Jesse Jo Stark

JESSE JO STARK IS NO STRANGER TO GENIUS.

Growing up surrounded by some of music’s most historic figures was inevitably influential in her creative interests; it would be nearly impossible to avoid when you count Cher as your godmother. But regardless of her roots, Stark is blazing a new path of her own with her soulful vocals and powerful instrumentation.

Stark made an early entry onto the stage, playing shows in her late teens while refining her sound and finding her step. Now 27, she’s spent the last few years solidifying a foundation of music releases and etching out a unique image that’s somehow both dark and hard, bright and feminine. When asked about her aesthetic (what I’ll call classic-camphorror-vamp), she cites a family friend who always made Halloween a magical time in a spooky wonderland. “She was actually present for my birth, and then last night at my show in LA she joined me onstage in a zombie mask she’d made. It was this crazy full circle moment for me.”

Stark sat down with Open Color fresh offstage from her packed-out show at Slim’s in San Francisco.

We love your sound and look—if you could perform anywhere, where would it be?

Just on the dreamy side, it’d be sick to play in a cemetery. But on another side, honestly on this tour, and any tour, playing in each city in the most unexpected spots—those are the coolest shows. This tour with The Vaccines ends in New York and I haven’t really played in New York since I was 18 when I did this collaboration at The Ace Hotel, so that’s a really crazy thing for me to end it there. We end on the 15th and 16th and then I go on tour with Sunflower Bean in November.

What’s been your favorite reaction to your music, whether it be from a stranger or someone you know?

I feel like lately the fans that I’ve been “getting” or whatever, however you want to say it… I feel like I’ve finally found my weirdos, like my fellow weirdos. It’s just like… there’s so many of me, you know? So it’s just like, when you can find those people that get it, it’s really cool. A lot of people have been telling me lately things like “You got me through this time in my life” or “I did this road trip around the U.S. and your music was my soundtrack.” I’m still like “really?!” That’s so crazy. And really really, every time it just kind of breaks my heart because I put a lot of love into my songs and I’m finally in a place where I back them and want them to be in the world and hope that people connect with them. All the responses lately have been really beautiful and they’re all so different, so many different age groups… it’s been really cool. It’s nice when people get what you’re about.

Who are some other emerging artists we should know more about?

I love Grace McKagan of The Pink Slips, The Paranoids… I’m naming a lot of punk bands, weirdly. I also just love Rye. I don’t know because I love a lot of like early, old X videos because they were so like B-side shit, not really done up. I mean The Cramps are just my ultimate inspiration. I really don’t think anyone is as cool or good as them. I just really don’t. Not in that realm, you know?

Who are some of your favorite visual artists?

Nick Cave, Bowie—I mean all the last shit he did was just so trippy, just like a walking-into-death kind of thing.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Um yeah… I freak out, I sweat a lot, I’m learning how to do my makeup. I don’t really love to talk, you know I never like to be alone but weirdly before a show I’ve noticed that I want to be around my band, but I don’t want to be around a lot of people. I have to like go into this little weird hole. I just have a shot

of whiskey and then do my thing.

How do you think social media impacts not just your career and artwork, but in a bigger sense do you see it as a good thing, as a way to connect more with community? Or do you see it as coming at a big price?

It’s really difficult because it’s so, you know, like my generation is half and half, we know when to put the phone down but the kids below [our age], it’s like they don’t know anything else. I have a love-hate with it, I take breaks, like I’ll just delete it off my phone for two weeks, but it’s… you know, I try to respond to every message I get, I love interacting with them, I want to know what they have to say, I want to respond and I think it’s served as a really amazing platform for me. I’m not signed, I’m doing this by myself, and it’s allowed freedom, but on the dark side, social media is horrible, and it’s not real and that’s why I think I love videos, because those are actually happening whereas a photo is like the best part of your day. So I just try to be as real as possible, I just want you know what’s going on.

Anything else coming up after these tours?

I want to play festivals, I want to tour more. I love being on the road. I’m releasing a video for “Wish I Was Dead” in a few weeks and then another for “Rot Away,” and then another song, and then another song, and then another song [smiles].

I’m doing all with artwork and then this last a/b side I did for “Rot Away” was the first photo of me. But I’m making vinyl and it’s almost done—there’s artwork, too, on the back. But then the artwork will continue… For me, I have a ton of songs but I don’t want to put them all out right away, I don’t think they’re ready for that anymore. Any way I can slow it down in this world. I’ll put out an album soon though.