The C2C Sit Down with Jess and the Bandits
This years C2C Festival in London continues to get closer, and we are looking forward to see Jess and the Bandits take to the Festival Stages. Jess Clemmons is no stranger to the UK Country Music scene and has regularly played shows across the country – as recently as last summer – but there return this time around is hot on the heels of their new album Jessica. We caught up with Jess as she prepares to head to London
I gotta ask first and foremost, how's the weather over there? Like, you had a crazy snowstorm last month.
Oh my gosh. I don't know what's going on with the weather. Of course, you know, in Texas, especially in Southeast Texas, where I live, it snowed like six inches last month, this has never happened. I've never experienced that; we've gotten snow, but everything shut down for three days, It's crazy. You don't associate freezing and snow with Texas, especially not this far south. I don't know what's happening, but hey, if this becomes a normal thing for us, I'm okay with it, just as long as the sun comes out and clears it all out eventually.
I saw you were out with your son in the snow.
Yeah, my youngest River. He's three and a half, and he enjoyed it. Our littlest dog, Remy, wanted to go out too. Our other dog is an Australian shepherd and so he was like, “this is what I've been waiting for my whole life,” [laughs] It was a lot of fun, though. Now my oldest wants to move somewhere where it snows. And I'm like, ‘yeah. I mean, three, four days is fine, but that gets old real fast.’
I saw that you made the most of it. You made the Texas Snow Edition of ‘Preaching to the Choir.’
Yeah, seriously. I was like, when is this ever going to happen again? I have to go out and do this. So my husband, bless his heart, he's actually allergic to the cold, like has an autoimmune condition that makes him break out in hives. And I was like, It's okay, I can set up a tripod and I can do this. He's like, no, no, I'll do it. He bundled up and came out and filmed me in the snow, and I felt so guilty, but he did a great job.
He did. It looked good. His sacrifice was not in vain.
Exactly. It looked good.
I gotta ask first and foremost, how's the weather over there? Like, you had a crazy snowstorm last month.
Oh my gosh. I don't know what's going on with the weather. Of course, you know, in Texas, especially in Southeast Texas, where I live, it snowed like six inches last month, this has never happened. I've never experienced that; we've gotten snow, but everything shut down for three days, It's crazy. You don't associate freezing and snow with Texas, especially not this far south. I don't know what's happening, but hey, if this becomes a normal thing for us, I'm okay with it, just as long as the sun comes out and clears it all out eventually.
I saw you were out with your son in the snow.
Yeah, my youngest River. He's three and a half, and he enjoyed it. Our littlest dog, Remy, wanted to go out too. Our other dog is an Australian shepherd and so he was like, “this is what I've been waiting for my whole life,” [laughs] It was a lot of fun, though. Now my oldest wants to move somewhere where it snows. And I'm like, ‘yeah. I mean, three, four days is fine, but that gets old real fast.’
I saw that you made the most of it. You made the Texas Snow Edition of ‘Preaching to the Choir.’
Yeah, seriously. I was like, when is this ever going to happen again? I have to go out and do this. So my husband, bless his heart, he's actually allergic to the cold, like has an autoimmune condition that makes him break out in hives. And I was like, It's okay, I can set up a tripod and I can do this. He's like, no, no, I'll do it. He bundled up and came out and filmed me in the snow, and I felt so guilty, but he did a great job.
He did. It looked good. His sacrifice was not in vain.
Exactly. It looked good.
I gotta say, congrats on your latest album, ‘Jessica’. You just released it a couple of weeks ago - it seems like the album's been a bit of a journey for you, like you crowd funded to get it made. How does it feel now that it's out in the world, and people are reacting to it?
It's like a huge deep breath, is what it feels like. It's like finally, you know, because I think it's so tricky when you're independent, when you've been doing this as long as I have, and the I've watched the landscape of the music industry and how to do things change so much over the years. I mean, there was a time where you had to release everything a certain way and put everything out this specific way in order to get streams or to get people to listen, and now I actually feel like there's so much more freedom with releasing this album than I had with any of the others. It's almost like less pressure, which is really nice, especially you know, when you've been through releasing other albums and EPs, Christmas albums, all these things, and it's nice to be able to get this one out after working so hard, not just to put together the album, but just to make it happen. Now the real hard work starts again, and the fun work, though, because now I get to tour it and do all that stuff and connect with the fans.
