June 8, 2026 • 40 mins
Jessica Sevier joins Steve Baltin for this episode of In Service Of, talking AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, and whether he has heard her new single "Springsteen".
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey, Steve Balton, and welcome the in service up this week,
I am really excited to introduce you to Canadian artist
Jessica Sevier, the very talented young singer songwriter. Literally this
week alone just won two CMA Ontario Awards for both
(00:27):
Songwriter of the Year and Breakthrough Artists of the Year.
Well first attracted me to Seva was her song Springsteen
all about how your Springsteen's The River saved her life.
And then when I got to know her, I found
out that she was the weird love child of Bruce
Springsteen and hair metal, and yet somehow it comes together
(00:48):
brilliantly wonderful artist, really fun to talk to, very charming,
very entertaining and completely unique.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
If you enjoyed meeting her as much as I, thanks So.
Are you native of Granto?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yeah, Toronto born and raised.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
So where does your very unique sound come from?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I think just you know, the things that I grew
up listening to. I grew up on a lot of
hair metal and a lot of Springsteen, a lot of
John Mellencamp. Uh so it's kind of an amalgamation of
all of those random things. Uh. You know, Springsteen really
taught me how to songwrite, you know, listening to him
(01:50):
for hours and hours and hours every day, you know,
studying the way he wrote music and lyrics. Uh. And
then I think the music and sound really came from Cinderella.
The Heartbreak Station record really inspired me to make music.
I was. I heard it and I was like, that's
what I want to do, you know, like the bluesy
(02:11):
country rock thing. It really really stuck with me after
I heard that record, and I have never forgotten it.
I was like fourteen or fifteen's like ten years ago
when I first heard it, and I think about it
every day, and I just I want to write Heartbreakstation.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
That is like the most random thing, because oh no,
ten years ago, what was Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
It was about twenty years after the Hairbelt things. So
is it from that or fly? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:43):
From my dad? My dad. Some of my first memories
of music are like listening to poison around the dinner table.
Like every Rose has Its Thorn was like one of
my first memories of like really like resonating. I was
like heard music and I was like, oh wait, that's
really really cool? What is that? And I was probably
like eight, you know. And then when I was in
(03:05):
high school, i'd really gotten into hair metal, and like,
I've always been a lover of like vintage things. So
you know, when I saw that my dad had this
old record player, I was like, oh, I want one
of those, and so we took his old Seers dual
cassette and record player out of storage. And the speakers
are as bout as tall as me, you know, like
there's massive, and I moved my whole room around so
(03:30):
that I could have this vintage record player and cassette player.
And then you know, my dad gave me his mixtape
collection and his record collection and all of it was
just hair metal basically. So that's all I have, you know.
And when I was in high school, I was really
into like, you know, analog media and not digital. Kind
(03:50):
of avoided digital media at that point because I was like,
it's like I want to live like it's the eighties, man,
you know, And so all I did was listen to
cassettes and records, and the only ones I had were
hair metal and you know, Springsteen and Mellencamp. So that
was the soundtrack to my life and I just fell
in love with it and still love it. It's still my favorite.
(04:11):
I still have that record player. In my room and yeah,
it's just the best.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
All right.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
So wait, well you wrote about the River in Springsteen.
I love Mellencamp as well. He's actually a friend and
I've interviewed many times. What song would you write about?
It's what song would you write about? For Mellencamp?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
One of my favorite Mellencamp songs. Hmm hmm, there's so many.
I think Between a Laugh and a Tear, I love
that one. Or honestly, there's this interlude on the Scarecrow
record is It's a dark stormy night as the train
metals on all the passengers had gone a bit. That
(04:57):
one's really fun minutes memories. I just love the Scarecrow record.
It's one of my favorites. And you know some of
his like newer stuff I love as well, like Lightning
and Lust I liked. I saw him in concert when
I was in high school and I just cried the
whole time. It was so good.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
That's so funny you said Between the lot of the Tear,
that's always been my favorite. And I mentioned that one
to him and he's like, that's so weird that you
pick that one. Because they were in mythst of remastering it,
but I fucking love that song. It's just so good.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
It's so good, like it's just you know, rumble seat,
that whole record. I just I love I love Scarecrow
And I actually, as a teenager, re created that photo
because my family has a farm out here in Ontario
and I sat I put on my jean jacket and
I sat there on like the barbire fence and I
did the whole Scarecrow photo shoot. So I have that
(05:52):
framed in my wall. Have me at like fourteen doing that,
So it was like just one of my favorite records,
and it's like one of the only ones I had
on vinyl when I first got into vinyl, and now
I have all of them.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
And yet Mellencamp and Springsteen are pretty damn different from
Cinderella and Poison. So I mean, no, that's that's fine.
I mean most artists would listen to everything. But I'm
so fascinated with this because I grew up on Medal
in the eighties before becoming like a huge springs demand.
So for you, like, how like take me through what
(06:27):
you know about the hair metal air and all that.
It's fascinates me because you know, there's like this glurification
of the past and it's like I was talking about
this with someone the other day, you know, but there
are aspects of it, like dude, that was I mean,
have you spent much time in La.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I've been to La once and I'm coming back to
LA and I'm very, very excited for this one. I'm
coming back to LA at the end of May because
a buddy of mine is playing at the Viper Room.
So I'm going to the Viper Room to watch them
play and record the set into pro tools like do
the whole you know, like audio thing there. So that's
very exciting. I'm very stoked about that. There he's playing
(07:07):
with the Cat Club Reunion, like the Alice Cooper guys,
which again dream comes true to go to the Viper Room,
but the Rainbow. I sat the Rainbow last time I
was there. I sat the Rainbow for a good couple
hours and you know, had some drinks and was like
waiting around. I was like, axel Row, is you coming in?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
You know?
Speaker 3 (07:29):
But yeah, No, I haven't spent a lot of time
in LA, and I'm very excited to go back because
it is like it feels like home when I get
to the Sunset strip and I'm like, oh my god,
all of like my heroes sat here and I'm sitting
in the same chair that they might have sat in.
And and I even met Joey Allen from Warrant the
last time I was in La randomly, I was like,
I think that's joint. Can someone go go ask him
(07:49):
for a picture? And I don't want to ask. So
I've met Joey and I met Vince Neil, which was
really really cool. Not in La Here in Ontario, Buddy
of Mine was opening for Motley Crue, and Motley Crue
invited me into their trailer and I got to meet
all of them and hang out with them and be
like cry. I just cried. I was like, oh my god,
(08:10):
why am I here? But it was so cool. And
it's really interesting now that I'm in the music scene
that I get to meet these people because of what
I'm doing. And it's kind of like a full circle
moment from me in my bedroom at fifteen listening to
hair metal and to like now being part of it.
It's just it's insane.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Interesting because your sound, I mean, the stuff I've heard
I was listening to the other stuff this morning on
YouTube is not necessarily that hair metal.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
So no, it's not hair metal at all.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
It's very country. Like I'm a country artist for sure
and definitely sitting in that lane. But you know, my
roots are both. My roots are country, my roots are metal,
my roots are everything. And that's kind of you know,
the stuff that's coming out I have coming out this
summer and into the next couple of years, I've definitely
leaned more into that sound. I have a coming out
(09:00):
on my debut record. It's called Loser, and it's very
Cinderella inspired, lots of slide guitar, and that's finally, like
I finally feel like I'm finding my footing within country music.
You know, it's a little bit outside the box, but
it's still very commercial and ready for radio, which I'm
very excited about. It's it's an amalgamation of all the
things I love.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Well, No, I mean, that's totally normal and fine.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
But the only reason I was asking is because, like
again Taylor's whip played, you know with Death Flatbird. I mean,
I think it's an artist you grow up on everything.
But it's like you said, now that you're part of
that scene and it's interesting, do you find that you know,
the hair metal people have kind of welcomed you in
even though you have a different sound, Like you know,
obviously you know the music, except what you consider yourself
(09:44):
part of the quote unquote hair metal scene. And do
you want to be because man, that scene back in
the day was although now they've all mellowed now they're
off seventy Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
I mean yeah, I think I want to be a
part of it, for sure. I want. I think they
respect me because I have so much knowledge, and I
think that when I open my mouth, they go, wait,
what who is this girl? You know, And that's happened
to me a couple of times within the industry, like
people just don't believe it until I start talking about it,
and then they kind of go, oh, you're kind of cool. Okay,
(10:16):
you can hang out with us. And because people hear
Country and they and they kind of go, ah, you
know whatever. But I think make countries are cool again.
