102.1 The Edge's Twitter www.kdge.com/onair/jessie-976/evanescence-coming-to-dallas-in-november-13778370
JessieJessup Edge Interview 7/23/15Jessie: Hello?
Amy: Hi! Jessie?
Jessie: Hello.
Amy: Hi! How ya doin’?
Jessie: I am so excited to talk to you! H- Did you hear that the fans in Dallas have gone cuckoo-cuckoo for coco puffs?
Amy: Oh!
Laughs That’s awesome!
J: And a major shout out to your biggest fan in Dallas, Tyler Bennet, who alerted me to the announcement.
A: Well, thanks for telling me that. I - I mean, we really do have credible fans. It’s been one of the things that makes it so fun, ya know? I mean it’s, it’s fun to get up on stage and perform but having people all over the world that, like, really care and, like, dig it and, you know? It’s just music. We’re not changing the world, but it feels really good. It feels like we’re doing something that means something to people and yeah. It just makes it mean that much more to you, you know?
J: Well, that last time we saw Evanescence in DFW was for EdgeFest in 2012. I interviewed you backstage in a bunny suit?
Referring to this interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVXlT5wBACQA: Laughs Oh-ho-ho Yeah, I remember.
J: It seems like after that show, you all just went... quietly away. Talk a little bit about what you’ve been through these past few years.
A: Oh my Lord. It’s slow and
(flowing?) by. Well, the biggest thing going on in my life, to be totally honest at the moment, my son.
J: Gasps A: Which I had in the meantime is turning one tomorrow
(July 24, 2015), so...
J: Oh my Gosh!
Amy laughs J: Baby Jack!
A: unintelligible J: He is the cutest thing! I just want to eat him up!
A: Oh my Lord! He is so cute! Okay, but he has four little teeth now and they are razor sharp an every time I pick him up, he gives me this big hug and chomps on my shoulder.
both laugh It hurts so bad. He’s awesome. He’s doing really well. He’s just startin’ to walk and say all kinds of crazy words in I don’t know what language, but um, he’s very cute, and we’re really excited about him. That’s just been a really neat experience. It’s – it’s something that I can’t really describe. It’s just a really amazing experience – the whole thing from day one. Just a lot of love, a lot of new inspiration and feelings, you know? I – there’s a whole transformation that takes, that’s like, that takes place. That’s like your mind and your body and your heart. Everything just feels like “Whoa! Like I didn’t know I was capable of all this stuff!” Ya, know? I didn’t know I was capable of feeling some of these feelings. I didn’t know my body was capable of doing some of these things.
Laughs And now, it’s cool because I guess I thought, to some degree, like “Okay. One day I’m going to grow up and have kids and stop all this crazy rock ‘n’ roll business. And I’m going to want to just focus on being a mom.” And I – I do! I want to be a mom. Like, I wanna be
great at that. I wanna be the best I can possibly be, but, I feel invigorated and inspired and empowered and excited about life. Like, I don’t wanna retire. Like, I guess, maybe as a kid I thought that’s how I would feel; I feel really cool. It’s funny ‘cause I’m doing more in a day than I have done in a long time. Like, every day is like BOOM!, you’re up, you’re going, first thing, ya know? And I’m taking care of him, but it’s also like... Hittin’ the gym! I’ve lost like 21 pounds since January, it’s really, really hard.
Laughs Um...
J: Do you feel like a super woman because my best friend had a baby...
A: Ah!
J: ...and once it sunk in and once she found her groove she just... I’m like “Who are you? And can I have some of this?”
A: I’m goin’! I’m knocking out!
Jessie laughs Like I’ve had five Red Bulls and I’m ready to go!
Jessie laughs Yeah, you definitely feel like you’re, you’re operating at the highest capacity a lot of the time. Which is actually, it makes you feel really good. Like, I dunno. Sometimes when I’m not doing anything, I’m not being productive, I start to feel depressed. Like, “Man, I need to work, but I don’t wanna work.” I just feel... lame. But now, you know, it’s, it’s him, workin’ for him, and I – that’s a motivator in itself. You wanna be awesome for the person that you love so much. And then workin’ on myself, an getting excited and geared up for the end of the year, and these shows, and um, knowing that we have, you know, these fans that care and are excited about it. It’s just, it’s awesome! Like, I wanna be a mom and a rock star and all of those things all at once. It’s incredible! If you can, absolutely!