You did have to work harder to get it made, with the crowd funding, but how did it feel knowing that there was that demand there before you'd even started making it? And now to have those people, particularly the people who crowdfunded it, does it feel even more rewarding for them to be reacting to it?
Yeah, because, like I said, Jess and the Bandits has been a band now for 10 years, and prior to that, you know, I had another 10 years under my belt of just Jessica Clemens. And so having that support, especially when you're really, like, essentially, about to throw something against the wall and hope it sticks. You don't know if you're gonna get that support at all. And so I think that was scary, because you're being vulnerable, because you're taking down all the facade. No more smoke and mirrors. You're going, this is what this industry is really like, folks. And if you want to hear music from me, I need your help. And the fact that there were so many people from this side of the Atlantic to your side of the Atlantic that were like ready to support the album, it's just incredible. And then to be able to put that physical copy in the hands of the crowd funders before it even came out to the general public was such a wonderful thing, because it was like, we did this together.
Absolutely. And you've described this album as like, it's your story, your journey. But for those fans, they're even more involved in it than they ordinarily would have been. So it's their journey too. So their connection to it is going to be even more special, especially when you get out to play it live and they get to these shows that you're going to be doing.
That's it, because they've been able to live with these songs for such a long time and being able to actually see it live, and knowing, I mean, I've given to crowdfunders before, and because I know what it's like, and so I've given to crowdfunders, and there is a really different feeling as a fan, because I am the fan of so many other bands and artists that you go, yeah, I want to help you. And so when you're out there listening to the songs, you're like, thanks to me, you're singing that, thanks to my 10 pounds. But even that, that's what I've told so many people. There were people that gave like five and 10 pounds, and there were some people that could only give like three and I went, No, seriously, you have no idea what three pounds will do, and it seems like nothing to you, but to an artist, that's huge. Because if enough people did that, you're all set, and everyone gets to enjoy being a part of the process.
No, absolutely. And like you've said, I think there's no better time than right now to be an independent artist, because, yeah, it is harder work getting things done, but you've got so much more control and freedom and flexibility to make the music that you want to make without a label saying, ‘well, you know, we think this should hit on Tiktok or whatever.’ You can just make the music you want to make.
You know, it's amazing. It’s something that I was talking to Laura, my manager, about the other day; we were talking about different artists, and Alexandra Kay, I think, is a really great example of what can happen with hard work for an independent artist, and she and I performed, she performed right after me at Country to Country two years ago, and so we got to chat for a while, and now seeing that she just got signed, but I can guarantee you that it was on her terms. Because the thing is that it's when you're doing that well, that's when the labels want to come in, and they're going, ‘wait a minute, you've done all the work. Let us help with the money part. And that's kind of it's essentially a big investment. But I love the fact that with social media, with like Instagram reels and TikTok and all these things, you don't have to stick to a structure. You don't have to just play your new single and sing along to your new single. You can do the whole album. You can release songs that have never been heard before and let people listen to them. There are no rules, and that is so freeing, I think, for any artist, for that matter, signed or unsigned.
I do love that you gave a little shout out to Alexandra Kay on Instagram with the singing and making the coffee the other day, and I do respect that you switched it up and had wine instead.
It felt appropriate for me. You know, you gotta have a good box of wine.
Absolutely, I love that it was a box of wine as well, not bottles.
Yes, I keep it classy. I should have just had it like in a solo cup. [Laughs].
Next time. Maybe this can be a regular feature. [Laughs].
Yes, I like that idea.
It's like a huge deep breath, is what it feels like. It's like finally, you know, because I think it's so tricky when you're independent, when you've been doing this as long as I have, and the I've watched the landscape of the music industry and how to do things change so much over the years. I mean, there was a time where you had to release everything a certain way and put everything out this specific way in order to get streams or to get people to listen, and now I actually feel like there's so much more freedom with releasing this album than I had with any of the others. It's almost like less pressure, which is really nice, especially you know, when you've been through releasing other albums and EPs, Christmas albums, all these things, and it's nice to be able to get this one out after working so hard, not just to put together the album, but just to make it happen. Now the real hard work starts again, and the fun work, though, because now I get to tour it and do all that stuff and connect with the fans.
You did have to work harder to get it made, with the crowd funding, but how did it feel knowing that there was that demand there before you'd even started making it? And now to have those people, particularly the people who crowdfunded it, does it feel even more rewarding for them to be reacting to it?
