Interview
Jesca Hoop Interview
- Author:
- Review Date:
- 10/25/2007
Beverly Hills (October 17th, 2007) - I'd arrived early to check out sound check and catch up with Jesca Hoop on her tour with Matt Pond PA at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Plants were being set up for the stage which I found amusing but would later see the full effect on the atmosphere during the show. Since they had a rule on no recording devices in the venue, Jesca and I had to find somewhere outside to catch up. The RV was locked and we ended up huddled in a dimly lit alley behind the Troubadour. From afar, someone could have easily thought we'd been dealing or talking conspiracies, but no.. it's really just us doing an interview for BandNation.
So, tell us about your music and your life story up till now...
My music is a real blend of traditional and modern and its songwriting based so there is a real concentration on song integrity, lyrical content, and melodic value. The production on the songs is adventurous and fantastical. There is a lot of harmony involved in my writing and its one my favorite angles of what i do - singing with other voices. And it's just a real blend of influences. I think it offers something new, at least to me it does.
I was born in the foothills of Northern California and I was brought up in a strictly traditional Mormon upbringing. We grew a garden as a family, we built our house, we landscaped our backyard, and we were a real close family unit. We sang together all growing up and...
*phone rings*
...and that’s my sister calling on the phone and you know we still sing together, Yeah even now
Do you think you'd do any collaborations in the future?
I will, in the next record I hope to have all my brothers and sisters involved.
wow, that’s cool. So do you think your Mormon upbringing played an influence in your music?
Sure yeah. I think more in terms that I don't know who I'd be without it. I tend to center on the heart of a matter and I tend to look for the moral of the story and the message of the story. And that might be from being morally based, I'm not sure. or because there is so much focus on standards, I mean it’s hard to say what I'd be without it so I would have to say yes.
Well, Congratulations on Kismet and its release.
Thank You
Do you have a favorite track off the album or one that means the most to you?
I think my favorite is "Enemy" because it's not wearing a costume. And as much as I like the costumes I think what’s most important is what's underneath. So I enjoy dressing things up but this one is pretty au natural.
Great, So you're not on tour with Matt Pond PA, how has that been for you?
Its been good, it's been pretty smooth sailing.
Are you doing any writing while you're touring?
Not right now. I haven't yet found my swing with writing and touring yet. But I'm trying, I'm starting to open my brain up in that avenue.
What's kind of your best time to do writing?
In the car
Don't get carsick?
No, I haven't gotten carsick this time round. We're riding round in like a boat of an RV.
So what's your favorite thing about touring?
My favorite thing about touring... well one is improving but two is all the different health food stores. And food, all the different food along the way. Yeah I love all the thrift stores, the farmers markets, and the health food stores.
Have you been to the Farmer's Market here in LA?
Yup, there is a few of them actually there are a lot of them!
So, with "Money" on the TV as the trailer music for Dirty Sexy Money, how do you think that has influenced your popularity? Or have you seen an effect since it's been on TV?
Its the most popular songs on my list of songs on iTunes from this record, so it's a good indicator that people are tuning in. I hope its helping you know, that’s my reason for having it there. To help, you know? TV is one of the few avenues we have right now because commercial radio is almost you know, it's really hard right now. Radio is a pretty closed down market. So you have to work with territories within reason, within realms of integrity. You have to work with markets that can help you.
I mean the song is about commercialism, so how do you feel about it being on TV?
I like it, because you know, listen to it. If someone can hear it and they can listen to the words, it's helping. Especially for someone who the concept doesn't occur to, for it to be exposed or to have mainstream access is great. Because the words are counter-mainstream. It's about the misdirection of money and how money is wasted. It's about the wasting of money on art that will never last.
Ok, I thought it was more about not selling out
Well, it's part of it. You have to keep things in balance; you have to make sure that money doesn't write your songs for you. If your natural self and what gets you off is to write a song that just hits everybody's buttons then go for it. But if you're seriously compromising yourself then I think that there's a problem there. Because art should be true or have truth in it anyways.
True. So do you feel there are many musical influences in your life?
Kate Bush is a major influence, Tom Waits is a major influence, Bjork is an influence in some ways, Paul Simon is a major influence, Joni Mitchell, all the best. Leonard Cohen and all the wordsmiths really or the melody smiths and all the ones who have a handle on what their production style is.
So while you obviously worked for Tom Waits (as a nanny) - Do you feel that influenced your decision to want to get into the music business?
I had made the decision to pursue a recording career at that point when I had met him. So it was serendipitous. It was more like my lucky stars.
It was Kismet
Yeah it was absolutely.
And what music have you been listening to lately?
M.I.A., I love the M.I.A. record. I've been listening to the Shins and I've been listening to old Bulgarian music. And old, old, old blue grass. And random songs from iTunes being in the car so much. So a lot of random stuff.
