Sail away with us on the melodic waves of Jessie G's life story, where the commercial fishing docks of Oregon blend seamlessly with the twang of Nashville strings. As a descendant of four generations of fishermen, Jessie pulls us into the salty air of her past, sharing how her heritage has fortified her character and melodies. Her journey, however, doesn't just stay docked at the bay; it sails right into the heart of Music City, where balancing the tender tunes of motherhood with the rousing chords of a music career is an art in itself.
Picture this: a young Jessie, mic in hand, singing her heart out in karaoke bars, guided by the sage advice of none other than country music sensation Gretchen Wilson. Our episode peeks behind the Nashville curtain to reveal the mentorship and camaraderie that fuel the music industry, with Jessie's story highlighting the bold leap from protege to independent artist. It's an inspiring tale of mentorship and musical evolution, garnished with anecdotes that'll make you feel like you're swapping stories on a front porch rocker.
And for those moments when the guitar is set down, and the stage lights dim, we share some lighter slices of life, from on-stage mishaps that tickle the funny bone to canine companions that prove even a yellow lab can steal the spotlight. By the end, you'll not only feel like you've walked a mile in Jessie's boots, but you'll also be humming along to her tunes, eager to explore the heartfelt tracks that have emerged from this extraordinary artist's life. So, tune in, ready to tap your feet, laugh a little, and maybe even find a piece of yourself in the stories and songs of Jessie G.
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
Sail away with us on the melodic waves of Jessie G's life story, where the commercial fishing docks of Oregon blend seamlessly with the twang of Nashville strings. As a descendant of four generations of fishermen, Jessie pulls us into the salty air of her past, sharing how her heritage has fortified her character and melodies. Her journey, however, doesn't just stay docked at the bay; it sails right into the heart of Music City, where balancing the tender tunes of motherhood with the rousing chords of a music career is an art in itself.
Picture this: a young Jessie, mic in hand, singing her heart out in karaoke bars, guided by the sage advice of none other than country music sensation Gretchen Wilson. Our episode peeks behind the Nashville curtain to reveal the mentorship and camaraderie that fuel the music industry, with Jessie's story highlighting the bold leap from protege to independent artist. It's an inspiring tale of mentorship and musical evolution, garnished with anecdotes that'll make you feel like you're swapping stories on a front porch rocker.
And for those moments when the guitar is set down, and the stage lights dim, we share some lighter slices of life, from on-stage mishaps that tickle the funny bone to canine companions that prove even a yellow lab can steal the spotlight. By the end, you'll not only feel like you've walked a mile in Jessie's boots, but you'll also be humming along to her tunes, eager to explore the heartfelt tracks that have emerged from this extraordinary artist's life. So, tune in, ready to tap your feet, laugh a little, and maybe even find a piece of yourself in the stories and songs of Jessie G.
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
But he's smiling. Here we go. Hello everybody, my name is Skip Clark. Welcome to another edition of what we call Skip Happens. She's getting into it already. It's going to be another great show. You know, I am so fortunate to work in a business where I get to meet a lot of pretty awesome people, and tonight you're going to meet one with me, because we haven't spoken before. This is like the first time. First time she's seen me, so I'm surprised she hasn't turned the camera off, but I can see her. And you know what? We're going to talk to Jesse G, who is with us. Just a little bit about, just a little bit about her though. You look at her, would you, would you think? I'm trying to think what was on a fishing boat? That's part of the family background, right? Jessie G is obviously with us, and let me just read the first paragraph of the bio they sent me. Hang on, we'll go from there. It says Jessie G's heritage spans across four generations of commercial fishermen on the coast of Oregon, or is it Oregon?
Speaker 2:Oregon.
Speaker 1:Oregon. Okay, she spent much of her childhood aboard the hand-built family boat. That's right. Hand-built, yep, hand-built, I mean like hammer and nails and all that. Yep, a lot of hard work.
Speaker 2:Five years.
Speaker 1:And you what? The crab and the tuna and all that.
Speaker 2:Crab, tuna, salmon, halibut, lingcod, some other fisheries, but yeah do you like fish?
Speaker 1:I mean, do you thoroughly, seriously enjoy a nice, nice, uh, fish dinner or crab legs, yeah?