Laughs Yeah.
J: I’m glad that you’ve brought that up because it’s kind of been interesting prepping this interview at this juncture of your life and your career because it kind of mirrors that of your dad in a small way, doesn’t it?
A: Awe.
J: Wasn’t he in a band when you were born?
A: Yeah. Um, yes. My dad, you know, ran away to California with my mom to like, be a rock star and get a record deal, and... My dad’s a great musician; he plays a lot of instruments, he has a beautiful voice. Um... But, you know, doing a little L.A., you know, “playin’ gigs in bars” thing in the early 80s. I mean late 70s early 80s. And um, when he found out my mom was pregnant with me and, I guess, when I was just born and stuff he was like, “Man, this is not the life that I want for my kid. We’re gonna go back to Florida, I’m going to get the radio station job and, like, do that.” And he, you know, made career out of – a wonderful career out of – radio and voice work.
J: Has he offered you any words of wisdom, any guidance on how to help you navigate this path you’re on?
A: Ooo. I don’t – I need to talk to him more. He just called me right before I called you. I should ask him that question. I mean, he’d say, “Hey! I got the best of both worlds because I didn’t have to really do it. I just came home and I had my family, then you grew up to be a rock star, so I can just live vicariously through you.”
LaughsJ: Back in April, you guys announced that you’d be performing for the first time in three years at OzzFest in Japan. Was there a catalyst for the particular decision?
A: You know... I... Every once in a while we’ll get an offer to do something really cool. Not super often; this is a special... thing. But I was just at the point, like, when I heard about it where I was like, “November? I think I’ll be back by then.” Like, I feel like I can get my body back and he’ll be, like, 17 months old or something and, gosh! If I really wanna do this, like I’m feeling like in my head, I’m like, “Be everything at once.” And I donno; like I gotta just do it. Take him with me, and just start now; not wait, you know? It’s just a cool thing to have somebody go, “Hey! Come to Japan!” you know? “And rock out.” I mean, it’s more complicated than that. But, but then again it’s not. We’ll do all the work, that’ll all get itself taken care of, and it’s just fun stuff, but... Like, we get to go to Japan, like, it, I mean... Just in general, like, just the opportunity to go to Japan... Like so many people, it’s a lot of money, and a big, like, “Why would you go?” “Where would you go?” “I don’t even know.” Likie, we get to go do that. I want that for him, so we’re takin’ the family! Laughs I’m gonna have my baby on, like, a really, really, really long fight, and I apologize in advanced to everyone on the plane. I am gonna do everything I can to try to just get him to shut up and go to sleep, and I can’t... No guarantees!
Laughs J: The show’s... Now, this week you announced the shows that, three state side show that I think you’re kicking it off in Nashville.
A: Yup.
J: Then you’re coming to Dallas and then Los Angeles. And by the way, on behalf of all the Dallas fans “Thank you!”
A: Oh!
J: Was there a particular reason that we got so lucky?
A: Yeah. I wanted to head that direction because the shorter flight. Again, about
Amy and Jessie laughs the baby on the plane.
J: Baby high five for Jack! Awesome!
A: I mean we coulda done New York, but I was like “Yeah, we need to go the other way. Make it 11 as opposed to 14 hour flight.
Laughs Um, I tried to book Hawaii in between, I mean, how cool would that be? But, that’s really hard. So, yeah. Like, we rehearse in Nashville.
J: Okay.
A: That’s sort of like, a, a hub for our band; we live all over the country and that’s sort of like our central location that we have been rehearsing for the past while. So, um, we’ll get together there and practice and it makes sense just to have a show right there. And Nashville is great for gear and stuff so anything we need, anything that goes wrong, like, we’ll be covered.
J: And is it the same line-up: You, Terry, Tim, Will, and Troy?
A: Yep!
J: Okay.
A: It’s gonna be rad! Everybody’s really, the guys are really, excited! Um, just talking with them a lot this week. We’re just starting to put together ideas about the set list and maybe who’s gonna open. Um, we don’t know that stuff yet. We...