Yeah, because, like I said, Jess and the Bandits has been a band now for 10 years, and prior to that, you know, I had another 10 years under my belt of just Jessica Clemens. And so having that support, especially when you're really, like, essentially, about to throw something against the wall and hope it sticks. You don't know if you're gonna get that support at all. And so I think that was scary, because you're being vulnerable, because you're taking down all the facade. No more smoke and mirrors. You're going, this is what this industry is really like, folks. And if you want to hear music from me, I need your help. And the fact that there were so many people from this side of the Atlantic to your side of the Atlantic that were like ready to support the album, it's just incredible. And then to be able to put that physical copy in the hands of the crowd funders before it even came out to the general public was such a wonderful thing, because it was like, we did this together.
Absolutely. And you've described this album as like, it's your story, your journey. But for those fans, they're even more involved in it than they ordinarily would have been. So it's their journey too. So their connection to it is going to be even more special, especially when you get out to play it live and they get to these shows that you're going to be doing.
That's it, because they've been able to live with these songs for such a long time and being able to actually see it live, and knowing, I mean, I've given to crowdfunders before, and because I know what it's like, and so I've given to crowdfunders, and there is a really different feeling as a fan, because I am the fan of so many other bands and artists that you go, yeah, I want to help you. And so when you're out there listening to the songs, you're like, thanks to me, you're singing that, thanks to my 10 pounds. But even that, that's what I've told so many people. There were people that gave like five and 10 pounds, and there were some people that could only give like three and I went, No, seriously, you have no idea what three pounds will do, and it seems like nothing to you, but to an artist, that's huge. Because if enough people did that, you're all set, and everyone gets to enjoy being a part of the process.
No, absolutely. And like you've said, I think there's no better time than right now to be an independent artist, because, yeah, it is harder work getting things done, but you've got so much more control and freedom and flexibility to make the music that you want to make without a label saying, ‘well, you know, we think this should hit on Tiktok or whatever.’ You can just make the music you want to make.
You know, it's amazing. It’s something that I was talking to Laura, my manager, about the other day; we were talking about different artists, and Alexandra Kay, I think, is a really great example of what can happen with hard work for an independent artist, and she and I performed, she performed right after me at Country to Country two years ago, and so we got to chat for a while, and now seeing that she just got signed, but I can guarantee you that it was on her terms. Because the thing is that it's when you're doing that well, that's when the labels want to come in, and they're going, ‘wait a minute, you've done all the work. Let us help with the money part. And that's kind of it's essentially a big investment. But I love the fact that with social media, with like Instagram reels and TikTok and all these things, you don't have to stick to a structure. You don't have to just play your new single and sing along to your new single. You can do the whole album. You can release songs that have never been heard before and let people listen to them. There are no rules, and that is so freeing, I think, for any artist, for that matter, signed or unsigned.
I do love that you gave a little shout out to Alexandra Kay on Instagram with the singing and making the coffee the other day, and I do respect that you switched it up and had wine instead.
It felt appropriate for me. You know, you gotta have a good box of wine.
Absolutely, I love that it was a box of wine as well, not bottles.
Yes, I keep it classy. I should have just had it like in a solo cup. [Laughs].
Next time. Maybe this can be a regular feature. [Laughs].
Yes, I like that idea.
Getting back to your album, sonically, it feels like a really nice mix and balance of, like, 90s country, but you've got, some rock in there. You've got some ballads, but the through line is always the storytelling in the lyrics. Like, what was the process going into this? How did you decide what sort of sound that you wanted to make?