Speaker 2:I'm a big tuna girl, I'm a big cod girl. Um, I do like crab, but not like a ton of crab, you know, I just occasionally like it. I like the crab legs. Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:The body is sweeter meat.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, there you go. All you can eat is special and you just sit there and you just keep eating, and eating, and eating.
Speaker 2:You don't do that at our family restaurant.
Speaker 1:So that's right. You had the family restaurant too. Do they still have that in Oregon, or?
Speaker 2:Oregon. Yeah, they, yeah, it's you know what. So the Oregon, oregon thing. By the way, I learned that in Wisconsin there's an Oregon. That's why people do it both ways. No way, yeah, so Oregon, oregon, where I'm from is Oregon, but yes, uh, we have a. Did you ask if we have a seafood?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, but wait a minute, wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa. So you just mentioned that. What you said in Wisconsin they have it's Oregon. You say Oregon, like you leave out okay, so you leave out a whole syllable, and I'm in the northeast and we say Oregon. I think.
Speaker 2:I don't know and it makes sense because the way it's spelled, but the way I like to think about it is like in your body there's organs, so that the thing in your body is where I'm from, on the West coast.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, I got it. I got it. Well, we're. We're joined by Jesse G tonight. She is a an independent artist, but she's on the grassroots promotion team and you know one of their many great artists and love working with grassroots and they give me the opportunity to talk to a lot of their artists. Where are you right now, jess?
Speaker 2:I'm in Nashville, tennessee, right now. We have a beautiful home by the lake and you know, we're all over the country most of the time, actually the world now most of the time. So it's nice to take a little bit of a break, get a reset, have a little bit of a routine, especially because I have a two-year-old. So I was gonna ask. I was reading that too, yeah yes, and so it's really nice to just be home for a couple weeks and then we hit the road again.
Speaker 1:We're going to texas, florida and then west do you take the little one with you at all or no?
Speaker 2:most of the time, most of the time she is with me, yeah okay, I'm gonna ask the question how do you do it?
Speaker 1:because wait a minute. So is it a boy or girl? Little girl, girl, all right, girl, and she's two yes. And we all know about the terrible twos.
Speaker 2:It is happening.
Speaker 1:That's why I'm asking yes.
Speaker 2:It's one of those things that you can do it, and I don't ever want to discourage somebody from living their dreams and doing everything that their heart desires and having a family at the same time. I think sometimes that's really a bummer when people discourage especially women, because women are the ones caring and giving birth and all that and it's. You know, it's frustrating when you're like what? So I can't go out on the road and be a country singer and stuff and so. But I will say it's harder, it is a lot harder. More preparation is involved. More blood, sweat and tears is involved from more parties. So you know my band knows my child very well. She calls my guitar player Uncle Christian.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love it, I love it.
Speaker 2:And you know it's just a big family, like we have our family on the road and then we have our family back home and we just try to create as many safe spaces as possible. And of course you know we're stopping at little playgrounds and our hotels normally have a pool or when we luck out and get like a water slide park thing. Wisconsin, we got like two hotels. We were like what is up with this area? Everybody's got like water parks in their hotels. It was awesome.
Speaker 1:I have never been to Wisconsin really never been to wisconsin, okay, but maybe my husband's from there. So, oh, really, now your husband is military, or was correct?
Speaker 2:yeah, he just got out in june uh, last june, so it'll be a year of him being out in June. Yeah, and that's a big transition too. I know, like anybody who's been through that and been in the military community, it's its own little world.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, you're right, it's a whole different world. But to bring it together, did he serve overseas, was he gone for any period of time or was he stateside?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so he's been gone many times. When we first got together, actually, he deployed overseas to Iraq and then he was there for quite a bit and then he came home and we were lucky enough that he was just climbing up that ladder and going into special forces and all that. And if you know how it works in the military, that's a lot of schools, a lot of training, a lot of that kind of thing. So he spent a really long time getting to a point where he became a Captain Green Beret, Wow, yeah. And so we moved a couple of different stations and we're grateful to spend our time in the Gulf Coast Florida area. Destin Florida is where we oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, now I've been there, yes.
Speaker 2:Beautiful. We actually kept our condo down there because we were like we're never getting rid of this ever.
