Is there room for all of it? Consumed with this. Can we take it all in?
Contemplating how we know too much, understand too much, feel too much. And what happens once we’re full? (Do we keep it all, and just suffer more, with no turning back? Does it start to fall out, and we lapse? Is there any other way?)
This is the first capital S ‘song’ I’ve ever written. There’s no violin in it. There is however, the forever favourite bass playing of Thierry Amar, and perfect-in-every-way drumming by world’s best Jim White. Recorded my parts at home, then Thierry at Hotel2Tango, Jim beamed in from Melbourne, then brought it back home to worry over, and finally back to studio for mixing by #1 Radwan Ghazi Moumneh.
A few months later, I got a call from a tree that I spent an afternoon watching from a cafe window, in the before times. Asked if it could please be in the music video.
I agreed, of course. Nadim Shartouny helmed the editing machine. – Jessica
About Jessica Moss:
Montreal violinist, composer, and singer Jessica Moss has performed and recorded with a wide spectrum of ensembles over the past two decades. Best known for her fifteen-year tenure in political of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, she was also a founding member of avant-klezmer group Black Ox Orkestar, recorded and toured with the Vic Chesnutt band for the two albums released on Constellation, and worked extensively with Carla Bozulich’s Evangelista. She has also performed and recorded as a guest with many of Montreal’s best known artists, including Big|Brave on their acclaimed 2015 and 2017 releases on Southern Lord. She was featured in Jem Cohen’s Empires of Tin project, and joined members of Godspeed, Fugazi, White Magic and Dirty Three to perform the live score to Cohen’s film We Have An Anchor in various locations at Europe and the USA.
Alone in her practice space equipped with the tools, methods, and experiences gleaned from years in studios, rehearsal spaces, performing and touring, Jessica commenced building her unique style and structure. The music that came was longform and narrative, conjuring images with sounds and melodies and occasional lyrics, and telling exigent stories of troubled times. Written by ear and memory and never committed to paper, Moss conceives for live performance, where she makes use of violin, a myriad of pedals, a microphone, and three amplifiers.
Moss has ascended as a live soloist, captivating audiences with her gritty, warmly expressive electronic- and drone-inflected post-classical Minimalism (and sometimes Maximalism), accented by a distinctive melodic sensibility that channels Klezmer, Balkan and Middle Eastern tropes. Moss has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe over the past several years, including festival appearances at Big Ears, WSO New Music, Le Guess Who?, ATP, Zemlika and Supersonic, participation in multiple editions of Basilica Hudson’s 24-Hour Drone Fest, and a mix of headlining and support dates with the likes of Zu, Big|Brave, GAS, Xylouris White, Julia Holter, and labelmates Godspeed You! Black Emperor among many others. Moss also collaborated with Angel Deradoorian, Nick Zinner, Clarice Jensen, and Francesco Donadello as part of a residency at the 2018 edition of Berlin’s PEOPLE festival, and composed the score for the Fact Award-winning documentary Laila at the Bridge.
Moss has struck up an array of fruitful collaborations: she began working with Roy Montgomery, played on Daniel O’Sullivan’s album Folly, and joined Feist’s live band as a touring member. She also composed and performed the live score for “DUST” by award-winning Australian dance company Dancenorth. Moss contributed to Oiseaux-Tempête’s most recent album From Somewhere Invisible and both supported and performed with the band on a subsequent tour. In 2020-21, Moss has been channelling her energy into multiple new compositions and solo recordings, a variety of collaborations, and is also writing new work for ensembles. In addition to her musical work, Moss is a multi-media artist and creates all the videos that accompany her solo recordings.
Europe • November 2021
04.11 DRESDEN — Hole Of Fame
05.11 JENA — Trafo (tickets)
06.11 WINTERTHUR — Gaswerk (tickets)
07.11 GENEVA — cave12
09.11 BRIGHTON — The Rose Hill (tickets)
10.11 BRISTOL — The Mothers’ Ruin
11.11 LONDON — Cafe OTO
13.11 UTRECHT — Le Guess Who? (tickets)
14.11 KORTRIJK — Sonic City Festival
16.11 ODENSE — PåTaget
17.11 GÖTEBORG — Koloni
18.11 OSLO — Hausmania
19.11 MOSS — House Of Foundation
20.11 STOCKHOLM — Sofiakyrka
21.11 MALMÖ — Plan B
22.11 COPENHAGEN — Alice (tickets)
23.11 AARHUS — Radar (tickets)