introducing jessica grace

voice on the verge #4: jessica grace

listen to Jessica on Myspace

It’s not every day you get to release your debut album, let alone a Friday (such things usually happen on a Monday round these parts), but for the dazzlingly talented Jessica Grace today is that day. Operating with perhaps an unprecedented level of mystery and intrigue, Ms. Grace has yet to reveal said album’s title* or artwork but Wears The Trousers is perfectly assured by those in the know that it’s brilliant. From what we’ve heard, both live and on 2005′s intense and dramatic Strange Machines EP, we’re all in for a real treat. There’s a launch party tonight at St Mary Le Bow Church, which can be found along the London street they charmingly call Cheapside. For now, read on and find out more about Edmonton’s funniest and most likely to succeed…

* * *

What’s your middle name?
Grace is my middle name, Everitt is my last name.

What were you like at school?
Very shy and uncomfortable and small and insignificant and bullied.

Are you multi-lingual?
No. I can say “today I bought a swimming pool” in French. Or “I am a banana”. I didn’t write a song yet in French about those subjects.

What did you listen to when you were growing up?
Lots of things. The Bangles and Belinda Carlisle early on, I’m proud of that. My dad used to play The Buzzcocks and The Pixies and Sisters Of Mercy at the dinner table when I was 11-ish. That had a big effect.

Who was the first person/band you saw in concert?
Tori Amos. Though my first concert was Mozart at the Barbican. I was so bored.

What’s the biggest guilty pleasure in your record collection?
Shania Twain, Come On Over.

Which artist would you most like to work with?
Damien Rice. And then I could have an unconventional, highly unhealthy, intense relationship with him. Then kill myself.

Tell us about your favourite instrument
A dulcimer. Made by my granddad, though it was always (in my lifetime) in my Dad’s house, until now, ‘cos I was there waiting for my sister and being really pissed off with her and writing songs on it, so now I have it.

What is your most loved item of clothing and why is it so treasured?
A cardigan my friend gave me once to keep warm. I’ve worn it in some of the most dangerous situations and it’s kept me in one piece. It’s getting a bit manky now.

What are your views on feminism?
I think feminism has been misconstrued by non-feminists and feminists alike, especially in the ’80s when, in my opinion (yes, I had an opinion at five), it was seen as feminist to take on masculine qualities, which sort of defeated the object really. I’m sure, initially, what women wanted was for femininity (‘soft power’ rather than ‘hard power’) to be recognised by society as being as invaluable as masculinity. Oh, and equal rights. Which we’re still fighting for.

What’s your top household tip?
Clean the house.

What was the last good book you read?
I have a habit of having 10 books on the go, none of which I could say have been ‘read’ all the way through…but a good one I’m ‘reading’ is ‘A Quest for Global Peace’, a dialogue with Daisaku Ikeda and Joseph Rotblatt, the guy who designed nuclear weapons…then spent the rest of his life devoting himself to the abolition of nuclear weapons.

How are you most likely to die and what would you want written on your headstone?
Of old age, and I always said, very pretentiously, that I didn’t want a gravestone. I wanted to be burned with my ashes scattered in a poppy field.

What’s the biggest problem facing the world today?
Inequality; humans thinking that other humans aren’t human like them.

What’s your favourite quote?
“There’s nothing more barbarous than war.”

Would you rather see a ghost or simply have a piece of toast and watch the evening news?
Toast. Toast. Jam. Or marmite. Not both. Or peanut butter and honey. It really depends on my mood. I don’t like ghosts. They know this, so they don’t visit me.

What’s been the best moment of your career so far?
Every time I take inspiration with me to a gig I get it back tenfold. So every moment like that I have treasured.

If you had to pick one song from your repertoire to represent your entire body of work, which one would you choose and why?
‘Ether’ from my new album. There’s no anger in it, so it certainly doesn’t represent the body of my work, but it makes me seem less scary.

How would you describe your new album in 10 words or less?
An amazing transformation of haphazardness into beauty.

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
Um, I WILL HAVE finished the design for my artwork for my album. Which WILL be available at the launch party. SOMEHOW.

* * *

Alan Pedder
originally published September 21st, 2007

* turns out she couldn’t decide and opted for her fans to fill in the blanks with the somewhat knowing Insert Quirky Title…Here

Written by: Wears The Trousers magazine

Tags: alan pedder, interview, jessica grace

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