Like I think that's what my mission is, is to
bring a little bit of spice to it, a little
bit of rock. And I definitely think within the next
few records that it'll lean more that way and maybe they'll,
(10:37):
you know, welcome me in a bit more but it's
definitely I'm never gonna go full hair metal, I'll say that,
and never full hair metal. I don't have the voice
for that. I don't have the chops for that. But
some sprinkles of it hopefully.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
No, it's not like it said. I think that's cool
and I think it's all getting again. I think every
artist is you know, influenced by you know, Maldamsaya. But
it's just so funny to me because the hair metal
scene is it's just you know, I don't know it was.
It was a unique scene for a woman especially, you know, so.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
For sure I think I mean as a woman in music,
everything is kind of a little bit it's it's tough
for as a woman in music, and I think as
a woman in you know, loving hair metal, it's it's definitely.
I don't think I would have survived the eighties if
if I was born then I you know, a little
bit a bit dangerous for me. But I think the
era I'm in now is the perfect era because I can, uh,
(11:29):
you know, there's everyone still alive. Most people are still alive.
Most of my heroes are still alive, and I get
to you know, meet them and bring the torch of
hair metal back, like, because let's bring it back, like
what happened to hair metal? Like, let's let's be cool again, guys,
Like I think we need people in this generation that
love that to like bring it forward again, bring it
(11:50):
back to the mainstream and not let people forget about it.
We can't let hair metal die, you know, and that's
what I want to do.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
So for you, I mean, what, it's the craziest hair
metal show you've been to, Like the craziest crowd, the
like the wildest. And by the way, it's funny because
you said you hung out with Motley Krab I've been
friends with those guys forever. Is the one that I
always got along best with them? Well yeah, I mean
I just kind of interviewed everybody, but yes, so cool
(12:17):
you hair metal show?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
I think, I mean the Motley Cruise show to me
was probably the craziest because I was backstage. I was
watching side stage, like Tommy Lee threw me as drumstick
and like I got to hang out with them. I
think that was probably the coolest one just because it
was so you know, so close to my heart. I
was like, oh my god, like the coolest day of
my life. But also I think Guns and Roses. I
(12:43):
wouldn't call them hair metal per se. They're more just
like rock. But they were one of my first favorite
bands ever. And when I was like fifteen, I got
to sit front row Guns n' Roses and it was rowdy.
It was rowdy in there, like you know, everyone's a
little bit older, but there's still they're still going for it.
And you know, I got to like make eye contact
(13:04):
with Axel, so, I mean, he definitely wasn't looking at me,
but to me, he was looking at me. So I
think those are probably two of my favorite shows, just
because they meant so much to me for different reasons.
The Guns and Roses was just full circle for me,
and you know I got to like be this close
to them.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
No, and they're super cool guys, feel I mean, some
of the nicest guys.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
In the world. Well, Axel's fucking nuts, but Slash I
never met them.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
I want to meet them so bad, and you know,
maybe I'll meet Slash one day. I feel like he
goes to things more than Axel does. Axel doesn't really
get seen in the public.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Yeah, so you should imagine then when he shows up
weirdly at a cemetery at one in the morning and
you end up talking to him at one in the morning.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
You met him in a cemetery.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
It was a Core.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Launch party, okay, but no one knew that he was coming,
so it was the yes, very entertaining.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I went up to him.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
I said, I'm a huge fan, but I have to
be honest, I'm a journalist, and I kind of half
expected him to punch me in the face, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
And the nicest fucking guy. We talked for like forty minutes. Wow.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, again. I feel like he puts on a hard
exterior but the inside, you know, I can tell from
the songwriting that he is just like an emotional guy.
You know. I feel like he would be super nice,
but he does not like journalists. You were brave, you
were You were very brave to go up there.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
I mean, you have to take your chance.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
The worst thing he even dissed hit parader and get
in the ring. Come on, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
I mean, well, it was funny because he asked me
what I wrote for I told him all the places.
I was like rolling Stone, Mojoe, this is the one
I was free with. And He's like, oh yeah, and
then you know, he was a big fan of Mojoe,
which is amazing Brits magazine. So we talked for a while.
But Slash has been a friend forever. But it's interesting
(15:08):
for Yal, what was your first Springsteen show?
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Honestly, it was recently. I had never gotten the chance
to see Springsteen, mostly because I was a kid, and
like I didn't have enough money to like buy a
ticket because they were always so expensive, And so I went,
I guess October of twenty twenty four, I believe I
went to see him here in Toronto. I sat in
(15:34):
the Nose Bleeds because you know, it was sold out,
like instantly sold out, of course, so I finally got
my hand on a ticket in the Nosebleeds. My mom
and I went together and I sat there and I
cried the whole time. It was so beautiful and wonderful,
and I was probably the youngest person there and I
(15:57):
just sang every word and it was just so healing
because Springsteen saved my life. Is music, you know, got
me through one of the toughest eras of my life ever,
and it just got his words really just hold me
through this darkness. And to get to see it in
real life was like my soul healing in a way.
(16:17):
It was like very full circle, very just much much
just like, oh my god, he's actually a real person.
This is really cool and great, great fucking show. Every
note was dead on like there was there was nothing,
no notes, no notes, there was nothing anyone could poke
a whole in that show. And it was just straight
talent and beautiful music that it was. It was life
(16:40):
changing for sure. I think that was probably like the
best concert that I've ever been to.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah, so I mean his favorite of course for shing
exund list.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Well, what was like the highlight for you? Do you
remember like what songs really stood out?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:13):
I think there was a lot of songs that I
really wanted him to play that I was like, damn,
like racing in the Street can be Racing in the street,
you know, that's one of my favorite songs. But I
think there was one I can't remember now, like there
was one that I was convinced he wasn't gonna play,
but he did Bobby Jean, which is one of my favorite.
(17:35):
I remember when that one came on, I got really
really excited. Bobby Jean. I used to cover that song
all the time, and it just was really super cool
to hear him play that. I love that one, you know.
I love a lot of the deep cuts which he
doesn't typically play. He pulls them out sometimes. But I
think Bobby Gene was my favorite of the night. I
(17:56):
watched the video over sometimes. It just sounded good and
like I think all of the like horn arrangements, just
like the musicality on that stage really just like really
felt so awesome and was so incredible that it was
like every song was just like hit after hit, even
if I didn't like the song, you know, like you know,
Rosalita is not my favorite song, but when he played it,
(18:19):
I did enjoy it. So if there's something to be
said about Alive. So it's so different than when you
listen to the record and the songs that you think
that you aren't gonna like, you do like because he's
right there and he's like singing it to you, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
So for you when you play live talk about you know,
it's kind of the the amalgamation of you know, Springsteen, Mellencamp,
the hair metal like the country all by the way.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Wait we'll come out of the live and they say,
what are your country influences, like what was the country
you grew up listening jail?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Yeah, I mean the biggest country thing that I would
have would be Mellencamp as a child, because that's like
the Scarecrow record was very folky, you know, bluesy country,
a little bit in that vein, and then I think
once it started writing songs and finding you know, country
music a little bit more. I was really inspired by
Lanny Wilson when I first started. Laney and Miranda and
(19:10):
Carrie Underwood, like those the female country you know, like
the woman of country really had inspired me because you know,
these ladies were pretty bad ass, you know, and I'm
a very shy person in my real life. I'm very introverted,
and so I always looked for music. I think that's
why I loved her Metal was music that made me
(19:32):
feel confident and made me feel kind of like cool,
because I was not that in life. I was very shy.
