DGT – Jessie I understand that you are an accomplished journalist, having published articles in several major newspapers, many websites and Blogs across the United States. Before we delve into who you are as an artist and songwriter, tell us how you developed the desire for journalism- in which we find you are really quite gifted.

JT- Well, I've always been passionate about writing & using words to capture what's going on in the world... but like music, I sort of let it slip away only to circle back years later & really start pursuing it. I had a terrible 10th grade English teacher; she also ran the school newspaper... & I thought, writing about not having enough student parking is bullshit. If this is journalism, I want to do something important. But fast forward 5 years into my life after college in New York City, I was restless & inconsolable, tired of cubicles & eager to see the world. None of my bands had made it. I was working at these great activist organizations, but essentially stuck pushing papers. I had a relationship fall apart when my ex left for law school. It felt like time was moving & I was standing still. I knew I needed to make a move. And that move would have to make my voice & my purpose in life BIGGER. So I quit my job at the ACLU, applied to journalism school at Columbia & then took off to live & drum & sun & think in Brasil for five months. Some day, I'd love to return there as a journalist.

DGT- In a sense, it is almost as though you are two distinctive persons; the artist and the writer-journalist. You recently wrote an article called “ THE EXPLOSIVE RISE OF HATE GROUPS “ and you are a strong proponent for Human Rights. Is it hard to be the messenger of music, poetry and art by night, and the advocate for the freedoms and rights of others by day? How do you make the switch between the two… and what I mean is that we musicians and performing artists seldom know or worry about our artist brother or sister’s position on religion or politics, but out in the “ real “ world of business and society it is sometimes blatantly open - the corruption, discrimination and outright hatred for our fellow human beings?

JT- It is not hard for me to do both. It's just who I am. I mean, the reason I never went to music school is that I couldn't stand sitting around & talking guitar pedals & drum solos all night & ignoring the fact that there's a WORLD out there. And yes, that world has people being disappeared, raped, drowned, silenced, never having the chance to go to school or play the drums or (insert your dream here) just because they're a girl. But that world also has people falling in love, brass bands marching through the streets, sunlight reflecting off of rain puddles, 5-year-olds who speak in poetry more intuitive and amazing than I could ever write. We need to talk about the oppressive things, shake our fists at them, not turn our backs on the unlucky & we need to believe we can band together and do something. At the same time, life's too precious not to celebrate the awesome magical delightful coincidences and bits of poetry falling from the sky. For me, life & experiencing the world always comes first. My music is always trying to catch up to the way I live & understand the world. It makes me optimistic about the records I'll be making 5 years from now. I write the songs that come to me. And so far, it's felt forced to write songs about the social justice issues I'd write articles about. I do go out of my way on my Facebook page to share links to articles I find interesting or post a comment I know will spur discussion. But I do that to embolden people to think about freedom & to be inspired. I'm only now hitting that point, where my fanbase has grown, I live in Texas, albeit the liberal oasis of Austin), and there's a real chance that by airing my political beliefs, and talking about what's wrong with the world, I will piss some people off. There's always a price to pay for being yourself though, and really, in this case, it's not about what I believe. It's more about someone out there being hurt or doing something inspiring that deserves notice. You better believe if you hand me a microphone, I'm going to use it.

DGT-On the lighter side of the Life-coin Jessie, what makes you laugh in this crazy world of ours?

JT- Everything. The journalist in me is always watching. I often catch something that makes me crack up & no one else knows why. The way little kids skip down the street. Or my guitarist swivels his hips onstage. New moons. Riding my scooter. Lily Allen lyrics. My friends, constantly. I am only serious when it comes to my own dreams & ambitions. I'm pretty light-hearted and a 5-star wisecracker in the rest of my life.

DGT-You were originally a drummer in a number of Northeastern US bands. How did you learn to play drums and other instruments, and when was it that you knew you should step out front leaving the drums behind you and to build the show around your music?

