Jenuine Cello: A Modern-Day, One-Woman Band

(This article was written by Abigail Muniz-Garcia and was featured in the December 2024 issue of Explore Harlingen Magazine .) The one-woman cello army. That’s how Jen Mulhern, Jenuine Cello, describes herself as an artist. The cellist, a native Texan who splits her time between her two homes- South Padre Island, Texas and Buffalo, New York is a busy artist. Playing at venues like Jackson Street Cork N Craft in Harlingen, The Art Lounge in South Padre Island, and her commitments with the Victoria Symphony, Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, and the Laredo Philharmonic where she serves as principal cellist, among other gigs, keeps her schedule quite hectic.  She doesn’t have a traditional 9-to-5 job, but rather, makes a living doing what she loves to do: playing and making music.  “It’s a ton of other jobs that are part of one job,” Mulhern said. “I am my own roadie, I lift my own gear, I book shows, am my own manager, I fund my own recording projects…”  she said.  Her journey started in the sixth-grade orchestra.  As a sixth grader, she remembers practicing music that was meant as a duet but with no one around to play the second part, she would play both parts herself.  “I used to tape-record duets with myself!” she said.  Now, as performer, she does something reminiscent of what she’d do in the sixth grade but with her cello, a microphone, a looping pedal, and a 6-string electric cello. Her performances have her “building something from scratch” as she uses improvised form and self-made beats to create her compositions live on stage.  She’s come a long way from her time as a sixth-grade musician. Mulhern earned her Music Performance degree from Texas State University after briefly considering a different degree in which she could “make more money.”  “I went to UT (The University of Texas at Austin) for one brief semester but didn’t do music,” she said. “I was miserable. Then I ended up in San Marcos.” After selling her home in Austin in 2017, Mulhern landed in South Padre Island and started doing shows here. “It’s very liberating to get every little piece of music in your head to have a sound,” she said. Mulhern released a new album in April called “Loopholes.” “It’s the first album where I sing my own songs,” she said.  It isn’t her first album though. Her previous recordings include: 'Re-Imagined' (2022), 'Falling Trees Make Sound' (2016), and ‘Live at Cafe Creme' (2014). As for what she does on her down time, Mulhern says she enjoys taking walks on the island, calls herself a “wanna-be chef” since she likes spending time in the kitchen, and playing pickleball with her wife, Erika. “We tried pickleball out, and we think it’s hilarious and fun. We don’t really know how to play the real game with the serious retired people that come out,” she said. To catch Jenuine Cello on December 6, stop by Cork N Craft from 7 pm to 10 pm. You can follow her on Instagram as jenuinecello, Facebook as Jenuine Cello, or visit her website: www.jenuinecello.com  for more information on her upcoming shows, how to purchase her albums, or for bookings.