J: On behalf of all the Dallas fans, “Hot damn, girl! That’s fantastic!” Amy laughs That’s just fantastic! I’m so thrilled!
A: Hopefully this is the beginning of more, more shows to come in the future.
J: You just answered my question.
A: Um, I bet it will be. Jessie laughs Yeah. I thought I might! Jessie laughs We’re looking at once we, one we do, like I said, knock the dust off, like, and we’re feeling like, “Alright! We got this!” Then it’s a lot easier to go “Cool.” And like accept opportunities and like… Summer is always a good time for festivals and stuff’s going on, so we’ll be lookin’ at next summer for potential ideas.
J: Now the biggest question that I got from fans on Twitter when they found out that I was going to be interviewing you, was the tantalizing tweet that you recently posted about going through old files, old recordings, new dreams...
A: Oh! That’s cool
J: ...and I think you’re starting the fire again... What is the potential for a new Evanescence album?
A: Actually, um, I haven’t been working on new material for Evanescence. I’ve been working on new material on my own. Um, so, right now uh, I just went through like a whole studio – I have a studio in my house where I did like that
Aftermath record I did last year that was like a score music and I do little things there, but, now that I’m gearing up again, I’ve wanted for a long time to flex some different muscles and make music that’s... I donno... A little just... I always want to make music that’s completely true to myself. And I love Evanescence and I’m stoked to go back on tour and play music with Evanescence, but... Honestly, a lot of music I listen to these days is very different from that and that’s eclectic; there’s a big mix. It’s just time for me to do something else a little bit, though. Actually, the first thing is: I have been, just for fun, going up there and playing with weird cover songs.
Amy laughsJ: What are you covering?
A: And I’m… I’m not gonna tell you yet!
J: TEASE!
A: I’m gonna record ‘em, I’m gonna finish them out and then I’m gonna release them online, coming up pretty soon. Just like kinda one at a time.
J: I loved the work that you did on
War Story. I think one of the songs from
Aftermath just got an Independent Spirit Award, but could you talk a little but about the other project that you’ve been working on called
Indigo Grey? That looks really amazing!
A: It... Yeah. I hope it is. I – I think it really is. Those guys are so talented. They’re here in New York. These guys that came out of like, river dance, but like grew up and wanted to do something creative and unique, and edgy and different. So it’s like Irish step mixed with like hip-hop, and they do a lot of stuff with cool, live music. It’s kind of hard to explain because they’re just artists – just kind of all over the place. Um, they wear like, gas masks and do their dances, and it’s really cool. So, they’re putting together like – they did a Kickstarter – and they’re putting together like a live... experience thing... that I – I’m still trying to understand completely – like with drones and it’s interactive somehow. Like this audience takes part in what happens. It sounds crazy and awesome. I don’t know exactly when that is gonna be. But also, in the meantime, kind of the lead up to it, they’re doing these little short films and the first one that they’ve done is really cool, I’ve seen it. It’s, you know, we sort of scored it – Dave Eggar and I, who I did the
Aftermath thing with; he’s the one who brought them to my attention. So, we did the music, a whole bunch of it and then there’s actually, a cool song song, like, by me, that I did in my studio upstairs with Dave, uh, on there. It’s not a song with a bunch of vocals, it’s definitely more like rhythm and music. But, um, that’s me – making that music. So, that should be cool for the fans to hear.
J: Yeah, yeah. The video and the whole Kickstarter thing was really amazing, so I really wanted to make it a point to ask about that and I can’t wait to see how that progresses. The last time that they updated it was like June 16, so I keep waiting for more updates to see how it’s progressing.
A: I know. I’m not... They’re still... We’re just now – this week – they’re like “Okay, we need to talk about which day we’re gonna release it and what we’re gonna do.” I’m keeping on top of it, but I’m not really sure.
J: Amy, thank you so much for taking the time to call in. I know the presale for the Evanescence show started yesterday. The general public on sale is gonna be on Saturday. I predict and immediate sell out! Happy early birthday to Jack and congratulations to you and your family!
A: We’re so grateful for that! Thank you!
J: See you November 15.
A: Alright. We’ll see you soon! It’s gonna rock!
Interview transcription by
AeternusAmatorius.