Speaker 1:I don't blame you Not at all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, yeah, we were blessed, but you know he's been gone in hard times. Music sometimes had to take a back seat because, you know, the military came first for a while and that is why, ultimately, he chose to hang it up was for my career, which I'm very blessed. So he has a fully remote job with Well Companies. It's a trucking company. Um, so he has a fully remote job with well companies. It's a trucking company and he's able to be fully remote with me Also. It's great and it's like the dream for us. But it also has its own challenges, you know.
Speaker 2:So we're we're figuring out that life. How do you do fully? How does he do fully remote? When he was used to going into work PT in the morning being told what to do, you know, and then now he's got freedom with that, but then that comes with all this other stuff. So, yeah, and one of his deployments was right after we gave birth to our child.
Speaker 2:So you know, that was a little tough to having to, you know, be new parents and then him leaving, and that was also had to do with his decision. I think to hang it up was just because it was just so hard to be a baby, all that.
Speaker 1:What he's done for our country. We cannot thank you enough and him enough, you know. I mean, yes, it's them and we salute them and we thank them. But we also need to say thank you to the wives and because you put up for so much with so much as well, with them being away and having to take care of the family and and all that stuff, you know, and being strong and setting the example for the kids.
Speaker 2:So I mean I've met the strongest, some of the strongest women I've ever known. Did you?
Speaker 1:create a bond. I know we're supposed to be talking about your music here, but did you create a bond with a lot of the other wives or the other girlfriends or boyfriends or what have you?
Speaker 2:Some of my best most I call it bestest friends are from you know our time in the military and also you know music wise. A lot of my songs are totally about the sacrifices and the hardships or they're about actual the military life. So you know it plays into all of it. Our life experiences kind of transcend into who we are as songwriters. I think you know.
Speaker 1:Now, if I'm talking about you a little bit, your hometown is what again?
Speaker 2:Brookings, Oregon. What is it Brookings, oregon? It's a little coastal town. What is it brookings, oregon? It's a little coastal town, um, pretty much. If you hit that 101 highway, that famous 101 highway and you go straight north from, so say you're coming from california, you go straight north, it's the first town once you, uh, once you get to oregon right on the 101 yes, it's beautiful so.
Speaker 1:So the minute I hit that town, what? What is the first thing I'm going to see?
Speaker 2:So when you hit my hometown, the first thing you see, if you're coming North, on the left, would be the ocean. You got some Redwood trees. You know the rolling, the mountains rolling into the ocean, luscious green, it's beautiful.
Speaker 1:Just, I mean just listening to you, Jessie, it's like, wow, let's talk about you a little bit more on the music. So how long have you been in? Since you were a little girl, right? You've always been doing something a show or music, or something along those lines.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, Skip, I didn't ask you if you had kids yet, but you know plenty. Okay, great. You know how it is. When you notice a kid has a certain talent or an act for something, you try to encourage it and just create the opportunities for them. And you know my parents did that a lot. When I was little. My dad would take me every Wednesday night to this karaoke bar, which minors could only be in to a certain time.
Speaker 2:So it was like me and a bunch of old crooners smoking and drinking. And it was just, you know, he literally set the stage for me to go up there sing my favorite country songs, my favorite rock and roll songs, in front of you know, an audience. And then that turned into talent shows and fairs and I had a great teacher in middle school and high school that helped push me and then turned into a music scholarship in college.
Speaker 1:That helped push me and then turned into a music scholarship in college and then all the way to me, you know, meeting a person who was a talent, and that's what I want to talk about as well, because was it a talent show or you were opening for somebody and then it just happened to go in the right direction? Somebody was looking down and kind of hooked that up and made it work for you. Now look at you, and that person was Gretchen Wilson.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it was a battle of the bands and it's just crazy to think that that night really did change my life in a huge way. You know, a lot of people have a really big impact and she was one of the biggest impacts in my life to this day.
Speaker 1:So yeah, love her big impact and she was one of the biggest impacts in my life to this day. So, yeah, her music and I can remember when she came out with Redneck Woman and I actually went to the show there was one right up the thruway up in Rochester, new York, and I said I gotta go see this girl and I remember that like it was yesterday, but she had just come out with Redneck Woman and that just changed her life. Uh, that and here for the party, and I can go on and on and the rest is history. But so how?