So when Laney came out with kind of her really
rocky bluesy stuff, I was like really into that. And
obviously Miranda Lambert had done a lot of like you know, Carescene,
Gunpowder and lead, and that was like what was pushing
(19:52):
me into this genre and like really wanted to like,
you know, kind of say fuck you with my music
a little bit. And then Carrie Underwood as well. I
think the female artists that are like great vocalists really
inspired me because I've always been a vocalist and you know,
the artist that just had kind of like an angst
to them.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
You know, it's so fascinating that what you say about
being shot. I mean, I found that every musician in
the world is. I mean, so it's funny take me
back a little bit when you talk about, you know,
how Springsteen saved your life. I mean, I won't ask
you to get too personal with you know, what was
going on, but I mean it is interesting like the
you know, I've always found the healing power of music.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
And what's really interesting interesting about.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
It is that like what I found, you know, at
the last Springsteon show I saw, I just saw a
couple of weeks ago, and it's like there's that feeling
of music turning back time. Music has to kind of
take you to wherever you were when you heard it
at a certain point. So for you to talk about,
you know, how Springsteen was able to help you during that.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Time, Yeah, mental health is something that I've always struggled with.
I've dealt with depression my whole life. I didn't know
that until, you know, I was about fifteen or sixteen,
and I actually had a word for how I was
feeling and a diagnosis for it. But in my whole life,
I've always been just a little bit awkward and shy
(21:19):
and anxious. And then that kind of grew into a
really deep, deep dark depression as a teenager, and I
didn't really know what was happening, and no one could
help me. No one could really, you know, figure it out.
And so, you know, I'd go to school and I'd
come home and I didn't want to talk to anyone,
(21:40):
so I just go to I'd go straight to my room,
put on my headphones, and I'd listened to the River
record on cassette and I'd listened to it front to
back and then again and again and again, just because
I didn't want to think about what was happening in
my real life. I didn't want to think about why
my brain wasn't working and why I couldn't you know,
I couldn't eat, I couldn't get out of bed, I
couldn't go to school, Like I would leave school after
(22:02):
an hour and just be like, I can't, can't do it.
I'm going home, And I just sit there in the
dark and listen to music. And I think if I
didn't have that outlet, I wouldn't be here. Like I
wouldn't have survived this time. I wouldn't have you know,
found any light in life. And I just probably would
have not kept going. And I don't know why this
(22:23):
the River record really picked me. I felt I feel
like it picked me. I didn't pick the record. There
was just something about it that like made me feel
warm inside. And again it brought it felt like it
brought me back to a time that I wasn't even
alive in. You know, it felt like I was back
in nineteen eighty when this record came out, and I
was sitting there and Bruce was talking at me. He was,
(22:44):
you know, giving me the words and the wisdom that
I needed. And again, like it's not like the songs
I was relating to, you know, working on the highway,
like you know, I wasn't that wasn't my life. But
maybe I think it was an escape to a different
life that wasn't mine. And I could kind of imagine,
you know, New Jersey in the seventies and you know,
(23:06):
feel a little bit different and kind of escape from
my own my own sorrows and feel someone else's for
a bit. And so yeah, I think music just has
the most beautiful healing power, Like it just don't felt
like I had a friend when I didn't have one.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
All right, So for you, what is your great escape song?
That one?
Speaker 1 (23:25):
I've been asking everybody this because it fascinates me that
one song takes you back to being a kid, or
that that takes you out of the world.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Oh man, there's so many, I think recently. It changes
all the time. I think because I have so many
key moments of my life with music, like the Poison
song when I was a kid. But I think right
now it's November rain the Guns N' Roses for whatever reason,
you know, I think maybe because it's so long and
(23:54):
I have nine minutes to like cry, and then you
know that's my time limit. I've done after nine minutes,
so can you know, go back? But I think I
think more too, Like I'm an adult now and when
I first heard the song, I was like, oh, this
is pretty, this is nice. I didn't really understand what
it meant. And now as an adult, as I've been
(24:15):
through some relationships and some hard times through that and
some really awful people, I listen to the words more
and you know, nothing lasts forever, even cold November Ray
and the Pain's never gonna last forever. And it doesn't,
it really doesn't. It gets better. And I think that's
why it's one of my songs. Right now. I feel
like I'm in my like you know, my era of
(24:37):
like healing where I'm like, yeah, life is good again.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
So do you find that happening in your music as
well the songs you're writing?
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Friends say that again, do you find that in the
songs you're writing right now that you're dealing into music?
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Yeah? I do.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
I think my record, my debut record, my debut EP,
which is Seven Songs, comes out this summer, and well summer,
it's a late summer, like August. No no definitive date yet,
but late summer it'll definitely be out. And this record
(25:19):
I think was the most healing thing that I've written,
just because it was like me out of this awful, toxic,
abusive relationship, and I wrote all these songs about, you know,
coming out of that stronger. There are definitely some like
songs that are like, oh, you know whatever, But I
think the title track is called wild Wild Woman, and
it's it's a very interesting song, but it's a very
(25:41):
much un empowerment song of like how dare you do
this to me? Like how dare you push the wild
wild woman this far? I'm gonna come back ten times harder?
And I think that song, you know, whenever something bad
happens in my life, I listened to that song. It's
it's so selfish. I listen to my own song to
like heighten me up a little bit. But when you
(26:02):
know life doesn't feel like it's going my way, I
put on a wild Blile women, and I go, that's
fucking right. You are a wild wild woman. You are
a badass. You can do this. And it's actually gotten
me through a lot of really hard times in my
life when I listen to my own song. So this
record was super super healing and just kind of like
a fuck you to everyone who's done me wrong.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
So what makes you a wild wild woman?
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Like give me an example of like, you know, it's
funny because it's talking with bullice after something long ago
about a song like Brave and Crazy what she wrote
in her twenties and how it makes her laugh today.
Now she's like married with kids, but you know there's
still that element that's always there. So for you, what
are some of your what are give me one of
(26:47):
your wildest stories?
Speaker 3 (26:49):
One of my wildest stories. Oh my god, you're putting
on the spot.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
I don't Well, you said you're a wild weld woman,
so you know.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
Wow, woman. I think think it's mostly in the way
that I am unapologetic and I say too much and
I speak my mind, but I don't regret it. You know,
I'm always oversharing and you know, doing what I want
to do. If someone tells me no, it makes me
do it ten times harder, you know.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
You know what?
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Okay, I do have I do have a great wild
woman story. This is my favorite. This is my favorite.
Took me a minute to think about it. I was
on stage opening for an artist, Dean Brody, and this
happens a lot as a woman in music. I got
on stage and some idiot teenage boy in the audience like, yellsman,
(27:39):
you're so hot. I hadn't said a word yet, hadn't
said a word. I was just walking on stage with
my guitar and he just starts cat calling me from
the audience and I go, no, this one's for you,
dedicating this one you's my song called Loser. And I
started singing a song dedicated to this man calling him
a loser. That's probably one of my most wild stories.
(28:02):
It's not that wild, but uh, it's funny.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Now it's good, and I mean it's funny though when
you say about as an artist, you overshare as I mean,
I've talked about this to so many people because I'm
doing a big at the moment, I'm doing a big
LA Time story on Miles Davis for E Timerew's birthday,
and like again, part of what made Miles Miles was
not just the music, but he was like definitive artists
(28:25):
in terms of rock star swagger who just did what
I wanted.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
And if you look at the through line of artists
through history, every great artist, whether it's Joni Mitchell, David
Bewie France had the ability to say go fuck yourself
and do what they wanted.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Yeah, And I think that's pretty integral as an artist.
I mean, it's definitely a mindset because as an artist
there's so many people in your ear telling you what
you can and can't do. And I experienced that for
a really long time until I had a top forty single,
and then people started letting me do what I want.
I wanted to do. I fought, I fought really hard
(29:02):
for a long time to get the things I wanted
and and no one really believed me until it started
to work. And then I was like, I fucking told you,
And now you know. In the sessions that I'm in
recording this next record, I go, this is happening, and
I don't care what you say. Like I'm adding a
(29:22):
synth in a country song and it's a big eighty
synth and we're doing it, you know, And it's kind
of like you just have to do what. I'm gona
wear what I want to wear, and I'm gonna say
what I want to say, and I'm gonna say too
much sometimes and that's okay. You know, It's all part
of the life.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
So for you, who are the artists that are kind
of inspirations in terms of the you know, again following
there is a path of doing what you want to do.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Yeah, I'd say Actual Rose is definitely He's always done
whatever he's wanted to do, you know, wearing those awful outfits,
the biker shorts. Have you seen those? But I'm never
gonna go on stage with biker shorts. I'll say that.
