Republic Tigers frontman Kenn Jankowski starts the new year with a new band, Jaenki

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No one has heard much from beloved mid-aughts act the Republic Tigers — aside from a few intermittent surprise shows — since 2011’s No Land’s Man. But the band’s frontman, Kenn Jankowski, hasn’t been idle (and he says the Republic Tigers are still very much an active group). New Year’s Eve at RecordBar, Jankowski debuts his new band, Jaenki.

Jankowski started Jaenki in 2012 as a solo side project. Two years later, Ryan Wallace, who played keys with the Republic Tigers and was the lead singer and guitarist for Heroes + Villains, and Drew Little, the drummer with Vedera and with Slowdown, joined.

Based on the material the band has released so far, Jaenki sounds like The Information-era Beck swallowed a bottle of Nyquil and took a mind-bending trip with Wilco. Jankowski calls the music “weird pop.” Here’s a better word: welcome.

Ahead of Jaenki’s New Year’s Eve debut, I chatted with Jankowski and Wallace about the future of Jaenki.

The Pitch: You guys have a limited Internet presence. Give me some history on this band.

Wallace: It probably looks more complicated than it actually is. Kenn was focused on the Republic Tigers, and they asked me to join and play keys with them. He’d always had this solo project going on, but he only worked on it when he wasn’t working on Republic Tigers’ music. And then, basically, we weren’t playing as much, and Kenn started working more on Jaenki and he’d asked me to be a part of it. Drew had done some percussion on it, and it all fell into place.

There are two songs online from Jaenki: “Wrangler” (released in December 2013) and “Lame” (released in April 2014). I know you’ve been working on some new music for Jaenki. What can you tell me about it?

Jankowski: I put those out when it was just me. Jaenki is a fully realized project now. There are three of us collaborating as a band, and the three of us will frequently collaborate with other songwriters, performers and composer friends who we think are brilliant. Jaenki has no full-time lead vocalist, songwriter or instrumentalist — the positions will vary from song to song. If I had to compare the structure of Jaenki, I would compare it to Massive Attack — not the sound but the structure. We are best friends with like-minded palates, and my grubby paws are embedded in the production of each song, giving our songs continuity.

How long before the public gets to hear this new stuff?

Wallace: We have been working for the past year on putting together the songs, and we currently have about seven songs. Most of them we’ll be playing at the [New Year’s Eve] show coming up, and we’re hoping to release those soon after the show — probably at the beginning of 2016.

That New Year’s Eve show is kind of a rare appearance from you guys. What’s the plan?

Jankowski: It’s our coming-out — our very first live rock concert [as a band]. It’s only rare because it’s the first time. There can be only one of those.

Wallace: We’ve got a show booked in February, opening up for Mass Gothic [February 19 at the Riot Room]. But we’re not looking to play a bunch of shows just to play them. We’re looking forward to playing our material, for sure — this has largely been a recording project, and we’ve been working nonstop for the last few months trying to get these songs ready to present. We’re going through tracks and tracks, trying to figure out which parts to play live.

Your first show as a band is one of the last shows at RecordBar before it closes in January. Does that feel significant? What can you tell me about what that venue has meant to you in the past?

Jankowski: It’s extremely significant for me, personally. I love Steve [Tulipana] and Shawn [Sherrill] with all my heart. RecordBar has housed some of my most memorable adventures. I worked the door in the beginning and sporadically over the years. I kicked out my first rule breaker there. I got to be in a documentary there. I blacklisted someone for the first time there, which led to me almost being run over by my own car the next day. I enjoyed playing music trivia there. I enjoyed playing reunion shows there. I saw secret shows and nonsecret shows that seemed secret. I wore the RecordBar shirt on Letterman.

Wallace: I moved here in 2005, when RecordBar opened. For us to get to play at RecordBar over New Year’s, I feel extremely blessed. I’m so glad to be a part of it. Hopefully, they can reopen and keep the scene alive and the music flowing.