Speaker 1:did she help you, tell us about that whole relationship.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I met her that night with Battle of the Bands in Portland Oregon and you know I actually snuck backstage. It was we opened for her and I snuck backstage and I was like, hey, can I come hang out with you and your family? And she was like, yeah, come on back. Uh, you know, reluctantly I'm sure, and so we went back there, me and her, ended up staying up till like four in the morning. She held her bus call and if you know how that is, like, oh yeah, midnight rollout.
Speaker 2:So I'm sure her band was like, come on, let's go, uh, but let's go, uh. But me and her were, like you know, drinking a bottle of jack, polished it off, uh, taking some dips together. Like you know, we're just kindred yeah we're country girls, so, um, you know, and then we're just singing and I asked her. I was was like hey, how do I do this Like for real, like win a Grammy, have a number one, like?
Speaker 2:you know, and she's like, you got to move to Nashville. Nashville's where it's at. You can't really do that here in Oregon. And next month I took her advice. I sold a bunch of crab, tuna and salmon. I sold it at a farmer's market and saved up $3,000.
Speaker 2:Packed market and saved up $3,000, packed up my car, drove 48 hours because that's how long it takes. Yeah, Didn't know anybody in Nashville, Tennessee, but her and she's a superstar. So I was taking a leap of faith that she would even call me back. And you know, I think she knew how big of an effort it was that I did it. So she called me back.
Speaker 1:No, she knew you were serious when you were going to make that drive of 48 hours, you know, upon you know, taking her advice to move to Nashville. She, I'm sure she was like this girl is serious, I'm going to be there for her. She wants to do this and she's got what it takes. So she knew that already, I'm sure.
Speaker 2:So, thank you, I hope so. I mean, I think that you know we were meant to find each other in some, in some way. I think God puts people in your life for reasons, and she was definitely a big reason.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it. Do you get out? Are you still you're doing? You're on her label, right or no?
Speaker 2:So actually fully independent, she OK, yeah. So she gave me a huge start by kind of bringing me in, putting me on her label, releasing some of my songs at first, letting me tour with her for a few years in my band and stuff, and it was such a great experience and we got to a point in my career where she's like I need to give you more and you need to fly, and here we go, birdie, and so you know, I'm blessed. She gave me full ownership of all the tracks we had worked on that we hadn't released. That does not normally happen, normally, um, you know, if a label pays for something, they're not going to just give it to you.
Speaker 2:So I was very, very blessed, um, to have her blessing, and she also kind of took a step back and worked on her own stuff for a few years and kind of, uh, didn't go on the road and stuff. So you know, I didn't, I didn't want to stop playing, I didn't want to stop recording and putting music out. And I think, um, you know she knew that. So she was like all right. And so since then it's kind of been her more my mentor, her mentorship and me being able to make those decisions and go on other tours and headline my own stuff and smaller yeah, so it's been great. And then, you know, about six months ago I asked her like hey, I, you know, like my whiskey is like one of my biggest touring songs. I feel like the crowd sings it back immediately. The track is just amazing. Can I like turn up your vocal on this? And she was like, well, why don't I just sing a few lines? We'll call it a duet.
Speaker 1:and I was like oh my gosh, yeah, say that twice. Oh my, were you like intimidated though. Were you like scared going? Oh my God, I'm really here, I'm really doing this and I'm doing a duet with her. I mean, I'd be like you know what, just yeah, no, it's totally like.
Speaker 2:And then skip happens. Yes, skip happens, I love that's great. Yeah, happens, I love it, that's great, yeah, no, you can't really think too hard on it. I feel like you really got to just listen to your heart and not try to think about what. Are other people going to think about this? What are the comments saying? What are people like why don't just be you? You're the only you out there.
Speaker 1:Let me ask how has the response been to this? Hang on, here we go, Well.
Speaker 2:I like my man, like I like my whiskey. I shot at him and I'm feeling frisky. Had them for the night, but hell in the morning when he leaves me.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I just want to crank it Like my whiskey. You know, I can hear you and I hear Gretchen Equal. It's so good, so good. Hang on a second.
Speaker 2:Same time, same pick-up line. It's just another day in the life of a woman working hard from nine to five. Wow.
Speaker 1:Same drink, same bar, they know by now. A few straight shots and I get down. Doesn't take long for a bad boy to pick me up. Wow, you know. I mean that you know what's going to happen. Facebook's going to go all right. Well, copyright infringement we're going to have to delete you. Now You're gone, but no, I'm just. You know.