JT- Drums was the first instrument I fell in love with. I'd played clarinet, sax, piano... but they always fell by the wayside. I don't particularly remembering wanting to play the drums, (I mean *everyone* thinks it would be fun, right?) but I must have been saying I was dying to just as the band director was passing by. He confronted me the next day & told me to come by Friday afternoon for a lesson. A tremendous stroke of fortune. That year for Christmas, I inherited the silver sparkle Slingerland kit my uncle had played through his '20s and was now collecting dust. I banged away all my teen angst. It's still the kit I use. How did I know it was time to leave? I played in a lot of bands, and they were often mismanaged. Friday night rehearsals would devolve into fights. People often said they wanted to be collaborative in writing songs... but then egos always got in the way. The ration of drama & B-S  to actual creative outpouring was way out of whack. Some bands were great. They were a few near misses and music biz heartbreaks. But mostly, the bands I played with never toured much. We never made a record I heard on the radio or Pandora or saw at the Virgin Megastore. In my opinion, New York is a really rough place to make these things happen. But at some point, I realized that I had been trusting everyone but myself. If I was going to do it, then *I* would have to do it.

DGT- What made you decide to move to Austin Texas?

JT- Really, I made Bruler Bruler as a bit of an experiment, a final gesture before leaving New York. But it set a whole train in motion. I guess a part of me knew I wanted to give one more try -- for once, an all-out, no plan B, serious try -- to making music my life before I could admit it. I'd lived in Bahia one winter and New Orleans another. I realized that when I was someplace less achievement-oriented, I would be a lot more productive. I think feeling the looseness & freedom in the air, the "it's ok to sing off-key & start at the beginning or do it just for the love of it" attitude is really important for me. Plus, I was tanner, happier, more well-rested in other cities. I did my 10 years in New York; I love it to death. But I don't love seeing good friends once a month, having half the people you're with checking their iPhones during the cramped hour you have to hang out, always jockeying for a table at restaurants. Or trying to tell a personal story while shouting in a crowded bar. Or taking a subway to the bus to the dark smelly drum practice space. Or being told the way to become a buzz band is to play once a month or have a famous lover. There's a certain awe & existential loneliness I always feel the moment I see the New York skyline. Brooklyn is the lover I will never get over; my friends there are some of the most incredible people I have ever met. Talent, heart, drive. But it was just time to do something new. To be somewhere that was would set me free a bit more. I was involved in so many things in New York. I knew I would never be able to be reinvent myself, not this way. Once the album was made, I wanted to see how far I could run with it. I just knew New York wasn't the place.

DGT-Tell us about the current lineup of musicians who accompany you on stage. Who are they and why are they the perfect compliments to express your songs?

JT- Well my Austin band is pretty smokin'. We are called The Please, Please Me & I think we manage to put over an energy that is pleasing & playful & provocative, but also puts desire & the need to be vulnerable & go ALL THE WAY to grab it on display.
Carl Ryals -- amazing drummer and I am picky!  I found him at a hippie gospel brunch. He had a margarita in his hand, said "sure i'll play with you," then jumped into the back of a station wagon with only drumsticks in his hand to drive to Mardi Gras.
Alissa Schram -- cellist. my best friend's girlfriend. She was playing in a flute choir when I met her, but when I learned she had a cello collecting dust at her parents' place, well... the rest is history. There's a few songs where she'll grab the electric bass & i'll play the drums. We like to play musical chairs.
Raul Vallejo -- Trombone That's right; Trombone in an indie pop/Americana band. It's like lighting a fire onstage. He's a snake charmer. He puts people pelvises in motion.
Paul Mercurio -- Bass - I met Paul when I was left high & dry a week before a tour to Colorado. This was the first tour & I had worked so hard to line up those gigs. I was devastated. In 30 seconds, he learned the songs & had these great ideas of how to reinvent them as rock songs. To help me truly go electric. I love upright bass, but it had kept the energy in check in a certain way. He's a riot to travel with & a real gentleman on the road.
Carlos Mendoza -- Electric Guitar Carlos is my McCartney. He's a master at melody & doing the unexpected. I bring him half-written songs & he instantly hones in on how to deliver a hook in a way that makes the audience hang on every line. He takes forever to craft a line but it's so musical when he does. Onstage, he can't NOT move. Or smile & shimmy. We're not a bunch of white dudes (no disrespect to all the great music created by bands of white dudes, but....) & I'm really proud of that. (not to be quoted verbatim, but we have the blond bombshell, the Mexican Elvis, the tall skinny philosophizing black guy, a fellow Guido Yankee like me, another amazing Latino border town horn player)

DGT-When you write a song how is it born? Is it a dream, a sudden inspiration or an intentional move to create on the spot?