This one was pretty different for me when putting it together, because I decided early on, so I had a lot of songs that I had written recently, and also, like 10 years ago, even that had just kept replaying in my head for like, 10 years. I There's a song on the album called ‘One Day,’ and it's the last song on the album, and I wrote that in Nashville with Jeff Cohen and Phil Barton, who are incredible writers, and I have had that song playing in the back of my head, just off and on for the last 10 years, but it never had a home. And so when I was starting to put together this album, that was one of the first songs that I said, ‘You know what? I think this is the home for this.’ This time around, I decided, you know, I've spent fifteen, twenty years as a songwriter. I've proved that I'm a writer, because unfortunately, when you are a singer and you don't play a guitar, you do not get taken seriously, which is crazy to me, because Liz Rose - the famous Liz Rose - songwriter, publisher, wrote a lot of Taylor Swift's early music, everything, not to mention Little Big Town, all of it. She does not play an instrument, and she went through the exact same thing in Nashville. And so there's been this underlying thing for the last 10 years, especially that, ‘oh, Jessica, the singer. But I don't know if she's a songwriter?’ So this time around, I said, You know what? I have the luxury, I guess you could say not even luxury. I have the luck that I know some of the best songwriters in Nashville at my disposal, essentially, and I can potentially get some great songs from these people. Why would I not and so when I heard ‘Preaching to the Choir’ - that was one of the first ones, I went, yeah, this is my song. This is mine. And so that's how it went. I was listening through to songs that some of these writers had sent over to me and fell in love with them, and then in between those, I had the ones that I'd either currently written or I'd written before that I wanted the songs to have a home, and that's the way this album got put together, which is pretty different from every other album I've put together, pretty special too, though.
Have you spoken to Jeff Cohen or Phil Barton and said, look, it's finally out?
Yeah, I tagged them both, and I sent Phil a message when I put out ‘One Day,’ because I put on Instagram, kind of like the beginning of the song when we had written it, because I went and found the demo. And so there's the demo, and then I edited in the album version of basically going from the demo to the album, and he was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's finally out!’ But it's great because that's one of the songs, for some reason, I'm getting so many comments on from people that they just love it so much. And also from a personal perspective, I lost my father on November 1st of 2023, and he had Parkinson's and Parkinson's dementia. And so I just, you know, battled with that grief and all of that, and it just got to me that my dad never got to hear this album, and that just kind of broke my heart, because my dad was my biggest fan and supporter, you know, everything from financially to emotionally, all of it. And then it hit me after the album came out, that he heard ‘One Day,’ because it was written 10 years ago, and it was one of his favourite songs. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that even more special now, and it's a beautiful way of coming full circle with it and making it special.
This one was pretty different for me when putting it together, because I decided early on, so I had a lot of songs that I had written recently, and also, like 10 years ago, even that had just kept replaying in my head for like, 10 years. I There's a song on the album called ‘One Day,’ and it's the last song on the album, and I wrote that in Nashville with Jeff Cohen and Phil Barton, who are incredible writers, and I have had that song playing in the back of my head, just off and on for the last 10 years, but it never had a home. And so when I was starting to put together this album, that was one of the first songs that I said, ‘You know what? I think this is the home for this.’ This time around, I decided, you know, I've spent fifteen, twenty years as a songwriter. I've proved that I'm a writer, because unfortunately, when you are a singer and you don't play a guitar, you do not get taken seriously, which is crazy to me, because Liz Rose - the famous Liz Rose - songwriter, publisher, wrote a lot of Taylor Swift's early music, everything, not to mention Little Big Town, all of it. She does not play an instrument, and she went through the exact same thing in Nashville. And so there's been this underlying thing for the last 10 years, especially that, ‘oh, Jessica, the singer. But I don't know if she's a songwriter?’ So this time around, I said, You know what? I have the luxury, I guess you could say not even luxury. I have the luck that I know some of the best songwriters in Nashville at my disposal, essentially, and I can potentially get some great songs from these people. Why would I not and so when I heard ‘Preaching to the Choir’ - that was one of the first ones, I went, yeah, this is my song. This is mine. And so that's how it went. I was listening through to songs that some of these writers had sent over to me and fell in love with them, and then in between those, I had the ones that I'd either currently written or I'd written before that I wanted the songs to have a home, and that's the way this album got put together, which is pretty different from every other album I've put together, pretty special too, though.
Have you spoken to Jeff Cohen or Phil Barton and said, look, it's finally out?
Yeah, I tagged them both, and I sent Phil a message when I put out ‘One Day,’ because I put on Instagram, kind of like the beginning of the song when we had written it, because I went and found the demo. And so there's the demo, and then I edited in the album version of basically going from the demo to the album, and he was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's finally out!’ But it's great because that's one of the songs, for some reason, I'm getting so many comments on from people that they just love it so much. And also from a personal perspective, I lost my father on November 1st of 2023, and he had Parkinson's and Parkinson's dementia. And so I just, you know, battled with that grief and all of that, and it just got to me that my dad never got to hear this album, and that just kind of broke my heart, because my dad was my biggest fan and supporter, you know, everything from financially to emotionally, all of it. And then it hit me after the album came out, that he heard ‘One Day,’ because it was written 10 years ago, and it was one of his favourite songs. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that even more special now, and it's a beautiful way of coming full circle with it and making it special.
