Getting to know LA rocker Jessie Deluxe - By N.L. Belardes
Jessie Deluxe was back in the Bakersfield rainstorm a few nights ago testing some new jams on the crowd at Riley’s Tavern. The paparazzi that I am, I decided it was time to dig a little deeper than the usual photos of one of my favorite LA rockers. It was time to pry into psyche of Jessie Deluxe. Why not provide myself and my readers a story that reaches deeper than, “Oh yeah, that N.L. guy has a crush on Jessie’s ability to shred”?
And, for goodness sake, I know Jessie Deluxe is more than just a goddess shredder of the LA underground with her cherub guitar stabbing like an arrow of lost whiskey-drinking love songs...
I met Jessie at a little round Riley’s table near the wood-floor stage area. I sat on stool and she stood and stirred her drink, taking an occasional sip. Aware that she gives vague answers to most questions in her usual mysterious web of rock star paparazzi avoidance, I let her know that, “Tonight, I’m digging into the real Jessie Deluxe.”
She laughed.
Right away I discovered that Jessie, now 24, grew up around music and her mom’s opera singing. Such operatic music in the home definitely left her with some talents in the singing department. Her mother currently has a success in the LA opera scene singing back-up vocals, possibly for a Belgian Opera (I rarely write down interviews, so bear with me). I did a little research and noticed that LA’s young Mikko Franck has conducted the Belgian National Orchestra and made his debut for the LA philharmonic in 2004 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I wonder if Jessie’s mom has anything to do with singing at Mickey’s Disnified opera hangout.
Jessie grew up spending a lot of time alone. Of course I asked her if she was a loner. She replied, “I don’t like that word. To me, ‘loner’ is a depressing word that means someone is unhappy. When I spent a lot of time alone when I was young I was happy. I’m a very optimistic person.”
Yes, Jessie Deluxe is an optimistic person, always smiling and always joking—though you don’t always see such optimism in her music that describes life with a non-idealistic cutting edge. “I don’t tell stories in my music as much as I describe life and how it is,” she gestured with a big sweep of her arm as if to say, “Here you go!”
A few days a week Jessie works at Silverspoon, a vintage clothing store in Silverlake, California where she likes to try on clothes and enjoy herself and rather flamboyant co-workers. And yet Jessie doesn’t seem like those of the Bakersfield Gigantic Vintage hipster crowd. She comes across as a moderate dresser; a jeans and plain T- shirt kind of girl, but with that arrow guitar.
The new Gigantic Vintage in downtown Bakersfield
Get the latest hipster clothes for your vintage tastes
Jessie’s new haircut didn’t detract from her looking her usual—the nice girl next door—who when you give a guitar to will show you that although she is nice, there’s a rebelliousness and passion you might not have seen otherwise. Of course Jessie doesn’t consider her music rebellious. I would argue that point. I think any girl with the rocker attitude she carries off onstage portrays a certain rebelliousness in us all. We like to live through our rock stars, and though Jessie is making her way up through the ranks of the LA rock and roll scene as a nice girl, she definitely has that rock star quality that while performing makes her music not “nice”, but deliberate, almost mean or gritty. Her songs are a slap in the face with reality; they’re filled with driving riffs that make you want to be as tough as her music feels. Just watch when she sings and she looks at you when she growls out her vocals as her hair falls in her eyes, as if telling you, “This is how life is going to be, and yes, I’m the one telling you.”
At home? Jessie says she lives an optimistic life of pursuing her dreams. “My dad always makes me sit down and try to figure out my goals. He puts me on the six-month plan. He even writes it all down.” Imagining Jessie Deluxe filling out a spreadsheet for six-month intervals in her life is just beyond my paparazzi imagination.
Although I can imagine her apartment life to be quiet at times with the cat Sweet Sweet that she discovered in a rainstorm, in no way do I see Jessie Deluxe, the LA rock star, the poetry loving girl who tells her father, “There’s always time for college later,” as someone who can sit down and plan six months of goals in a life revolving around the dynamics of the LA music scene.
Our conversation coming to a close, Jessie finished by saying she loves to come to Bakersfield to experiment with her music. No she hasn’t found a new bass player yet. Yes, she would be playing 4 new songs, including the incredible, “Halo,” and “Blood.”
“Artists are moody,” Jessie said, taking a sip of her drink and giggling as the interview came to a close.
“So what is your most moody new song you’re going to play tonight? Is it “Blood”?