I don't think I've ever worn shorts on stage. I
(30:10):
think that's uh, that's not in my wheelhouse. I usually
wear a dress. But I think Extra was one of
the most you know, the one of the first most
dangerous artists, like you know that was really in the mainstream.
There's been so many, Like I'm not trying to diminish anyone,
but he was one of the most dangerous front men,
like just did whatever and did everything. And I think
(30:34):
that's where I get a lot of my attitude from,
which is so funny. Like I don't think my parents
knew that when they were showing me hair metal as
a child, i'd turn out the way I did and
be a little bit of a rocker. But yeah, Like
I think watching those guys as a kid really shape me.
(30:54):
And like I was like, oh, I can do anything.
So I definitely think I've definitely stole when a lot
of his stage moves. I won't lie. I'm very inspired
by his stage presence and I think that was one
of the biggest things that's helped me in my career
is watching hours and hours of these guys running around
on stage. So like, you know, maybe my singing wasn't
(31:16):
great when I first started performing, but my stage presence
has always been there. And I've always been told that
because I just kind of do whatever I want. I
move my body the way it moves on stage. But
I think it's like again, it's like in the back
of my mind actual doing his little snake dance, and
I see videos of myself doing that, and I go,
oh my god, why did I do that? But you know, again,
you can't be embarrassed or ashamed of what happens on stage.
(31:39):
It's just what's happening, you know. So definitely Axul was
like my biggest insfo of doing whatever.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I want to do. How's your sake? My snake pants
snake dance?
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Oh my snake dance. Sorry, my computers, the speakers aren't
very great. My snake dance. I'd say it's like an
eight out of ten I give I'd give it an
eight out of ten. I was I had a rehearsal
and I had a mirror in this rehearsal space that
I was in last time, so I was actually seeing
myself and I was like, I'd give it an eight.
I eate Maybe you know, no one can do it
(32:26):
like Axel. You know.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Fair, Why don't think wants to do it like Axel? Pardon,
I don't think anything else necessarily wants to do it
like Axel.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
He's a bit of a weird guy. No one, no
one wants to try it. No one wants to be
embarrassed because they can't do it like he can.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
But it works for him.
Speaker 3 (32:51):
Yeah, it works for him. He is so many crazy.
I was watching the user Illusioned VHS tapes last week
and I was watching it. I was like, oh my god,
like why are you doing that? But I was like,
it works for you, it works. Wouldn't work for me,
like I can't do that, but you know what, you
can do that. So it's just funny the things that
he does.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
So the he pakups out in the summer, it's seven songs.
I mean you mentioned wild Wilde World is there, Like,
I mean when you think of touring, I look at
your Instagram and I know you're touring in the fall.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
What are the songs that you're most excited to do live.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
I think Wild Wild Woman for sure is one of
my favorites to do live. I think it really turned
some heads because it's just so different and weird and interesting.
It's kind of like this there's a fiddle and there's
like really gritty guitar, but then there's like this kind
of dance beat to it. It's very it's very interesting,
but it's very me and I'm very excited about it.
So it's very It's it's cool. I have an all
(33:51):
female band coming with me to the UK to play,
so it's kind of trying to really bring out that
woman empowerment, bad ass thing that I'm very excited about.
But I think Loser and a song called Bad for
Me that I wrote with Jack Tempchin is two of
the most ones. I'm very excited to play. Loser mostly
(34:14):
because it's, you know, a man broke up with me
and then I called him a loser in a song
and it's very fun. It's very empowering to get up
on stage and call him a loser every night because
he is, and so I love that one. It's a
fan favorite. I think a lot of it's it's a
girl song. You know, a lot of the girls they
love this song when I come up on stage, because again,
it's like you need to have someone like Axel Rose
(34:38):
to look up to. Like I'm not saying I'm Axel Rose,
but I'm saying, like you need. It's really important for
young girls to see a woman speaking their truth and
talking about things and being like, you know, screw this,
don't do that to me, and like, you know, talking
about how important is to stand up for yourself. And
so I think that's why a lot of the girls
love that song and Wild Woman, but I think Bad
(35:01):
for Me is a song that's really it almost didn't
make the record. I think we chose the song maybe
like three weeks ago. We chose that we were gonna
do it because it is kind of in that same thing.
And Jack Tempchion, I'm sure you know him. He wrote
Peacefully Feeling and with the Eagles, did a lot of
(35:23):
stuff with the Eagles, and so to have that, you know,
inspo from you know, my childhood. I loved the Eagle to
love you know, the vintage music. To have him come
in and write on the record was really full circle.
So I'm really glad we chose that song, and I
think that's why it's so special to me. But it
also is a song that's like, you know, I love
things that are bad for me. I'm a little bit dangerous.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
Was my favorite about so what what what? What things
are bad for you? Do you gravitate hill?
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Like?
Speaker 2 (35:55):
What was it like?
Speaker 1 (35:56):
Give you an example of like the last time that
you know? And you know, it's funny because that preface
by saying I have a friend and musician from what
we're talking about this once, and I find it totally true.
She's like, if you haven't almost died a few times
by a certain age you have about lives.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Exactly, I totally agree. You know. I I had a
bad horseback riding accident when I was a kid. I
broke my spawn, almost died.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
I lived.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
But yeah, I think the song bad for Me in
essence is like about a person that treated me very poorly,
but there was something about it that was so addicting.
It's kind of like a drug. You know, you're addicted
to this person like a drug, and that's what the
song in Essence is about. But I think it could
be about all the things that are bad for me
(36:43):
that I love, you know, like nicotine and you know,
dope and you know alcohol. It could be about anything
like that. And I'm excited to go to the Rainbow
Room and drink some drink some beers. This summer.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Rainbow Room is not bad for you like the days.
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
I think the environment is bad for me, you know,
being around the rockers.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
I mean, is it still though? I think the days
when the Rainbow Room was dangerous? You know, I have
kind of pass.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
I don't know, have you met the new generation of
rock They're a little bit dangerous.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
I mean, I have spent more than enough time there.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
I know. I know. I'm just joking. Bring back danger
to the Rainbow. That's that's that's the headline of the article.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
Way have you been up in the like you know
upstairs bar?
Speaker 3 (37:42):
I haven't.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
No.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
I think I only went to like the main fl
I was only there for like an hour, maybe because
we were kind of trying to do all of them as.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
We were there.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
I was only there for like two days or three days.
It's just like we went to see Joni Mitchell at
the Hollywood Bowl, so it was kind of like a
a quick quick run. But I'm gonna go. I'm going,
I'm going to fully experience the Sunset Strip this this
month when I.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Go, that could be dangerous exactly.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
I love things that are bad for me. Sunset Strip.
I'm going to change the lyrics to the song now.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
So I'm trying to think of like what would be
you know, although the strip is not so dangerous anymore,
you know, but I mean, you know, back in the day,
of course you would have had the crazy, crazy experiences.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
Oh, totally. Yeah, it's definitely very a lot calmer now,
for sure. I think in the eighties it would have
been a scary place. For sure.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
That's not necessarily a bad thing, by the way, because
you still have like, let's put it this way, there
were way too many times that I hung out of
the Rainbow Room where you'd see Ron Jeremy walking around there.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
Thankfully that guy's long gone.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
Yes, Oh my god, that's crazy. I bet you have
some crazy stories.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
I mean, what do you want to add?
Speaker 3 (39:09):
I feel like, what's your wild story? You ask me
my wild wild woman's story?
Speaker 1 (39:18):
All right, Well, I mean they're are to you, all right,
I'm gonna shut this off.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
That's what I was asking. What you want to add?
Speaker 3 (39:27):
Oh, you asked me what I wanted to add, Sorry,
whatever I wanted to add. I think I'm excited about
money record, and I hope that it resonates with all
different kinds of listeners of all genres. And yeah, that's
I'm very excited about the journey that I'm about to
go on. And I have four nominations this year at
(39:49):
the Sea my Ontario Awards, so I'm very excited about that.
Thank you so much. I'm excited about my tour and
just lots of great stuff coming up.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
One audien questions and I'll shut this off and tell
you why. But I mean, you have to ask. Have
you heard from Rip Scene yet about the song?
Speaker 3 (40:12):
I haven't. Do you know him? Can you? Can you
send him an email?