You're gonna be back over in the UK a fair bit this year; you're an artist who's got a quite a unique perspective because you've played, obviously, you're American, and you've played a lot of it shows in the US, but you've got a real deep, long history of playing in the UK as well. A lot of international artists I've spoken to have said that we’re better listeners over here or a bit more attentive to it. Is that something that you found as well? What's your take on that?
Yeah. I think, for me, I have got really deep ties to the UK - my family’s from Winchester. I would come over when I was a kid, 14, 15, 16 years old; coming over in the summers. And so if you would have told me then that I would have had a career in the UK, doing music. I wouldn't have even guessed it. But I do think, because in the States, especially in the south, country music is just part of what we do. You know, even if you're not a fan of country music, chances are you still know it. And most people like country music, especially country these days. I mean, Beyonce just won a Grammy for it, so what's that tell you? But I do think in the UK, there is a bigger appreciation for country music, because I do think essentially it is still a new genre. And I remember 10 years ago putting out the first album, and the single was playlisted on Radio 2 - and this is before The Shires or Ward Thomas released their albums - and I remember doing an interview on Radio 2 and they were like, so, tell us about this new genre. But it's been really special, kind of watching that growth of, you know, having a handful of people essentially, really into it to now having massive festivals like Country to Country that are just exploding. Same with The Long Road and all the others that are just incredible festivals that you would have never seen that 10 years ago.
I was going to say, you've played the majority, if not all of the big UK festivals, like Country to Country, Black Deer, Long Road, and you're coming back to play Country to Country next month. You're gonna be playing Roadhouse Weekender in July - what's the biggest observations you've noticed? Like, you say, if you've been doing this a long time, you’ve lived the growth of country music, not just in the States, but over here as well. What's the biggest changes you've noticed as an artist who's lived and toured it?
Some of the biggest changes, it's interesting. I'm noticing in the States, country music is going back a bit more to, I'm going to say proper country, a bit more Country and Western. You know, you've got artists like Midland that are really, really in touch with that, more of that country and western feel as well. Ella Langley, you know that that sort of a feel to it, you're seeing people going back to that, which, for me, songs like music like that is very aligned with Texas country, dirt road country, which is, you know, Oklahoma, Texas, that sort of feel. So you're really seeing a lot of these American artists bringing that into their sound, almost like going back to their roots, which is kind of moving away a bit from the pop country, which I think is refreshing, and it kind of needs to happen, but I don't know how well that's going to translate to the UK when it comes to radio and an overall audience. I think your country die hards will love it, because I think those are the ones that love George Strait and they love, you know, Cody Johnson and Reba and Dolly, you know, all those people, but it's an interesting thing that I'm kind of seeing happen, and that's actually one of the things with this album, like you've touched on; a bit of 90s country, a bit of rock, ballads, you know, kind of like being a bit less pop country. And I think it's going to be interesting to see how the US artists influence that. Something I'm loving about UK country is I'm finding that UK country artists are finally being themselves, and they're not trying to emulate American artists, because that's something that I've always struggled with. I mean, there's a few of them, to be fair, there's a few of them that are still like, basically singing as if they live in Nashville and they don't, but, you know, whatever works for them, that's fine. But I'm like, I want to hear your life. I want to hear your story. I know you don't have a pickup truck and you're not drinking Lone Star beer. I want to hear your story, you know? And so I'm finding that a lot of UK country artists are starting to do that, and I love it. You know, Kezia Gill is a great example of that. Jade Helliwell too - she's tying more of her story and her life into her music, and it's kind of taking on and I love that.
I love that you like you picked up on that, because it does seem to be popular to be more traditional sounding again. I mean, the whole thing with country is like, three chords and the truth, right? But like you say, if you’ve got someone with a British accent coming out and talking like they're from Nashville or Texas, it's like, I know you've not lived this.
Exactly - it's like, that would be the same thing if I wrote a song about, I don't know, growing up eating Yorkshire puddings.
I mean, I really hope you write that song now.
I may do it. [Laughs]. That's a box of wine on Instagram kinda song. I think I may just do it. I'll do an entire just British country song, and I'll just pull in every single thing that’s British and see how it goes.