JT- All of those. The best songs come when a line jumps into my head... the words & melody at once. Usually, they do this when I'm nowhere I can possibly stop what I'm doing & write a song. Sometimes, they start as pages of lyrics. Less often, a little guitar riff. Very often, I'm totally obsessed with someone else's song -- & I play it on repeat 'til I start to imagine how I might write that type of song. Half of these end up as writing exercises, or experiments... but half end up as songs that are uniquely mine & don't sound anything like the original. DGT- Jessie, the first time I heard your voice I thought I’d heard a voice like yours a long time ago, maybe from records of the 1940’s but never was able to identify that voice. Then I realized that you were unique- not like anyone else currently recording and performing and that’s a great thing but still, I wonder who were some of your vocal influences. JT- Thanks for the compliment. I don't really have vocal influences. Not consciously. I mean, I haven't studied enough or been singing long enough. But for sure, I grew up on jazz.... studying drums. The jazz inflections & coolness definitely sunk in. The desire to be behind the beat. And to throw some clever & naughty sexual innuendos in there. What's in my iPod is very eclectic. Ryan Adams, Feist, Thao & the Get Down, Stay Down, Lauryn Hill, Madeleine Peyroux, Tina Turner. I go through very short phases where I try to sing along to what I'm listening to & mimic it. I've probably done this most with Otis Redding (blush, smirk), and Al Green. I get weak in the knees for Motown.

DGT- You came up with a most original name for your CD, “ Bruler Bruler “. What does it mean to you?

JT- Well what it means literally is "burn burn" in French. I got it into my head that I wanted to do something in another language; it just seemed fresher & also seemed to reflect the idea that the music, at least the experiences & inspiration that spawned it came from all over the globe. Not in terms of being worldbeat, but in terms of my life & my identity as a musician & poet & romancer. I wanted to do Italian, since my name Torrisi is Sicilian. Or Spanish, since my other half is Puerto Rican. But I couldn't quite find anything that felt right. Bruler Bruler was the first thing I thought of and it just worked. To me, it's one big metaphor about chasing desire, at all costs. I have a song I'm about to record called Start a Fire. I guess flames are a theme with me. Sometimes, it's burns bright for a moment, and you spend ages trying to get back there. Sometimes it burns you & there's no positive way to spin it. Sometimes the chasing & the mistakes are the thrill.

DGT- This may be a difficult question because artists are generally proud of all their works – but if there were a “ Top Two “ songs on the album you’d like everyone to own, which would they be? JT- Hungry Like Me; I feel like it captures a decade of wanting & longing & chasing & finally realizing it's not just about having or catching, but about finding someone worth chasing. As I was finishing writing the songs for this record, it was less, "why does no one love me?" And more, "why is it so hard to find someone who has that pizazz I do?" A sparkle that matches. If you really go for it, being who you are, you end up being someone quite unique. That makes finding a match that much harder. Plus, I like the rebellion in that song & I like that I get to leap around the stage like a maniac & jump between guitar & shakers live. & Storm Clouds because that's probably the first great song I wrote. The oldest one on here for sure. And it's very true, very revealing in a way I don't always like to be. X in teXas is damn fun to play live too though with the trombone & all.

DGT- Jessie, when you record a song in the studio is it done pretty much “ live “ with the whole band or do you do something like go in and lay down the various parts, since you play several instruments – then have the group come in and overdub or make changes?

JT- Well, this time around we recorded me, bass, drums live... then started dream imagining how we could use that skeleton & do something weird, cool, totally honest with it. I imagine now that I have a bigger band & we play a lot more, some of this imagining will be done before we even hit the studio. I also know how I work with Will Berlind, my producer now, so I'll probably be a bit more daring. But I like going in knowing the melody, the lyrics, the sense of what it's about is there... but it still being a sketch. And trying to approach the studio as this magical mysterious universe where new things are possible. I can't wait to record the next one because now I actually have a clue what I'm doing though I'll try not to let that get in the way.