Speaker 1 (40:17):
I have not.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
I I really, I really wish he'd hear it and
know how much I appreciate him and his music and everything.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
But he'll hear it one day, maybe, I'm sure he
will
Hey, Steve Balton, and welcome the in service up this week,
I am really excited to introduce you to Canadian artist
Jessica Sevier, the very talented young singer songwriter. Literally this
week alone just won two CMA Ontario Awards for both
(00:27):
Songwriter of the Year and Breakthrough Artists of the Year.
Well first attracted me to Seva was her song Springsteen
all about how your Springsteen's The River saved her life.
And then when I got to know her, I found
out that she was the weird love child of Bruce
Springsteen and hair metal, and yet somehow it comes together
(00:48):
brilliantly wonderful artist, really fun to talk to, very charming,
very entertaining and completely unique.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
If you enjoyed meeting her as much as I, thanks So.
Are you native of Granto?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yeah, Toronto born and raised.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
So where does your very unique sound come from?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I think just you know, the things that I grew
up listening to. I grew up on a lot of
hair metal and a lot of Springsteen, a lot of
John Mellencamp. Uh so it's kind of an amalgamation of
all of those random things. Uh. You know, Springsteen really
taught me how to songwrite, you know, listening to him
(01:50):
for hours and hours and hours every day, you know,
studying the way he wrote music and lyrics. Uh. And
then I think the music and sound really came from Cinderella.
The Heartbreak Station record really inspired me to make music.
I was. I heard it and I was like, that's
what I want to do, you know, like the bluesy
(02:11):
country rock thing. It really really stuck with me after
I heard that record, and I have never forgotten it.
I was like fourteen or fifteen's like ten years ago
when I first heard it, and I think about it
every day, and I just I want to write Heartbreakstation.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
That is like the most random thing, because oh no,
ten years ago, what was Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
It was about twenty years after the Hairbelt things. So
is it from that or fly? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:43):
From my dad? My dad. Some of my first memories
of music are like listening to poison around the dinner table.
Like every Rose has Its Thorn was like one of
my first memories of like really like resonating. I was
like heard music and I was like, oh wait, that's
really really cool? What is that? And I was probably
like eight, you know. And then when I was in
(03:05):
high school, i'd really gotten into hair metal, and like,
I've always been a lover of like vintage things. So
you know, when I saw that my dad had this
old record player, I was like, oh, I want one
of those, and so we took his old Seers dual
cassette and record player out of storage. And the speakers
are as bout as tall as me, you know, like
there's massive, and I moved my whole room around so
(03:30):
that I could have this vintage record player and cassette player.
And then you know, my dad gave me his mixtape
collection and his record collection and all of it was
just hair metal basically. So that's all I have, you know.
And when I was in high school, I was really
into like, you know, analog media and not digital. Kind
(03:50):
of avoided digital media at that point because I was like,
it's like I want to live like it's the eighties, man,
you know, And so all I did was listen to
cassettes and records, and the only ones I had were
hair metal and you know, Springsteen and Mellencamp. So that
was the soundtrack to my life and I just fell
in love with it and still love it. It's still my favorite.
(04:11):
I still have that record player. In my room and yeah,
it's just the best.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
All right.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
So wait, well you wrote about the River in Springsteen.
I love Mellencamp as well. He's actually a friend and
I've interviewed many times. What song would you write about?
It's what song would you write about? For Mellencamp?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
One of my favorite Mellencamp songs. Hmm hmm, there's so many.
I think Between a Laugh and a Tear, I love
that one. Or honestly, there's this interlude on the Scarecrow
record is It's a dark stormy night as the train
metals on all the passengers had gone a bit. That
(04:57):
one's really fun minutes memories. I just love the Scarecrow record.
It's one of my favorites. And you know some of
his like newer stuff I love as well, like Lightning
and Lust I liked. I saw him in concert when
I was in high school and I just cried the
whole time. It was so good.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
That's so funny you said Between the lot of the Tear,
that's always been my favorite. And I mentioned that one
to him and he's like, that's so weird that you
pick that one. Because they were in mythst of remastering it,
but I fucking love that song. It's just so good.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
It's so good, like it's just you know, rumble seat,
that whole record. I just I love I love Scarecrow
And I actually, as a teenager, re created that photo
because my family has a farm out here in Ontario
and I sat I put on my jean jacket and
I sat there on like the barbire fence and I
did the whole Scarecrow photo shoot. So I have that
(05:52):
framed in my wall. Have me at like fourteen doing that,
So it was like just one of my favorite records,
and it's like one of the only ones I had
on vinyl when I first got into vinyl, and now
I have all of them.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
And yet Mellencamp and Springsteen are pretty damn different from
Cinderella and Poison. So I mean, no, that's that's fine.
I mean most artists would listen to everything. But I'm
so fascinated with this because I grew up on Medal
in the eighties before becoming like a huge springs demand.
So for you, like, how like take me through what
(06:27):
you know about the hair metal air and all that.
It's fascinates me because you know, there's like this glurification
of the past and it's like I was talking about
this with someone the other day, you know, but there
are aspects of it, like dude, that was I mean,
have you spent much time in La.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I've been to La once and I'm coming back to
LA and I'm very, very excited for this one. I'm
coming back to LA at the end of May because
a buddy of mine is playing at the Viper Room.
So I'm going to the Viper Room to watch them
play and record the set into pro tools like do
the whole you know, like audio thing there. So that's
very exciting. I'm very stoked about that. There he's playing
(07:07):
with the Cat Club Reunion, like the Alice Cooper guys,
which again dream comes true to go to the Viper Room,
but the Rainbow. I sat the Rainbow last time I
was there. I sat the Rainbow for a good couple
hours and you know, had some drinks and was like
waiting around. I was like, axel Row, is you coming in?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
You know?
Speaker 3 (07:29):
But yeah, No, I haven't spent a lot of time
in LA, and I'm very excited to go back because
it is like it feels like home when I get
to the Sunset strip and I'm like, oh my god,
all of like my heroes sat here and I'm sitting
in the same chair that they might have sat in.
And and I even met Joey Allen from Warrant the
last time I was in La randomly, I was like,
I think that's joint. Can someone go go ask him
(07:49):
for a picture? And I don't want to ask. So
I've met Joey and I met Vince Neil, which was
really really cool. Not in La Here in Ontario, Buddy
of Mine was opening for Motley Crue, and Motley Crue
invited me into their trailer and I got to meet
all of them and hang out with them and be
like cry. I just cried. I was like, oh my god,
(08:10):
why am I here? But it was so cool. And
it's really interesting now that I'm in the music scene
that I get to meet these people because of what
I'm doing. And it's kind of like a full circle
moment from me in my bedroom at fifteen listening to
hair metal and to like now being part of it.
It's just it's insane.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Interesting because your sound, I mean, the stuff I've heard
I was listening to the other stuff this morning on
YouTube is not necessarily that hair metal.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
So no, it's not hair metal at all.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
It's very country. Like I'm a country artist for sure
and definitely sitting in that lane. But you know, my
roots are both. My roots are country, my roots are metal,
my roots are everything. And that's kind of you know,
the stuff that's coming out I have coming out this
summer and into the next couple of years, I've definitely
leaned more into that sound. I have a coming out
(09:00):
on my debut record. It's called Loser, and it's very
Cinderella inspired, lots of slide guitar, and that's finally, like
I finally feel like I'm finding my footing within country music.
You know, it's a little bit outside the box, but
it's still very commercial and ready for radio, which I'm
very excited about. It's it's an amalgamation of all the
things I love.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Well, No, I mean, that's totally normal and fine.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
But the only reason I was asking is because, like
again Taylor's whip played, you know with Death Flatbird. I mean,
I think it's an artist you grow up on everything.
But it's like you said, now that you're part of
that scene and it's interesting, do you find that you know,
the hair metal people have kind of welcomed you in
even though you have a different sound, Like you know,
obviously you know the music, except what you consider yourself
(09:44):
part of the quote unquote hair metal scene. And do
you want to be because man, that scene back in
the day was although now they've all mellowed now they're
off seventy Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
I mean yeah, I think I want to be a
part of it, for sure. I want. I think they
respect me because I have so much knowledge, and I
think that when I open my mouth, they go, wait,
what who is this girl? You know, And that's happened
to me a couple of times within the industry, like
people just don't believe it until I start talking about it,
and then they kind of go, oh, you're kind of cool. Okay,
(10:16):
you can hang out with us. And because people hear
Country and they and they kind of go, ah, you
know whatever. But I think make countries are cool again.
