Jenny Woolworth’s Women in Punk Blog

Jessie Evans plays the saxophone and sings. She has been known as 1/5 of the San Francisco all-female dark disco group Subtonix, 1/3 of synth-punk dance troop The Vanishing, and 1/2 of the Berlin based duo Autonervous with Bettina Köster of Malaria. She is stepping out solo lately, with the help of Toby Dammit on drums making upbeat, dance punk cabaret. Check out the song “Scientist of Love” below and the accompanying video. Then check out her website and find out when she is playing a live gig in your town and go there.

JW: What is one of your favorite sounds and what does it mean to you?
JE: I like the sound of the sea - of waves, it means being at the edge of the world, escaping into the ocean. renouncing my legs, forget being human. I like the sounds of people on the beach, or at a pool. Any kind of sunbathing situation. Splashing, kids shrieking. The silent sound of the sun burning through hot oil. I also really like the sound of saxophones or marching bands on the street on hot summer days or people rehearsing in their apartment in the city with their window open.

JW: Tell me about one of your most cherished records and why it is so important to you.
JE: There have been many in different stages of my life. I tend to become obsessed with albums, and possibly not even listen to the side B because I am in love with side A. This happened in the case of Patti Smith Radio Ethiopia which I had for ten years before I heard the second side!
One of my favorite records ever is The Selector On the Radio. Pauline Black was one of the most inspirational singers to me, I discovered their music when I was about fourteen and went to see them in concert a few times when I was a teenager. She was so fierce and beautiful. A few other records I’ve really loved: Donna Summer’s On My Radio, Labelle’s Nightbirds and Tuxedo Moon’s Desire.
In the last six months my favorite records have been an Alton Ellis Anthology, Jamaican Funk compilation, and Lester Young Lester Leaps In.

JW: Who is a woman that has inspired you in your life, musically or otherwise?
JE: Josephine Baker has been a huge inspiration to me. She started out with absolutely nothing and literally danced her way out of poverty. She was born in St Louis, Missouri and she ended up eventually living in a castle in the South of France! She became one of the most important entertainers, and the first black woman movie star! It’s sad that in America she wasn’t respected like she should have been, but it is something she always fought against, making her a very important figure against segregation.
In World War II she worked as a correspondent for the French Resistance, smuggling secret messages on her music sheets, and a sub lieutenant in the woman’s auxiliary Air Force. She adopted twelve children - her “rainbow tribe.” She loved animals and had many pets.
She performed her whole life, starting when she was 12 in a Vaudville show on the streets of her hometown to when she died at 71, just two days after her last concert in Paris.
It amazes me how a person could live so many lives. It really goes to show the power of dreams and how in one life a person can change everything for themselves.

Download: Jessie Evans - Scientist of Love