Speaker 2:I'll just give you permission, I'll just I know, that's what I have to do.
Speaker 1:Usually afterwards I'll go notice saying you you know, we've noticed this. You know copyright infringement, blah, blah, blah, do you, would you? Whatever? And I usually have to send something and it gets taken care of but it's good and it's bad, you know like it's.
Speaker 2:It's good if people are infringing, but it's just another hoop to jump through.
Speaker 1:So well, I'm glad I'm able to do that because people need to hear you, People need to see you. I can tell you right now there are people on an American Airlines flight I don't know if you see the notice a little chat there on the side. Somebody says got to love Wi-Fi on a plane brand new American Airlines plane, it's cozy. So they must be watching on the jet coming back from Florida.
Speaker 1:That is so cool. I know we're at 36,000 feet, we don't even know it, so I'd be like uh, here we go, sad children, I skip, happens with me. Um, but let's, let's talk more about you, though. So when was the last time you've gotten actually on stage with Gretchen? Has that been recently, or has it?
Speaker 2:been a little bit. Yeah, I mean, we sang together last weekend at a birthday party. We sang Like my Whiskey and the band didn't really know it, so it was like we were like teaching the band and singing along. There was probably like 200 people there watching us, so I'm sure there was a big crowd there.
Speaker 1:I would assume it wasn't for a child.
Speaker 2:Oh, no, no, no, no, it was my best friend's 40th.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh wow, Well, it's still young At least. I got eight grandkids. You asked me earlier if I have kids. I got three grown daughters. They've given me eight grandkids, and my wife and I now we have a son 23. He's down syndrome and it's Zach, and it's just the best thing we've ever done. And if you ever get bored not to throw a plug out there, but we do a podcast called Zach attack with dad.
Speaker 2:So, it's.
Speaker 1:You never know what you're going to see on it. It's just Zach is like crazy, but anyways.
Speaker 2:I'm going to listen to this. No, yeah, I'm going to subscribe.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he loves music Anything Nashville subscribe. Yeah, and he loves music um anything Nashville he absolutely loves. Were you um speaking in Nashville? Did you have a chance to make your rounds at the country radio seminar?
Speaker 2:I did, um, I didn't do like the full weekends, I just went in two days because, man, that is, yeah, it's a lot, you know so and we did like a really late night show at the B-Dub suite.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, b-dub, yeah, b-dub. And I, brian and I, are really good friends.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. Yeah, I didn't know you were. Oh my gosh, I'm good friends with him too. He actually was the reason I met Gretchen. He gave me the opportunity, yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, no idea. I'm going to call him when we get done tonight. I'm going to hey Brian, you know, but what a small world.
Speaker 2:You should totally give him a call. He is a huge catalyst for my career. And you know he was like hey, do you want to perform? We're going to have some labels and some radio people and you know it'd be good exposure and some radio people and you know it'd be good exposure and, um, then that kind of turned into us providing him sound for the week and like. So he's like well come every night if you want to. So it's really fun.
Speaker 1:The sound was your sound. I saw that somebody was there, you know. I mean it wasn't a huge setup, of course, I mean you're in a hotel, but still, yeah, you must have been there the one night. I didn't hit the suite oh, I must have been.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it was like a thursday george and matt um george burge, matt still I was there um, um, um.
Speaker 1:What's her? Oh, oh, my god, is hannah ellis?
Speaker 2:no um no, is a blonde, blonde girl.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:I forgot.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, Skip just happened because I had no idea, skip happens. Yeah, we actually I mean, oh God, I should know her name. We had her come to the we're in Syracuse. I had her come to the Cuse to do a show for the radio station. She was great, they're all great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, drew Baldrige is great, great.
Speaker 1:They're all great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, drew Baldrige is great. He's an inspiration, he is awesome and he's doing his own thing All on his own guy. Yeah. It's so hard. I need to get his ear and be like hey, give me some tips, I know.
Speaker 1:But I got to tell you all. That being said, that's one thing, but I can tell you what you're doing now, and I always say this grassroots, with Nancy and RJ, everybody that's there, john, they are the best. And they're the best for a couple of reasons. Number one, they're very business oriented. Number two, they're musicians or radio people. So they know, and that is a plus for an artist like yourself- they work so hard like I.