DGT- Who do you listen to today who is current and why? JT- Anyone super unique, who I feel like has found themselves in a way that can't be imitated Regina Spektor, god I love her ! Ben Sollee, who I really hope to tour with at some point Thao Nguyen who I love *and* also am lobbying to tour with Feist Great old jazz Sara Bareilles Hockey The Strokes The barrage of "anti-folk artists" popping up in NYC right now My friends, or find people that share some of the places/venues/paths i'm on. I seek them out & try to connect. It helps to have friends in this business, to excite each other.

DGT- The changes of the music industry and the rise of a strong Indie presence has been a shock to the major labels Jessie? More Independent downloads being sold online than full CD’s from the big boys out of established retail centers , so where do you think this industry is headed ?

JT- Oh, you got me. I'm sure some structures will emerge to replace the old ones. For now, it's old school with a lot of networking via the internet mixed in. Meaning, get in the van & go. You better have a great show. You got to build your own crowd. And yes giving away music seems to be a part of that. But honestly, I feel like I'm trying to get myself halfway up the mountain so I learn to be a great artist the honest way & build fans the loyal way... I hope I get there, I will hook up with a label, booking agent, licensing agent, the whole team. I'm over believing I can do everything by myself. But I do do as much as I can. And then some.

DGT- What will be your legacy Jessie? Do you want to be remembered for your work for social change and human rights, for your music or both?

JT- I want to be remembered for my music. I don't want a legacy in human rights. I want there to have human rights. And if anyone is going to take credit for it, I hope it's activists in the countries and cities and towns that are fighting - literally with their lives or careers or reputations - for it. There are some journalists whom I really admire and are on the frontlines of pushing it forward. But honestly, it's not me. It's Nicholas Kristoff & Mandela & Aung Suu San Kyi & a thousand people you never heard of. I want there to be great music in the world too... but there already is great music everyone you turn if you know where to look. I just hope more & more of it can come out of me. That I'll write great songs & in doing so, discover cheesy at it sounds the essence of being alive.

DGT-What keeps you motivated and inspired?

JT- Oh, that's never been a problem. I desperately want to write brilliant songs & make people's jaws drop, & leave my mark on the world... or simply become such an undeniable musical force that I stop worrying about how/when/where I'm going to "make it." Also, new experiences. I crave them, I find them, I ride them out, and then I sit back in awe at the new people I've met & the interesting little world they've opened up. And hopefully that makes it into a song.

DGT- What is on your music agenda for the remainder of 2010? We will keep the fans updated here of your changing schedule, as well as all links to your websites and blogs.

JT - Touring all summer, mostly East Coast & some festivals. Demo'ing a few of the hot new songs I've written as of late before I leave Austin. There'll be a radio push & video made for X in TeXas, which by the way, people can grab for free here if they want. (http://top40-charts.com/news/Pop-Rock/Jessie-Torrisi-Gives-Away-Another-Free-Song-Off-Bruler-Bruler-Called-X-In-Texas-Gotta-Listen!/56299.html) And by time fall hits, I'm really hoping that talks with a certain label or two who's expressed interest will lead to a green light & modest advance towards recording my next record. I'm close to ready! Yes, I'm on Facebook & Twitter like a maniac. People should definitely link hook up with me there... & hey, it's a big country. All it takes is a little arm twisting to get me to throw your town into the configuration for next tour.

www.facebook.com/thePleasePleaseMe
www.twitter.com/jessietorrisi
www.jessietorrisi.com


PR: kaytea@xopublicity.com
Mgmt: wildcurlsmusic@gmail.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: My thanks to Katea over at XO Publicity for being so kind and patient with us in this time of transition for damngoodtunes.com. It was intended that this interview and article would be available in February but it was on our part that it couldn't be. I find Jessie to be one of the most unusual talented young women I have heard these past couple years. Her voice is such a compliment to her style of writing, like hand in glove she makes it fit perfectly. I'm forever a big fan!

Bruce M.

###





MARCH-APRIL ARTIST OF THE MONTH

DARIO PLEVIK
By Bruce Maier

DGT: Dario, If we could please start at the beginning; how old were you when you started to play music and were your parents or any other family members also musicians?