Well, I'm all here for it. I wanna hear that song. [Laughs]. How excited are you to come back for C2C? Like you say, you played the festival a couple of years ago, and now to be coming back again and it's just got even bigger.
I'm so excited. I am so excited. I’m playing times, and so I am going to be busy and exhausted. It's going to be a bit different for me this time, because I'm coming over on my own, my husband is going to stay home with my boys, and this will be the first time that I've left them and gone and done anything like this. I've gone and done like girls weekends, for a night or two, but this is gonna be, I'll be on the other side of the world, and so I'm a little nervous, but really excited. I'm like, Mom's gonna be on vacation.
So you’re gonna get all the boxes of wine you want to make the most out of this trip?
I told my friend. I was like, go ahead and stock up on the Prosecco. Now it's gonna be a great week. I'm sure I'll come home all exhausted but refreshed at the same time, and my husband will have pulled out his hair. [Laughs]. I'm really excited to be playing the new music. I played for the first time at Country to Country two years ago and I had just two songs picked out for the album, and it was ‘Preaching to the Choir,’ and ‘God Did Good.’ And Jeff Cohen is a co-writer on those, and he was actually there too, so he came to listen to me do them. And he was like, tell me, you're putting these on the album? I was like, yes, the crowd loved them. I decided that was how I was gonna test it. So I tested the first two songs for the album at Country to Country. So that was the very first time for anyone to have heard them. And now this will be kind of another full circle moment.
That’s awesome. I can't wait. I'm going to be there, and I've never seen you live before yet, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm not saying that you have to have the Yorkshire pudding song written by then, but you know, if you don’t, I’ll be disappointed.
I'll see what I can do. If not by then, maybe, maybe by July for the Roadhouse festival. We'll see what I can do.
I'll be holding you to that. [Laughs]. Are there any other artists at C2C that you're looking forward to getting to catch? Are you gonna be here for the whole festival?
Yeah, I should be around for most of it, possibly a little bit on Sunday, but I'd love to see Cody [Johnson], he's amazing live, that's Texas country. He's so good. But honestly, my favourite part is just discovering people that I’ve never heard before. I think there’s gonna be a lot of new talent, which is nice.
Jess and the Bandits will be appearing at C2C: Country to Country in London across the weekend of March 14th to 16th where she will be performing on The Saloon, BBC Radio 2 and CountryLine stages. Full festival details and ticket information are available on the WEBSITE or socials (INSTAGRAM X & FACEBOOK)
Yeah. I think, for me, I have got really deep ties to the UK - my family’s from Winchester. I would come over when I was a kid, 14, 15, 16 years old; coming over in the summers. And so if you would have told me then that I would have had a career in the UK, doing music. I wouldn't have even guessed it. But I do think, because in the States, especially in the south, country music is just part of what we do. You know, even if you're not a fan of country music, chances are you still know it. And most people like country music, especially country these days. I mean, Beyonce just won a Grammy for it, so what's that tell you? But I do think in the UK, there is a bigger appreciation for country music, because I do think essentially it is still a new genre. And I remember 10 years ago putting out the first album, and the single was playlisted on Radio 2 - and this is before The Shires or Ward Thomas released their albums - and I remember doing an interview on Radio 2 and they were like, so, tell us about this new genre. But it's been really special, kind of watching that growth of, you know, having a handful of people essentially, really into it to now having massive festivals like Country to Country that are just exploding. Same with The Long Road and all the others that are just incredible festivals that you would have never seen that 10 years ago.
I was going to say, you've played the majority, if not all of the big UK festivals, like Country to Country, Black Deer, Long Road, and you're coming back to play Country to Country next month. You're gonna be playing Roadhouse Weekender in July - what's the biggest observations you've noticed? Like, you say, if you've been doing this a long time, you’ve lived the growth of country music, not just in the States, but over here as well. What's the biggest changes you've noticed as an artist who's lived and toured it?