Speaker 2:It taught like. So my husband's new at this stuff, and so we've been through a couple of um, trial and error with certain companies that we bring on board, like whether that be marketing or something sure sure, they're one that. And he's a workhorse, obviously you know, being military background, getting up to special forces, but he is so impressed with them every day he's like wow, like they work hard for us and you know I'll do this again and again 100.
Speaker 1:They do. And I'm not just saying that because I know them, I just know what the type of company they are, and if I was in your shoes I'd be knocking on their door to you know, to help me out too. Oh.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Good choice, good choice.
Speaker 2:I hope we're listening. Shout out.
Speaker 1:Nancy, where are you? No, absolutely See, I told you this would be a little crazy. This is, this is.
Speaker 2:No, I love it.
Speaker 1:And so are you? Wait a minute. You played sports, right? Did I read in your bio that you were a softball player, and what else?
Speaker 2:So I played softball, soccer and basketball my whole life. And then when college time came, freshman year I played softball, Sophomore year I played soccer. And then it got to the point where music was getting demanding and I had a scholarship and also the future of my life. I was like you know, sports can only carry me so long. So I unfortunately had to hang it up. But yeah, I played sports my whole life. I credit a lot of my athleticism on stage and my competitive nature with just wanting to be successful at two. You know sports.
Speaker 1:And I firmly believe that I have a daughter that went to play lacrosse All-American Scholarship, bonaventure and you know sports. And I firmly believe that I have a daughter that went to play lacrosse All-American Scholarship, bonaventure and you know what People went after her to work for them. You know, because she was so outgoing and confident and just you know, and I think that's what sports, that's why it's good for you, it gives you that. You know. I mean, what do I know? I haven't played a sport. No, I played hockey for a little bit, but that was years ago. But still, it's like Nicole was offered a job right out of school because they loved her confidence and she was, you know, just all for it, a hundred percent.
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't judge anyone's parenting at all Like every time I even think about oh that may. I'm like, okay, stop it, Because everybody's life is different. But I do feel like one of the best things you can do for your kids is put them in sports 100%, Because it's a way to let them fail, succeed, get back up, be a team player.
Speaker 1:That's okay to fail? Yeah, exactly, except you don't want to be the parent that knows everything no-transcript you've been doing a lot of writing too, as well. Correct, I mean your style, your creativity. Where does it come from? Tell us about that a little bit skip.
Speaker 2:It's different all the time. Like I am a crazy writer when it comes to like. Sometimes I like that method, style. Sometimes the muse just comes in the middle of the night and I have no control over it and like lately it's been that which is crazy. Um, like the other day I was washing the dishes and a song hit me and I was like, oh my gosh, this is great. Obviously, I'm not gonna say the idea because it's fresh and I don't want anyone to steal it. So yeah, but yeah, the other night I woke up at 1am and this song fully was like almost finished playing in my head, the melody and everything, and you know how it goes.
Speaker 1:You just got to get up and write it or else I was going to say you grab your phone and kind of, you know, do that I usually do that, but my daughter was laying right beside me that night so I was like I want to wake her yeah, yeah can't do that.
Speaker 2:so I ran out of the room, went into our writing room, got the guitar and piano out and like kind of fingered through it, and then my guitar player, who is much better at everything than me, because I'm just not- a player.
Speaker 1:Don't say that you never know, it's always people.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's one of those things I'm blessed to focus on vocals because I feel like it makes me a different type of vocalist. I'm not having to like always, you know, but nothing against anyone who does, I just feel like my brain works better like that. But yeah, finish the song in like 30 minutes.
Speaker 1:You know it must be. Do you have neighbors Like is there somebody close by? So they're, going to see the light go on at three o'clock and they're going to go. Here comes another song Next door. She must have another thought.
Speaker 2:Well, they clearly know I like whiskey, so All right, what's your?
Speaker 1:what's your favorite whiskey?
Speaker 2:I mean okay, not just to pump the brand because they were no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1:This is just. You can say whatever.
Speaker 2:Well, okay. So we had ammunition whiskey as, like our video sponsor, whiskey music video, and it is amazing, I'm not just saying that to say it. It is smooth Like I would sip it just on ice and I'm not normally that kind of. It has to be really good for me to, but if I'm going to be drinking something at the bar and they clearly won't have ammunition because that's such a, they're just new and they're smaller in California Right right.