DARIO: I started to play guitar when I was ten years old and my parents bought me my first guitar. Nobody else in my family is a musician or plays any kind of instruments, they are just consumers of music. So, I am the only one in the family who is playing. DGT: Did you have an opportunity to study music in school or to take private instruction? DARIO: In the beginning my parents sent me to a music school, so I studied classical guitar for about two or three years and then I discovered the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and the Rock & Roll so I decided to play the electric guitar so I actually forgot all the other things I learned in the music school. Most things that I have learned about the electric guitar and Rock & Roll were by myself actually. Nobody taught me how the guitar was supposed to sound or how to express yourself on the instrument, I discovered that by myself.

DGT: Do you remember the first time you were inspired to try and compose a song? What was that song and what was the inspiration?

DARIO: The first song that inspired me was “ Imagine “ , and my first song I wrote was called “ Honey, It’s Only A Memory Now “. That was on my first album here in Croatia, and I composed that song when I was ten years old, at the very beginning of my playing and let’s say, my musician career. As for inspiration I don’t need some kind of stress or environment or anything, I just can imagine any kind of situations, then put them into a melody. So, I guess it’s a gift from God, talent, and I am very very grateful for that.

DGT: Your country and entire region was once at war. I understand that your family was affected by those terrible times. Please tell us what it was like for you to live through such things. How did you remain focused or motivated?

DARIO: In 1990 and 91 there was a bloody war in Croatia where we had been attacked by the Serbs and the Yugoslavian army. I’ve been in the prison camp for about six months and my parents didn’t know anything about me. You just focus to stay alive. How can I explain that? You just live in fear, like especially when the soldiers took me out to be shot. But then they shot me with blanks, and I was very afraid but after that, after you have lived through that, the fear is just gone. I believe in God and I prayed a lot and I just focused on trying to survive to the next day. So actually, I didn’t think about music during that time, I just thought about my family and my parents and I just prayed to God to survive and to stay alive. I actually escaped but this a long story for this interview and to answer that question. You have scars you know, and it’s normal because you survive the war and all the horrible things that happened in my country and those scars must influence your music, so I think the melody and the sorrow in my music is because I survived all this war and killing and fears.

DGT: One of the videos that you sent to me showed you remodeling your home and making it very beautiful. There were people have a barbecue in the backyard (you were cooking some fresh fish) and I may have seen a nice bottle of wine. It seems to me that some of our culture and traditions are very much the same, almost as if we could are brothers. What is it like now for you to live in Croatia and could you tell us why you still love your country so much in spite of everything you have been through?


DARIO: My country is so beautiful and so wonderful, and that’s the reason we’ve been attacked throughout history. You must love your country, wherever you live. That country gives you the food, that country feeds you. That is your mother. Your country is your mother, so you must love her. People who don’t love their country…I feel sorry for them. They don’t understand how much they’ve been blessed. You know, we build our little studio I think it’s the same everywhere, that when you build something with love and positive energy and your friends with their positive energy and love – you must be able to create great stuff! I think that same energy created great pyramids in Egypt you know and all other wonders of the world. I mean, real wonders, not modern art. That same energy connected us with you. As my wife Darija says “ Faith plus truth equals love “. So that is the energy that will change the world I hope. So yes, we are brothers, my brother and thank you for that.

DGT: You have been writing, playing guitars and Tamburitza and singing for many years, yet you stopped writing songs with words a long time ago. Was there some sort of government restrictions about your lyrics? Why?

DARIO: Actually I am not professional Tamburitza player, although I do play it, my first instrument is guitar. I am a guitar player and in all my songs I call the professionals for playing the Tamburitza for me. And the government is the same thing all over the world I think. They are trained to be traitors so it is the same thing in Croatia. So in 1994 we dropped into show business and the politicians who owned the media owned these businesses, they own everything in my country. And we saw that those guys were going to destroy our homeland just to sell it to themselves and other colleagues and to others from the secret services around the world for a cheap price. And I started to sing and to explain to others about how these men were going to go about doing that or how they are already doing it. And we were fighting with them since 1996 when it was my first song named “ Gentlemen Dear Comrades “ was forbidden to be played on radio, up until 2002 when I finished my album called “ The Forbidden Story “. All those songs are very simple, explaining how they are doing it and why they are doing it and who are “ they “ actually.

DGT: Please tell us a little more about this Tamburitza. What makes it different from an acoustic guitar.