Like I think that's what my mission is, is to
bring a little bit of spice to it, a little
bit of rock. And I definitely think within the next
few records that it'll lean more that way and maybe they'll,
(10:37):
you know, welcome me in a bit more but it's
definitely I'm never gonna go full hair metal, I'll say that,
and never full hair metal. I don't have the voice
for that. I don't have the chops for that. But
some sprinkles of it hopefully.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
No, it's not like it said. I think that's cool
and I think it's all getting again. I think every
artist is you know, influenced by you know, Maldamsaya. But
it's just so funny to me because the hair metal
scene is it's just you know, I don't know it was.
It was a unique scene for a woman especially, you know, so.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
For sure I think I mean as a woman in music,
everything is kind of a little bit it's it's tough
for as a woman in music, and I think as
a woman in you know, loving hair metal, it's it's definitely.
I don't think I would have survived the eighties if
if I was born then I you know, a little
bit a bit dangerous for me. But I think the
era I'm in now is the perfect era because I can, uh,
(11:29):
you know, there's everyone still alive. Most people are still alive.
Most of my heroes are still alive, and I get
to you know, meet them and bring the torch of
hair metal back, like, because let's bring it back, like
what happened to hair metal? Like, let's let's be cool again, guys,
Like I think we need people in this generation that
love that to like bring it forward again, bring it
(11:50):
back to the mainstream and not let people forget about it.
We can't let hair metal die, you know, and that's
what I want to do.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
So for you, I mean, what, it's the craziest hair
metal show you've been to, Like the craziest crowd, the
like the wildest. And by the way, it's funny because
you said you hung out with Motley Krab I've been
friends with those guys forever. Is the one that I
always got along best with them? Well yeah, I mean
I just kind of interviewed everybody, but yes, so cool
(12:17):
you hair metal show?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
I think, I mean the Motley Cruise show to me
was probably the craziest because I was backstage. I was
watching side stage, like Tommy Lee threw me as drumstick
and like I got to hang out with them. I
think that was probably the coolest one just because it
was so you know, so close to my heart. I
was like, oh my god, like the coolest day of
my life. But also I think Guns and Roses. I
(12:43):
wouldn't call them hair metal per se. They're more just
like rock. But they were one of my first favorite
bands ever. And when I was like fifteen, I got
to sit front row Guns n' Roses and it was rowdy.
It was rowdy in there, like you know, everyone's a
little bit older, but there's still they're still going for it.
And you know, I got to like make eye contact
(13:04):
with Axel, so, I mean, he definitely wasn't looking at me,
but to me, he was looking at me. So I
think those are probably two of my favorite shows, just
because they meant so much to me for different reasons.
The Guns and Roses was just full circle for me,
and you know I got to like be this close
to them.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
No, and they're super cool guys, feel I mean, some
of the nicest guys.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
In the world. Well, Axel's fucking nuts, but Slash I
never met them.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
I want to meet them so bad, and you know,
maybe I'll meet Slash one day. I feel like he
goes to things more than Axel does. Axel doesn't really
get seen in the public.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Yeah, so you should imagine then when he shows up
weirdly at a cemetery at one in the morning and
you end up talking to him at one in the morning.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
You met him in a cemetery.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
It was a Core.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Launch party, okay, but no one knew that he was coming,
so it was the yes, very entertaining.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I went up to him.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
I said, I'm a huge fan, but I have to
be honest, I'm a journalist, and I kind of half
expected him to punch me in the face, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
And the nicest fucking guy. We talked for like forty minutes. Wow.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, again. I feel like he puts on a hard
exterior but the inside, you know, I can tell from
the songwriting that he is just like an emotional guy.
You know. I feel like he would be super nice,
but he does not like journalists. You were brave, you
were You were very brave to go up there.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
I mean, you have to take your chance.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
The worst thing he even dissed hit parader and get
in the ring. Come on, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
I mean, well, it was funny because he asked me
what I wrote for I told him all the places.
I was like rolling Stone, Mojoe, this is the one
I was free with. And He's like, oh yeah, and
then you know, he was a big fan of Mojoe,
which is amazing Brits magazine. So we talked for a while.
But Slash has been a friend forever. But it's interesting
(15:08):
for Yal, what was your first Springsteen show?
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Honestly, it was recently. I had never gotten the chance
to see Springsteen, mostly because I was a kid, and
like I didn't have enough money to like buy a
ticket because they were always so expensive, And so I went,
I guess October of twenty twenty four, I believe I
went to see him here in Toronto. I sat in
(15:34):
the Nose Bleeds because you know, it was sold out,
like instantly sold out, of course, so I finally got
my hand on a ticket in the Nosebleeds. My mom
and I went together and I sat there and I
cried the whole time. It was so beautiful and wonderful,
and I was probably the youngest person there and I
(15:57):
just sang every word and it was just so healing
because Springsteen saved my life. Is music, you know, got
me through one of the toughest eras of my life ever,
and it just got his words really just hold me
through this darkness. And to get to see it in
real life was like my soul healing in a way.
(16:17):
It was like very full circle, very just much much
just like, oh my god, he's actually a real person.
This is really cool and great, great fucking show. Every
note was dead on like there was there was nothing,
no notes, no notes, there was nothing anyone could poke
a whole in that show. And it was just straight
talent and beautiful music that it was. It was life
(16:40):
changing for sure. I think that was probably like the
best concert that I've ever been to.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah, so I mean his favorite of course for shing
exund list.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Well, what was like the highlight for you? Do you
remember like what songs really stood out?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:13):
I think there was a lot of songs that I
really wanted him to play that I was like, damn,
like racing in the Street can be Racing in the street,
you know, that's one of my favorite songs. But I
think there was one I can't remember now, like there
was one that I was convinced he wasn't gonna play,
but he did Bobby Jean, which is one of my favorite.
(17:35):
I remember when that one came on, I got really
really excited. Bobby Jean. I used to cover that song
all the time, and it just was really super cool
to hear him play that. I love that one, you know.
I love a lot of the deep cuts which he
doesn't typically play. He pulls them out sometimes. But I
think Bobby Gene was my favorite of the night. I
(17:56):
watched the video over sometimes. It just sounded good and
like I think all of the like horn arrangements, just
like the musicality on that stage really just like really
felt so awesome and was so incredible that it was
like every song was just like hit after hit, even
if I didn't like the song, you know, like you know,
Rosalita is not my favorite song, but when he played it,
(18:19):
I did enjoy it. So if there's something to be
said about Alive. So it's so different than when you
listen to the record and the songs that you think
that you aren't gonna like, you do like because he's
right there and he's like singing it to you, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
So for you when you play live talk about you know,
it's kind of the the amalgamation of you know, Springsteen, Mellencamp,
the hair metal like the country all by the way.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Wait we'll come out of the live and they say,
what are your country influences, like what was the country
you grew up listening jail?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Yeah, I mean the biggest country thing that I would
have would be Mellencamp as a child, because that's like
the Scarecrow record was very folky, you know, bluesy country,
a little bit in that vein, and then I think
once it started writing songs and finding you know, country
music a little bit more. I was really inspired by
Lanny Wilson when I first started. Laney and Miranda and
(19:10):
Carrie Underwood, like those the female country you know, like
the woman of country really had inspired me because you know,
these ladies were pretty bad ass, you know, and I'm
a very shy person in my real life. I'm very introverted,
and so I always looked for music. I think that's
why I loved her Metal was music that made me
(19:32):
feel confident and made me feel kind of like cool,
because I was not that in life. I was very shy.
So when Laney came out with kind of her really
rocky bluesy stuff, I was like really into that. And
obviously Miranda Lambert had done a lot of like you know, Carescene,
Gunpowder and lead, and that was like what was pushing
(19:52):
me into this genre and like really wanted to like,
you know, kind of say fuck you with my music
a little bit. And then Carrie Underwood as well. I
think the female artists that are like great vocalists really
inspired me because I've always been a vocalist and you know,
the artist that just had kind of like an angst
to them.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
You know, it's so fascinating that what you say about
being shot. I mean, I found that every musician in
the world is. I mean, so it's funny take me
back a little bit when you talk about, you know,
how Springsteen saved your life. I mean, I won't ask
you to get too personal with you know, what was
going on, but I mean it is interesting like the
you know, I've always found the healing power of music.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
And what's really interesting interesting about.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
It is that like what I found, you know, at
the last Springsteon show I saw, I just saw a
couple of weeks ago, and it's like there's that feeling
of music turning back time. Music has to kind of
take you to wherever you were when you heard it
at a certain point. So for you to talk about,
you know, how Springsteen was able to help you during that.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Time, Yeah, mental health is something that I've always struggled with.