Speaker 2:But Redneck Riviera John Rich got to support him and I love his Granny Rich whiskey.
Speaker 1:Now, I haven't been there yet. I'm sure you have uh, but you know being with gretchen and then of course, you got the uh, you know um rich, rich and so have you been able to do anything with them?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean over the years, they always they.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know, I, I've, I've seen it they're so much fun and they're just great guys um, you know, I've, I've seen it.
Speaker 2:There's so much fun and they're just great guys. You know, we've definitely done a lot with them or them around over the years, like and on a personal note too, like big Kenny christened my child last year yeah, it was just like I felt like a you know how you feel, like you're at rock and roll church or something. Oh yeah, With Big Kenny, you kind of are it was like Gretchen Wilson holding her up and Big Kenny's like.
Speaker 1:I mean, I can hear Kenny doing that. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:He, you know he's always, I'll send you a picture. It was awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But in John does a lot of military things, so I got to share the stage with him at my last ever military ball as a as a active duty couple, because my husband's now a veteran. I'm sure we'll go to many balls later in life, but our last, yeah, and our last ball. They asked me to sing, they asked me to close out the show, which was uh amazing. They actually were running super late, so I was supposed to open the show, but it ended up being that john was in a rush, gavin de graal was in a rush and some other artists. They had to be other places. So they're like well, jesse, would you mind closing the show? I'm like you mean, john rich is open for me. Heck, heck. Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1:I love it. I'm not going to say that again so what did you um? Was it just one song, or did they want you to do a few songs to close it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I did like. Uh, I think, a 25 minutes.
Speaker 1:Wow Cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I did, like, I think, five or six songs and it was a lot of fun, um, but it was just very special just being my last ball dolled up in a, you know, elegant dress and stuff.
Speaker 1:I'm sure it was beautiful, you know, you know with the uniforms and then with the wives and the elegant dresses. I mean, I've seen pictures of the balls and it's just, you know, wow.
Speaker 2:It's gorgeous. It's definitely you feel very fortunate to be in the room you know.
Speaker 1:Absolutely A hundred percent. It just sometimes I just don't know what to say because I'm just like it, just it means so much.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it does. I mean I'm the same way, like I get more nervous and more tongue tied in front of that kind of community than anything else. Yeah, so I played a show two days ago and I lost my voice because I got pretty sick. Actually, I asked Shannon to reach out to you and let you know that I'm still not fully 100% with singing. So I was like, if Skip wants me to sing, I just don't have my range right now. But I played a show for Leatherwood distillery, which is a veteran owned and distillery, and I played on stage with three veterans and they're amazing artists and I was so embarrassed to be like guys I'm I can't even sing, like I have no voice. I squeaked out two songs and they're proud of me but like the amount of pressure I have on myself to play in front of my loved ones, like in the military, is so much more pressure than even you know and I get it.
Speaker 1:I get it. I'd be scared to death and afraid I wouldn't be able to come through. But I then, on the other hand, I kind of wonder how many of those people really noticed because you're great. I mean kind of wonder how many of those people really noticed because you're great, I mean you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Like wow, I didn't know she was sick, she sounded fabulous, thank you. I mean people, people were saying that, thank goodness, you know, when I was taking a break. But like you feel that on yourself that you, I don't know how you are, but I want to give my a hundred percent.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, no, I think we all do, whether you know it's what I do or what you do. You want to go up there and give it everything you got, so totally.
Speaker 2:You feel like they showed up to be there. You better give them a good show. You know I am.
Speaker 1:I am see a lot of events and stuff like that, and when I get really nervous or I'm afraid to go, I'm not afraid. But go, I'm not afraid. But I mean you get that feeling. I don't know if it's stage fright or what. It doesn't matter how many years you've been doing this. I've been doing this a long time. But if I look out in the audience and I go oh my God, I know most of these people it's like oh shit, if I screw up, you know skip is really going to happen, and it's just, this is not going to be good, because I'll never hear the other one, everyone.
Speaker 2:It's not going to be good because I'll never hear the end.
Speaker 1:Everyone's going to remember it forever because they know me Exactly. It'd be like, hey, Jess, remember, you know. Oh, I know what I want to ask you, by the way. So before we went on tonight, you know I did a little bit of homework. I mean, I had papers here but I never look at them. I saw one video you were doing arm farts, armpit farts, Was that at? You were doing arm farts, armpits, was that in a radio?