Great, well that’s pretty much a wrap. Any words to your fans?
I love you. Keep coming please. I need every last one of you... to make a living at this crazy life.
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW
OFFICIAL JESCA HOOP SITE
Photos by Pamela Lin
So, tell us about your music and your life story up till now...
My music is a real blend of traditional and modern and its songwriting based so there is a real concentration on song integrity, lyrical content, and melodic value. The production on the songs is adventurous and fantastical. There is a lot of harmony involved in my writing and its one my favorite angles of what i do - singing with other voices. And it's just a real blend of influences. I think it offers something new, at least to me it does.
I was born in the foothills of Northern California and I was brought up in a strictly traditional Mormon upbringing. We grew a garden as a family, we built our house, we landscaped our backyard, and we were a real close family unit. We sang together all growing up and...
*phone rings*
...and that’s my sister calling on the phone and you know we still sing together, Yeah even now
Do you think you'd do any collaborations in the future?
I will, in the next record I hope to have all my brothers and sisters involved.
wow, that’s cool. So do you think your Mormon upbringing played an influence in your music?
Sure yeah. I think more in terms that I don't know who I'd be without it. I tend to center on the heart of a matter and I tend to look for the moral of the story and the message of the story. And that might be from being morally based, I'm not sure. or because there is so much focus on standards, I mean it’s hard to say what I'd be without it so I would have to say yes.
Well, Congratulations on Kismet and its release.
Thank You
Do you have a favorite track off the album or one that means the most to you?
I think my favorite is "Enemy" because it's not wearing a costume. And as much as I like the costumes I think what’s most important is what's underneath. So I enjoy dressing things up but this one is pretty au natural.
Great, So you're not on tour with Matt Pond PA, how has that been for you?
Its been good, it's been pretty smooth sailing.
Are you doing any writing while you're touring?
Not right now. I haven't yet found my swing with writing and touring yet. But I'm trying, I'm starting to open my brain up in that avenue.
What's kind of your best time to do writing?
In the car
Don't get carsick?
No, I haven't gotten carsick this time round. We're riding round in like a boat of an RV.
So what's your favorite thing about touring?
My favorite thing about touring... well one is improving but two is all the different health food stores. And food, all the different food along the way. Yeah I love all the thrift stores, the farmers markets, and the health food stores.
Have you been to the Farmer's Market here in LA?
Yup, there is a few of them actually there are a lot of them!
So, with "Money" on the TV as the trailer music for Dirty Sexy Money, how do you think that has influenced your popularity? Or have you seen an effect since it's been on TV?
Its the most popular songs on my list of songs on iTunes from this record, so it's a good indicator that people are tuning in. I hope its helping you know, that’s my reason for having it there. To help, you know? TV is one of the few avenues we have right now because commercial radio is almost you know, it's really hard right now. Radio is a pretty closed down market. So you have to work with territories within reason, within realms of integrity. You have to work with markets that can help you.
I mean the song is about commercialism, so how do you feel about it being on TV?
I like it, because you know, listen to it. If someone can hear it and they can listen to the words, it's helping. Especially for someone who the concept doesn't occur to, for it to be exposed or to have mainstream access is great. Because the words are counter-mainstream. It's about the misdirection of money and how money is wasted. It's about the wasting of money on art that will never last.
Ok, I thought it was more about not selling out
Well, it's part of it. You have to keep things in balance; you have to make sure that money doesn't write your songs for you. If your natural self and what gets you off is to write a song that just hits everybody's buttons then go for it. But if you're seriously compromising yourself then I think that there's a problem there. Because art should be true or have truth in it anyways.
True. So do you feel there are many musical influences in your life?
Kate Bush is a major influence, Tom Waits is a major influence, Bjork is an influence in some ways, Paul Simon is a major influence, Joni Mitchell, all the best. Leonard Cohen and all the wordsmiths really or the melody smiths and all the ones who have a handle on what their production style is.
So while you obviously worked for Tom Waits (as a nanny) - Do you feel that influenced your decision to want to get into the music business?
I had made the decision to pursue a recording career at that point when I had met him. So it was serendipitous. It was more like my lucky stars.
It was Kismet
Yeah it was absolutely.
And what music have you been listening to lately?
M.I.A., I love the M.I.A. record. I've been listening to the Shins and I've been listening to old Bulgarian music. And old, old, old blue grass. And random songs from iTunes being in the car so much. So a lot of random stuff.
Great, well that’s pretty much a wrap. Any words to your fans?
I love you. Keep coming please. I need every last one of you... to make a living at this crazy life.
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW
OFFICIAL JESCA HOOP SITE
Photos by Pamela Lin