I've dealt with depression my whole life. I didn't know
that until, you know, I was about fifteen or sixteen,
and I actually had a word for how I was
feeling and a diagnosis for it. But in my whole life,
I've always been just a little bit awkward and shy
(21:19):
and anxious. And then that kind of grew into a
really deep, deep dark depression as a teenager, and I
didn't really know what was happening, and no one could
help me. No one could really, you know, figure it out.
And so, you know, I'd go to school and I'd
come home and I didn't want to talk to anyone,
(21:40):
so I just go to I'd go straight to my room,
put on my headphones, and I'd listened to the River
record on cassette and I'd listened to it front to
back and then again and again and again, just because
I didn't want to think about what was happening in
my real life. I didn't want to think about why
my brain wasn't working and why I couldn't you know,
I couldn't eat, I couldn't get out of bed, I
couldn't go to school, Like I would leave school after
(22:02):
an hour and just be like, I can't, can't do it.
I'm going home, And I just sit there in the
dark and listen to music. And I think if I
didn't have that outlet, I wouldn't be here. Like I
wouldn't have survived this time. I wouldn't have you know,
found any light in life. And I just probably would
have not kept going. And I don't know why this
(22:23):
the River record really picked me. I felt I feel
like it picked me. I didn't pick the record. There
was just something about it that like made me feel
warm inside. And again it brought it felt like it
brought me back to a time that I wasn't even
alive in. You know, it felt like I was back
in nineteen eighty when this record came out, and I
was sitting there and Bruce was talking at me. He was,
(22:44):
you know, giving me the words and the wisdom that
I needed. And again, like it's not like the songs
I was relating to, you know, working on the highway,
like you know, I wasn't that wasn't my life. But
maybe I think it was an escape to a different
life that wasn't mine. And I could kind of imagine,
you know, New Jersey in the seventies and you know,
(23:06):
feel a little bit different and kind of escape from
my own my own sorrows and feel someone else's for
a bit. And so yeah, I think music just has
the most beautiful healing power, Like it just don't felt
like I had a friend when I didn't have one.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
All right, So for you, what is your great escape song?
That one?
Speaker 1 (23:25):
I've been asking everybody this because it fascinates me that
one song takes you back to being a kid, or
that that takes you out of the world.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Oh man, there's so many, I think recently. It changes
all the time. I think because I have so many
key moments of my life with music, like the Poison
song when I was a kid. But I think right
now it's November rain the Guns N' Roses for whatever reason,
you know, I think maybe because it's so long and
(23:54):
I have nine minutes to like cry, and then you
know that's my time limit. I've done after nine minutes,
so can you know, go back? But I think I
think more too, Like I'm an adult now and when
I first heard the song, I was like, oh, this
is pretty, this is nice. I didn't really understand what
it meant. And now as an adult, as I've been
(24:15):
through some relationships and some hard times through that and
some really awful people, I listen to the words more
and you know, nothing lasts forever, even cold November Ray
and the Pain's never gonna last forever. And it doesn't,
it really doesn't. It gets better. And I think that's
why it's one of my songs. Right now. I feel
like I'm in my like you know, my era of
(24:37):
like healing where I'm like, yeah, life is good again.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
So do you find that happening in your music as
well the songs you're writing?
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Friends say that again, do you find that in the
songs you're writing right now that you're dealing into music?
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Yeah? I do.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
I think my record, my debut record, my debut EP,
which is Seven Songs, comes out this summer, and well summer,
it's a late summer, like August. No no definitive date yet,
but late summer it'll definitely be out. And this record
(25:19):
I think was the most healing thing that I've written,
just because it was like me out of this awful, toxic,
abusive relationship, and I wrote all these songs about, you know,
coming out of that stronger. There are definitely some like
songs that are like, oh, you know whatever, But I
think the title track is called wild Wild Woman, and
it's it's a very interesting song, but it's a very
(25:41):
much un empowerment song of like how dare you do
this to me? Like how dare you push the wild
wild woman this far? I'm gonna come back ten times harder?
And I think that song, you know, whenever something bad
happens in my life, I listened to that song. It's
it's so selfish. I listen to my own song to
like heighten me up a little bit. But when you
(26:02):
know life doesn't feel like it's going my way, I
put on a wild Blile women, and I go, that's
fucking right. You are a wild wild woman. You are
a badass. You can do this. And it's actually gotten
me through a lot of really hard times in my
life when I listen to my own song. So this
record was super super healing and just kind of like
a fuck you to everyone who's done me wrong.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
So what makes you a wild wild woman?
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Like give me an example of like, you know, it's
funny because it's talking with bullice after something long ago
about a song like Brave and Crazy what she wrote
in her twenties and how it makes her laugh today.
Now she's like married with kids, but you know there's
still that element that's always there. So for you, what
are some of your what are give me one of
(26:47):
your wildest stories?
Speaker 3 (26:49):
One of my wildest stories. Oh my god, you're putting
on the spot.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
I don't Well, you said you're a wild weld woman,
so you know.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
Wow, woman. I think think it's mostly in the way
that I am unapologetic and I say too much and
I speak my mind, but I don't regret it. You know,
I'm always oversharing and you know, doing what I want
to do. If someone tells me no, it makes me
do it ten times harder, you know.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
You know what?
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Okay, I do have I do have a great wild
woman story. This is my favorite. This is my favorite.
Took me a minute to think about it. I was
on stage opening for an artist, Dean Brody, and this
happens a lot as a woman in music. I got
on stage and some idiot teenage boy in the audience like, yellsman,
(27:39):
you're so hot. I hadn't said a word yet, hadn't
said a word. I was just walking on stage with
my guitar and he just starts cat calling me from
the audience and I go, no, this one's for you,
dedicating this one you's my song called Loser. And I
started singing a song dedicated to this man calling him
a loser. That's probably one of my most wild stories.
(28:02):
It's not that wild, but uh, it's funny.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Now it's good, and I mean it's funny though when
you say about as an artist, you overshare as I mean,
I've talked about this to so many people because I'm
doing a big at the moment, I'm doing a big
LA Time story on Miles Davis for E Timerew's birthday,
and like again, part of what made Miles Miles was
not just the music, but he was like definitive artists
(28:25):
in terms of rock star swagger who just did what
I wanted.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
And if you look at the through line of artists
through history, every great artist, whether it's Joni Mitchell, David
Bewie France had the ability to say go fuck yourself
and do what they wanted.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Yeah, And I think that's pretty integral as an artist.
I mean, it's definitely a mindset because as an artist
there's so many people in your ear telling you what
you can and can't do. And I experienced that for
a really long time until I had a top forty single,
and then people started letting me do what I want.
I wanted to do. I fought, I fought really hard
(29:02):
for a long time to get the things I wanted
and and no one really believed me until it started
to work. And then I was like, I fucking told you,
And now you know. In the sessions that I'm in
recording this next record, I go, this is happening, and
I don't care what you say. Like I'm adding a
(29:22):
synth in a country song and it's a big eighty
synth and we're doing it, you know, And it's kind
of like you just have to do what. I'm gona
wear what I want to wear, and I'm gonna say
what I want to say, and I'm gonna say too
much sometimes and that's okay. You know, It's all part
of the life.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
So for you, who are the artists that are kind
of inspirations in terms of the you know, again following
there is a path of doing what you want to do.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Yeah, I'd say Actual Rose is definitely He's always done
whatever he's wanted to do, you know, wearing those awful outfits,
the biker shorts. Have you seen those? But I'm never
gonna go on stage with biker shorts. I'll say that.
I don't think I've ever worn shorts on stage. I
(30:10):
think that's uh, that's not in my wheelhouse. I usually
wear a dress. But I think Extra was one of
the most you know, the one of the first most
dangerous artists, like you know that was really in the mainstream.