Jessie looked at me as if I discovered the secret of her universe. She wanted to know how I knew.
“I’m an artist too. And I’m moody. After following your music for some time, I just guessed by the name of the title…”
And, for goodness sake, I know Jessie Deluxe is more than just a goddess shredder of the LA underground with her cherub guitar stabbing like an arrow of lost whiskey-drinking love songs...
I met Jessie at a little round Riley’s table near the wood-floor stage area. I sat on stool and she stood and stirred her drink, taking an occasional sip. Aware that she gives vague answers to most questions in her usual mysterious web of rock star paparazzi avoidance, I let her know that, “Tonight, I’m digging into the real Jessie Deluxe.”
She laughed.
Right away I discovered that Jessie, now 24, grew up around music and her mom’s opera singing. Such operatic music in the home definitely left her with some talents in the singing department. Her mother currently has a success in the LA opera scene singing back-up vocals, possibly for a Belgian Opera (I rarely write down interviews, so bear with me). I did a little research and noticed that LA’s young Mikko Franck has conducted the Belgian National Orchestra and made his debut for the LA philharmonic in 2004 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I wonder if Jessie’s mom has anything to do with singing at Mickey’s Disnified opera hangout.
Jessie grew up spending a lot of time alone. Of course I asked her if she was a loner. She replied, “I don’t like that word. To me, ‘loner’ is a depressing word that means someone is unhappy. When I spent a lot of time alone when I was young I was happy. I’m a very optimistic person.”
Yes, Jessie Deluxe is an optimistic person, always smiling and always joking—though you don’t always see such optimism in her music that describes life with a non-idealistic cutting edge. “I don’t tell stories in my music as much as I describe life and how it is,” she gestured with a big sweep of her arm as if to say, “Here you go!”
A few days a week Jessie works at Silverspoon, a vintage clothing store in Silverlake, California where she likes to try on clothes and enjoy herself and rather flamboyant co-workers. And yet Jessie doesn’t seem like those of the Bakersfield Gigantic Vintage hipster crowd. She comes across as a moderate dresser; a jeans and plain T- shirt kind of girl, but with that arrow guitar.
The new Gigantic Vintage in downtown Bakersfield
Get the latest hipster clothes for your vintage tastes
Jessie’s new haircut didn’t detract from her looking her usual—the nice girl next door—who when you give a guitar to will show you that although she is nice, there’s a rebelliousness and passion you might not have seen otherwise. Of course Jessie doesn’t consider her music rebellious. I would argue that point. I think any girl with the rocker attitude she carries off onstage portrays a certain rebelliousness in us all. We like to live through our rock stars, and though Jessie is making her way up through the ranks of the LA rock and roll scene as a nice girl, she definitely has that rock star quality that while performing makes her music not “nice”, but deliberate, almost mean or gritty. Her songs are a slap in the face with reality; they’re filled with driving riffs that make you want to be as tough as her music feels. Just watch when she sings and she looks at you when she growls out her vocals as her hair falls in her eyes, as if telling you, “This is how life is going to be, and yes, I’m the one telling you.”
At home? Jessie says she lives an optimistic life of pursuing her dreams. “My dad always makes me sit down and try to figure out my goals. He puts me on the six-month plan. He even writes it all down.” Imagining Jessie Deluxe filling out a spreadsheet for six-month intervals in her life is just beyond my paparazzi imagination.
Although I can imagine her apartment life to be quiet at times with the cat Sweet Sweet that she discovered in a rainstorm, in no way do I see Jessie Deluxe, the LA rock star, the poetry loving girl who tells her father, “There’s always time for college later,” as someone who can sit down and plan six months of goals in a life revolving around the dynamics of the LA music scene.
Our conversation coming to a close, Jessie finished by saying she loves to come to Bakersfield to experiment with her music. No she hasn’t found a new bass player yet. Yes, she would be playing 4 new songs, including the incredible, “Halo,” and “Blood.”
“Artists are moody,” Jessie said, taking a sip of her drink and giggling as the interview came to a close.
“So what is your most moody new song you’re going to play tonight? Is it “Blood”?
Jessie looked at me as if I discovered the secret of her universe. She wanted to know how I knew.
“I’m an artist too. And I’m moody. After following your music for some time, I just guessed by the name of the title…”
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Saturday, April 08, 2006.
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she sounds so cool...
Jessie Deluxe is soooo cool! I love her music! That was a fun night...
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