Jennifer Burnes

Step into any club where Jennifer Burnes is playing and you'll likely think the walls are coming down. That is because she is known for her earth-shaking, straight-ahead bass style. This girl likes to rock. And she's got big boots!

Playing with a variety of groups, Jennifer is the ongoing bassist for the Shitones.

Jennifer started playing music when she was 17. She was heavily influenced by "The Band", Bob Dylan's original backing group because she loved their melodies. She first began playing with "George Rios & the Get Tights" and "Motherwheel" in Nevada City, CA. She later connected with various groups throughout Northern California including "The Crazy Daisies" from Hayward and "Freudian Trip" from Sacramento. Somewhere in between she formed her own, all-female band called "G-String".

She saw the Mermen in Lake Tahoe in 1997, and joined the band in 2000 as bassist. She continued with them until late in 2006, when she began playing with "Ribsy's Nickel", a Santa Cruz, CA-based band. Still, her unique style and fun-loving personality lead the Mermen to frequently call on her to join them at certain events.

In addition to playing music, Jennifer has also held roles as booking manager and poster artist for the Mermen and Shitones. She also is active in the surfing community, helping out at Richard Schmidt's surf camp in the summertime. www.kissmyassrecords.com