There's been so many, Like I'm not trying to diminish anyone,
but he was one of the most dangerous front men,
like just did whatever and did everything. And I think
(30:34):
that's where I get a lot of my attitude from,
which is so funny. Like I don't think my parents
knew that when they were showing me hair metal as
a child, i'd turn out the way I did and
be a little bit of a rocker. But yeah, Like
I think watching those guys as a kid really shape me.
(30:54):
And like I was like, oh, I can do anything.
So I definitely think I've definitely stole when a lot
of his stage moves. I won't lie. I'm very inspired
by his stage presence and I think that was one
of the biggest things that's helped me in my career
is watching hours and hours of these guys running around
on stage. So like, you know, maybe my singing wasn't
(31:16):
great when I first started performing, but my stage presence
has always been there. And I've always been told that
because I just kind of do whatever I want. I
move my body the way it moves on stage. But
I think it's like again, it's like in the back
of my mind actual doing his little snake dance, and
I see videos of myself doing that, and I go,
oh my god, why did I do that? But you know, again,
you can't be embarrassed or ashamed of what happens on stage.
(31:39):
It's just what's happening, you know. So definitely Axul was
like my biggest insfo of doing whatever.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I want to do. How's your sake? My snake pants
snake dance?
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Oh my snake dance. Sorry, my computers, the speakers aren't
very great. My snake dance. I'd say it's like an
eight out of ten I give I'd give it an
eight out of ten. I was I had a rehearsal
and I had a mirror in this rehearsal space that
I was in last time, so I was actually seeing
myself and I was like, I'd give it an eight.
I eate Maybe you know, no one can do it
(32:26):
like Axel. You know.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Fair, Why don't think wants to do it like Axel? Pardon,
I don't think anything else necessarily wants to do it
like Axel.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
He's a bit of a weird guy. No one, no
one wants to try it. No one wants to be
embarrassed because they can't do it like he can.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
But it works for him.
Speaker 3 (32:51):
Yeah, it works for him. He is so many crazy.
I was watching the user Illusioned VHS tapes last week
and I was watching it. I was like, oh my god,
like why are you doing that? But I was like,
it works for you, it works. Wouldn't work for me,
like I can't do that, but you know what, you
can do that. So it's just funny the things that
he does.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
So the he pakups out in the summer, it's seven songs.
I mean you mentioned wild Wilde World is there, Like,
I mean when you think of touring, I look at
your Instagram and I know you're touring in the fall.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
What are the songs that you're most excited to do live.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
I think Wild Wild Woman for sure is one of
my favorites to do live. I think it really turned
some heads because it's just so different and weird and interesting.
It's kind of like this there's a fiddle and there's
like really gritty guitar, but then there's like this kind
of dance beat to it. It's very it's very interesting,
but it's very me and I'm very excited about it.
So it's very It's it's cool. I have an all
(33:51):
female band coming with me to the UK to play,
so it's kind of trying to really bring out that
woman empowerment, bad ass thing that I'm very excited about.
But I think Loser and a song called Bad for
Me that I wrote with Jack Tempchin is two of
the most ones. I'm very excited to play. Loser mostly
(34:14):
because it's, you know, a man broke up with me
and then I called him a loser in a song
and it's very fun. It's very empowering to get up
on stage and call him a loser every night because
he is, and so I love that one. It's a
fan favorite. I think a lot of it's it's a
girl song. You know, a lot of the girls they
love this song when I come up on stage, because again,
it's like you need to have someone like Axel Rose
(34:38):
to look up to. Like I'm not saying I'm Axel Rose,
but I'm saying, like you need. It's really important for
young girls to see a woman speaking their truth and
talking about things and being like, you know, screw this,
don't do that to me, and like, you know, talking
about how important is to stand up for yourself. And
so I think that's why a lot of the girls
love that song and Wild Woman, but I think Bad
(35:01):
for Me is a song that's really it almost didn't
make the record. I think we chose the song maybe
like three weeks ago. We chose that we were gonna
do it because it is kind of in that same thing.
And Jack Tempchion, I'm sure you know him. He wrote
Peacefully Feeling and with the Eagles, did a lot of
(35:23):
stuff with the Eagles, and so to have that, you know,
inspo from you know, my childhood. I loved the Eagle to
love you know, the vintage music. To have him come
in and write on the record was really full circle.
So I'm really glad we chose that song, and I
think that's why it's so special to me. But it
also is a song that's like, you know, I love
things that are bad for me. I'm a little bit dangerous.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
Was my favorite about so what what what? What things
are bad for you? Do you gravitate hill?
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Like?
Speaker 2 (35:55):
What was it like?
Speaker 1 (35:56):
Give you an example of like the last time that
you know? And you know, it's funny because that preface
by saying I have a friend and musician from what
we're talking about this once, and I find it totally true.
She's like, if you haven't almost died a few times
by a certain age you have about lives.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Exactly, I totally agree. You know. I I had a
bad horseback riding accident when I was a kid. I
broke my spawn, almost died.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
I lived.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
But yeah, I think the song bad for Me in
essence is like about a person that treated me very poorly,
but there was something about it that was so addicting.
It's kind of like a drug. You know, you're addicted
to this person like a drug, and that's what the
song in Essence is about. But I think it could
be about all the things that are bad for me
(36:43):
that I love, you know, like nicotine and you know,
dope and you know alcohol. It could be about anything
like that. And I'm excited to go to the Rainbow
Room and drink some drink some beers. This summer.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Rainbow Room is not bad for you like the days.
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
I think the environment is bad for me, you know,
being around the rockers.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
I mean, is it still though? I think the days
when the Rainbow Room was dangerous? You know, I have
kind of pass.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
I don't know, have you met the new generation of
rock They're a little bit dangerous.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
I mean, I have spent more than enough time there.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
I know. I know. I'm just joking. Bring back danger
to the Rainbow. That's that's that's the headline of the article.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
Way have you been up in the like you know
upstairs bar?
Speaker 3 (37:42):
I haven't.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
No.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
I think I only went to like the main fl
I was only there for like an hour, maybe because
we were kind of trying to do all of them as.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
We were there.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
I was only there for like two days or three days.
It's just like we went to see Joni Mitchell at
the Hollywood Bowl, so it was kind of like a
a quick quick run. But I'm gonna go. I'm going,
I'm going to fully experience the Sunset Strip this this
month when I.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Go, that could be dangerous exactly.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
I love things that are bad for me. Sunset Strip.
I'm going to change the lyrics to the song now.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
So I'm trying to think of like what would be
you know, although the strip is not so dangerous anymore,
you know, but I mean, you know, back in the day,
of course you would have had the crazy, crazy experiences.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
Oh, totally. Yeah, it's definitely very a lot calmer now,
for sure. I think in the eighties it would have
been a scary place. For sure.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
That's not necessarily a bad thing, by the way, because
you still have like, let's put it this way, there
were way too many times that I hung out of
the Rainbow Room where you'd see Ron Jeremy walking around there.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
Thankfully that guy's long gone.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
Yes, Oh my god, that's crazy. I bet you have
some crazy stories.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
I mean, what do you want to add?
Speaker 3 (39:09):
I feel like, what's your wild story? You ask me
my wild wild woman's story?
Speaker 1 (39:18):
All right, Well, I mean they're are to you, all right,
I'm gonna shut this off.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
That's what I was asking. What you want to add?
Speaker 3 (39:27):
Oh, you asked me what I wanted to add, Sorry,
whatever I wanted to add. I think I'm excited about
money record, and I hope that it resonates with all
different kinds of listeners of all genres. And yeah, that's
I'm very excited about the journey that I'm about to
go on. And I have four nominations this year at
(39:49):
the Sea my Ontario Awards, so I'm very excited about that.
Thank you so much. I'm excited about my tour and
just lots of great stuff coming up.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
One audien questions and I'll shut this off and tell
you why. But I mean, you have to ask. Have
you heard from Rip Scene yet about the song?
Speaker 3 (40:12):
I haven't. Do you know him? Can you? Can you
send him an email?
Speaker 1 (40:17):
I have not.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
I I really, I really wish he'd hear it and
know how much I appreciate him and his music and everything.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
But he'll hear it one day, maybe, I'm sure he
will
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