Nickname: Jess Mess, Jess Because, Little Miss Lightfoot
Age: 24
City: Washington DC (Columbia Heights)
Top 5 Favorite Albums:
In no particular order:
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel
(Who hasn’t made out with a bearded, pbr guzzling, fixed gear bike riding boy to this album?)
The Freewheelin’ – Bob Dylan
(I secretly want to have a relationship as cute as Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo)
Summerteeth – Wilco
(Yes, I like it more than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
Whatever and Ever Amen – Ben Folds
(Because Ben is the ultimate dream boat)
Chutes Too Narrow – The Shins
(Maybe it takes living in mom’s basement to really get it right)
What band would play at your ideal wedding?
The Beach Boys, but back when they were babes. And before Brian Wilson went all C-R-A-Z-Y. And that’s if I marry a nice quiet gentleman type- unlikely. Otherwise, my hipster husband and I will have a trashy glam style wedding that feels more like a rock show than holy matrimony, headlined by Joan Jett and Stuart Lupton of Child Ballads.
If you had a kid, what would be the first song you played for it?
“First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes
What decade are you most nostalgic for and why?
2000’s. Because it was soooooooo long ago and it gave us things like Facebook, the iPhone, Obama-mania, Snuggies, Brittney’s shaved head, the dollar menu, and trashy reality TV that is way better than real life.
What’s your favorite venue?
I prefer house shows at places like Fort Awesome, Crab’s Claw and other warehouse spots. Velvet and Asylum are usually a sure bet for a good show too! I also love going to shows at Galaxy Hut in Virginia, even though it’s way out in Virginia. The owners and staff are kind hearted and treat DC musicians with respect. It’s also one of my favorite spots to play a show.
What qualities do you possess that would make you an ideal hipster wife?
I can hula hoop and pour beer. I bake cupcakes often. I wear short skirts. I’d only have eyes for my man. I enjoy doing laundry. I don’t hog the covers. I will write him songs. I will always bring home surprises for him when I go thrifting. I keep the beer fridge stocked. I don’t own too many shoes.
What do you look for in a potential hipster husband?
supportive of my artistic pursuits
well read / articulate / witty
has a pulse
doesn’t cry all the time
jack of all trades- can build me sh*t / fix my car / cut my hair
musician / photographer / artist
tour du force
meat eater
total babe
green thumb
some one who makes a conscious effort to keep me happy
a team mate, best friend, lover, adventurer, mentor
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Note to DC readers: Jess’s band Lightfoot is playing the Rock and Roll Hotel on Friday, March 19th. Check her out:
Twin Sister is a lovely New York four-piece with a fuzzy folk-pop aesthetic and a songwriting style ambitious enough to sound original, yet with enough restraint to remain engaging. The clear stand-out from their first release, Vampires with Dreaming Kids, is the anthemic “Ginger,” with its driving rhythm section and waves of shimmering dream-pop guitar.
In Our Bedroom After the War by Stars. The Moon & Antarctica by Modest Mouse. Takk by Sigur Rós. The Execution of All Things by Rilo Kiley. Alphabetical by Phoenix.
What band would play at your ideal wedding?
If Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros could play “Home” I’d be content.
If you had a kid, what would be the first song you played for it?
We’d be dancin’ to “Carmensita” by Devendra.
What decade are you most nostalgic for and why?
I don’t care what you say, the 90’s fucking ruled.
What’s your favorite venue?
I can’t say I have a favorite venue… any place I can dance, drink a beer, and listen to good music I’m down for.
What qualities do you possess that would make you an ideal hipster wife?
I’m ridiculously fun, trust me.
What do you look for in a potential hipster husband?
A tall bearded man with nice teeth. The hairier, the better.
Top 5 Favorite Albums:
The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line
Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life
What band would play at your ideal wedding?
Justin Vernon will play songs just for me at our intimate, two-person ceremony.
If you had a kid, what would be the first song you played for it?
Fleet Foxes’ “Sun Giant” and the rest of that EP. Their music is gorgeous and, more importantly, there’s a good chance it would lull a newborn to sleep.
What decade are you most nostalgic for and why?
1965-1975. The best of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the heydey of the British Invasion. Social movements that exist offline. Reading Vonnegut in real time totally blows my mind. Also, I could chain myself to one of the beautiful Doric columns of the original Penn Station.
What’s your favorite venue?
The Black Cat or Iota, but mostly just not D.A.R. Constitution Hall.
What qualities do you possess that would make you an ideal hipster wife?
I:
like public transportation
make my own hummus
know big words
can work the disheveled chic
read real books
What do you look for in a potential hipster husband?
Scruff (but not a freestanding mustache); creative, inquisitive mind; tall; gypsy soul; witty banter. Above all, I’m a sucker for emo glasses and mild brooding.
Top 5 Favorite Albums:
Top 5 albums in no particular order:
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins Classic by Carl Perkins Self Titled by Tiger Army The Trials of Van Occupanther by Midlake Bad Music for Bad People by The Cramps
What band would play at your ideal wedding?
No band in particular but I would totally hire a swing band. Sorry, no DJ set for this bitch.
If you had a kid, what would be the first song you played for it?
I would play it “Today” by the Smashing Pumpkins whilst giving birth to it. Half ironic half hilarious. Is that hipster enough for you?
In fact it would be more ironic for me to play it “Kids” by MGMT even though they suck.
What decade are you most nostalgic for and why?
I dig the whole 1940s to 1950s era. I know you couldn’t have guessed that already from my obvious photo.
What’s your favorite venue?
I don’t have a favorite venue. I feel like most venues all look the same after a while with a few more glasses of hard liquor.
What qualities do you possess that would make you an ideal hipster wife?
I look like a domestic 50s housewife turned upside down every day, I cook some mean lasagna, I can serenade you on fiddle, guitar, or my glorious karaoke falsetto.
What do you look for in a potential hipster husband?
Booze, shoes, tattoos, and some sassyfrassy attitude.
