless you’ve got a talented guitarist, there’s not a lot else going on in the song.  We’ve tried to curate the songbook into songs that people can sing along with fairly easily.

Whatsblem the Pro:
What does it take to be a member? How do interested people get involved?

Rachael Devlin:
To be a member, you just have to show up and not be a douche.  It’s better if you participate strongly somehow, like in food preparation, or singing, or playing instruments.

The only “sins” we have at Jerk Church are violence, extreme douchebaggery and drunk driving.

While we work on the web site, the best place to get more information is currently the Facebook page, but we’re also starting up an email list for people who don’t like Facebook.  You can email jerkchurch@gmail.com to get on the email list.  We send it out by Friday each week, with information about where Church will be held and what to bring, and if the Choir has any shows coming up, and so on.

Whatsblem the Pro:
Is the songbook available online?  Or do you have a list of songs?

Rachael Devlin:
It is available in a janky version via our Facebook group, and we’re working on getting the .pdf files on our website.

Whatsblem the Pro:
Is there a plan for the future of Jerk Church, or are you just kind of rolling with it?

Rachael Devlin:
The future-visioning conversation has been a delicate one amongst the founders.  While we’re STOKED that so many people want to join us and we’re building something kinda neat, it’s been difficult to maintain the intimacy we once had.  Which, I guess, is true of anything like this. . . but we’re certainly looking to refine the ‘show’ aspect of it, and grow chapters around the world!

We’ll be hosting our first campout this summer – the Summit of the Jerks – and we’re excited about that too.

Whatsblem the Pro:
Anything else you’d like to add?

Rachael Devlin:
Acoustic Music Revolution!

You can join the Jerk Church mailing list by sending a subscribe request to jerkchurch@gmail.com

The Jerk Church web site (currently under construction) is at http://www.jerkchurch.com

The Jerk Church Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/groups/266129296756959/