DARIO: Tamboritza is our national instrument and the difference between the Tamburitza and the Guitar besides the size, the Tamburitza is called the Pearl in Croatia and they are tuned different. Tamburitza is tuned like – you have a double string first and it’s a “ G “ and the single strings are “ E “, “ A “ and “ D “. We also have other sizes and they look like a smaller guitar and have four strings that tune different that a classic guitar or acoustic or electric. It’s a complicated instrument but you can develop beautiful harmonies from those instruments.

DGT: Your music with it’s beautiful melodies has given you great ideas for videos which help tell the stories. Or is it the other way around? Do you think of the visual part, the movie, and then write music for it or do you write the music first?

DARIO: First I create emotional environment in my hand and then I create the music. I haven’t had very much opportunity for creating music for videos but that is something I want to do in my future life. So all my videos are to just promote my music, they are not professional video. I would really like to make music for movies.

DGT: Like many musicians in the United States and Europe, you produce and engineer most of your music yourself and get very good sounds. How did you learn to produce a recording? Did you have instruction or did you over a period of time just figure things out for yourself?

DARIO: In 1994 when I signed my first contract with our biggest record label here in Croatia, there was a guy named Branko Podbreznicki and he was a sound engineer for over thirty years and we became very good friends. He taught me how to listen to the music..( so thank you Branko ) . The most important equipment is the ear.

DGT: Where would you like to travel with your music and why?

DARIO: Actually I am not a traveler but wherever they call me I will play, with a few exceptions of course. I would like to stay at home and make music for the movies. Maybe once a year do a series of concerts and just be able to live my peaceful life with my family and my wife and friends and just enjoy you know, because life is very short

DGT: Tell us a little about your instruments and amplifiers that you use to get your good sounds Dario.

DARIO: I usually play my Gibson SG but I have several other guitars of various makes and qualities. The sound is in your fingers, not the instrument. I use a little Fender Blues Junior and also a Marshall 50 Watt amplifier. They are both all tube. As I said before, the sound is in your fingers and you must have good ears, though good gear is important, it is not the most important thing.

DGT: One of your songs is titled DARIJA (pronounced Dar-ee-ah ). I know that she is your wife and partner and that she thinks greatly of you. It is no wonder you wrote a nice song inspired by her.

DARIO: Darija is my wife and the love of my life so it’s normal that I made a song for her. But actually in all my songs Darija has been a great influence. It’s not very complicated to express yourself through the music. You just have to know the person, as I know Darija. I think I make a good point in that song, being what and who she is actually and that song is still selling all over the world, so that’s one more proof for that song. Without any rights or legal contracts how should I say, that song is “ stolen “ form us and lots of people are earning money on my songs but it’s just the way it should be maybe. Maybe though one day we will have correct legal representation.

DGT: If you could make a wish for how you would like things to be for you in five years, what would it be?

DARIO: I would like to be making the music for the movies and have a normal life, one without worry about paying the electricity, buying food and such. Just to live normal life without struggle, being able to enjoy life because it is so very short for us. That’s my wish and nothing else.

DGT: What would you like to say to the children of the world who love music?

DARIO: Actually I have a song that could be an answer for that question: The name of the song is
“Have A Dream “ and it goes like this;

Look At the Nature
She Tries To Speak
Turn Off Computers
Turn Off TV’s
Don’t lose your feeling
Don’t lose your soul
Don’t let them switch you
Don’t give them control
Just Have A Dream

That’s the answer.



DGT: Dario we would like to thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to interview you. Your music will become well known throughout this world. I am certain of this.

HEAR DARIO AND SEE MORE PHOTOS AT HIS MYSPACE PAGE HERE

Bruce Maier

Editor's note: I found out about Dario Plevnik over a year ago and opened contact with him right away. I knew his music was special, and not just because of the Tamboritzas in the background, but there was something haunting and yet spiritual in his sound. After I started reviewing his music and videos all over the internet I realized I'd found a true artist who each of us should support. It is our intention to tell everyone in the USA and all over the world about Dario Plevniks music and the culture, the people and the land from which he came. We look forward to helping Dario come to America later this year and we ask all of our readers to please contact us if you would like to hear Dario in your area. Thank you.
Bruce

###