Some of the biggest changes, it's interesting. I'm noticing in the States, country music is going back a bit more to, I'm going to say proper country, a bit more Country and Western. You know, you've got artists like Midland that are really, really in touch with that, more of that country and western feel as well. Ella Langley, you know that that sort of a feel to it, you're seeing people going back to that, which, for me, songs like music like that is very aligned with Texas country, dirt road country, which is, you know, Oklahoma, Texas, that sort of feel. So you're really seeing a lot of these American artists bringing that into their sound, almost like going back to their roots, which is kind of moving away a bit from the pop country, which I think is refreshing, and it kind of needs to happen, but I don't know how well that's going to translate to the UK when it comes to radio and an overall audience. I think your country die hards will love it, because I think those are the ones that love George Strait and they love, you know, Cody Johnson and Reba and Dolly, you know, all those people, but it's an interesting thing that I'm kind of seeing happen, and that's actually one of the things with this album, like you've touched on; a bit of 90s country, a bit of rock, ballads, you know, kind of like being a bit less pop country. And I think it's going to be interesting to see how the US artists influence that. Something I'm loving about UK country is I'm finding that UK country artists are finally being themselves, and they're not trying to emulate American artists, because that's something that I've always struggled with. I mean, there's a few of them, to be fair, there's a few of them that are still like, basically singing as if they live in Nashville and they don't, but, you know, whatever works for them, that's fine. But I'm like, I want to hear your life. I want to hear your story. I know you don't have a pickup truck and you're not drinking Lone Star beer. I want to hear your story, you know? And so I'm finding that a lot of UK country artists are starting to do that, and I love it. You know, Kezia Gill is a great example of that. Jade Helliwell too - she's tying more of her story and her life into her music, and it's kind of taking on and I love that.
I love that you like you picked up on that, because it does seem to be popular to be more traditional sounding again. I mean, the whole thing with country is like, three chords and the truth, right? But like you say, if you’ve got someone with a British accent coming out and talking like they're from Nashville or Texas, it's like, I know you've not lived this.
Exactly - it's like, that would be the same thing if I wrote a song about, I don't know, growing up eating Yorkshire puddings.
I mean, I really hope you write that song now.
I may do it. [Laughs]. That's a box of wine on Instagram kinda song. I think I may just do it. I'll do an entire just British country song, and I'll just pull in every single thing that’s British and see how it goes.
Well, I'm all here for it. I wanna hear that song. [Laughs]. How excited are you to come back for C2C? Like you say, you played the festival a couple of years ago, and now to be coming back again and it's just got even bigger.
I'm so excited. I am so excited. I’m playing times, and so I am going to be busy and exhausted. It's going to be a bit different for me this time, because I'm coming over on my own, my husband is going to stay home with my boys, and this will be the first time that I've left them and gone and done anything like this. I've gone and done like girls weekends, for a night or two, but this is gonna be, I'll be on the other side of the world, and so I'm a little nervous, but really excited. I'm like, Mom's gonna be on vacation.
So you’re gonna get all the boxes of wine you want to make the most out of this trip?
I told my friend. I was like, go ahead and stock up on the Prosecco. Now it's gonna be a great week. I'm sure I'll come home all exhausted but refreshed at the same time, and my husband will have pulled out his hair. [Laughs]. I'm really excited to be playing the new music. I played for the first time at Country to Country two years ago and I had just two songs picked out for the album, and it was ‘Preaching to the Choir,’ and ‘God Did Good.’ And Jeff Cohen is a co-writer on those, and he was actually there too, so he came to listen to me do them. And he was like, tell me, you're putting these on the album? I was like, yes, the crowd loved them. I decided that was how I was gonna test it. So I tested the first two songs for the album at Country to Country. So that was the very first time for anyone to have heard them. And now this will be kind of another full circle moment.
That’s awesome. I can't wait. I'm going to be there, and I've never seen you live before yet, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm not saying that you have to have the Yorkshire pudding song written by then, but you know, if you don’t, I’ll be disappointed.
I'll see what I can do. If not by then, maybe, maybe by July for the Roadhouse festival. We'll see what I can do.
I'll be holding you to that. [Laughs]. Are there any other artists at C2C that you're looking forward to getting to catch? Are you gonna be here for the whole festival?
Yeah, I should be around for most of it, possibly a little bit on Sunday, but I'd love to see Cody [Johnson], he's amazing live, that's Texas country. He's so good. But honestly, my favourite part is just discovering people that I’ve never heard before. I think there’s gonna be a lot of new talent, which is nice.
Jess and the Bandits will be appearing at C2C: Country to Country in London across the weekend of March 14th to 16th where she will be performing on The Saloon, BBC Radio 2 and CountryLine stages. Full festival details and ticket information are available on the WEBSITE or socials (INSTAGRAM X & FACEBOOK)