Speaker 2:station. Well, for one, they knew that I would do some stuff like that, so they were like, let's put her on the spot. And then, for two, I was like, well, I can't not do it. Now that they just asked me so clearly, I suck at it.
Speaker 1:If you watch the video, I'm not going to say anything, but yeah, I just started laughing and that kind of leads me to ask I mean, what other crazy things have you like? You go out on the radio tour and you meet all these radio guys and there's a lot of good ones and there's a lot of others, and it's just, I mean, what kind of crazy things have you had to do?
Speaker 2:oh I mean nothing's really crazier than shoving rotting bait in a bait jar and putting in a crab pot so for me all right.
Speaker 1:No, I know, I didn't even think about that.
Speaker 2:I'd be hurling but what is I'm trying to think, like on the road?
Speaker 1:I feel like has anybody ever pranked you?
Speaker 2:I mean kind of, but it's always like starts out self-inflicted, like jesse just went ham and partied a little hard and then people like put a puke bucket on stage and write my name on it, kind of thing, that kind of stuff. Uh, but I'm trying to think of anything, but I think it would be really hard.
Speaker 1:I mean not to, you know, to put the puke bucket up on stage and all that. But still, here's somebody that's worked on a boat in the ocean. I mean I, I'd be hurling over the side. I mean I can't do that. But you obviously can handle all that pretty good.
Speaker 2:I mean sometimes you need to take bow nine the night before the morning of, get a wristband for pressure points, get some ginger ale and saltines just to make sure that you're going to be good your whole fishing trip, like if you take a charter trip, spend the money or whatever. But for the most part I don't get seasick part I don't get seasick. And if I do like, occasionally because something random, then we have bunks in the bottom of the boat and man, I sleep like a baby when it's rocking you.
Speaker 1:Well, I bet, I bet.
Speaker 2:It's great I could sleep like all day.
Speaker 1:I know I've been on cruises before, obviously it's a little different. But you feel the ship rocking a little bit or whatever, and I sleep like a baby. But on a smaller boat like that, I don't know, I just don't know. And then the smell of the fish.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's the worst part, because, like the fish, is in ice blocks and it, you know, slowly melts.
Speaker 1:Do you ever get out and do it again? Have you gone back to visit family and gone out on the boat at all?
Speaker 2:Yeah, usually when I go out, though it's like you know I'll drive and stuff when, when my dad's resting or like um it's been a long time since I've been out, because we've you know, we've been in Nashville and the chances that we get back during season the weather's nice and I'm not working are all so slim, um, but I'm thinking about trying to do some sort of like tv film thing, like a, like a youtube vlog or something cool yeah, yeah, where I take like somebody out there and film it yeah, and and do it as you, as jesse g, you're an artist and all that, but yet you know there's, you're still.
Speaker 1:You've got all this background. I mean we all do. I've done other things. You know, yeah, to do a vlog, a blog on it, or just kind of do a, you know like videos, like that.
Speaker 2:I think that would be cool yeah, you know, show up in the cowboy boots and take them off and put the condoms on, and yeah, I think that'd be sick.
Speaker 1:I see you keep looking over to the side. Is your husband over there?
Speaker 2:Oh, no, my dogs. Oh, what kind of dogs do you have? Tell me about them, their nails on the hardwood.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I've got it. Well, we've always had yellow labs, oh we have two labs. We just adopted another yellow lab from a gentleman. He's not able to take care of them now. The yellow lab is four and a half years old and he was a companion to this guy, but now he's kind of up there and just can't do it. It's got a lot of training to be done, because the slippers, the shoes, the towels it's just you know it's crazy.
Speaker 2:Well, labs like to chew things, labs like the trash my labs they love. Well, if your lab's super food motivated, you know, it can be good because treats will train them, but it also can really rough, because then you, you know, you're like how heavy or what is the weight of your labs they're both actually really little and I don't know if that's because we always made them share kennels, since they're puppies, but we took the lab to the vets today and just for the first checkup, whatever 119 pounds.
Speaker 2:That's literally both of my dogs combined.
Speaker 1:It's funny that you said that because we love the vet that we go to. We've always gone to this one particular person. She is great. She's great with the dog, she knows her stuff, she walked in, she goes I see one dog but there's two here Because she said you know a lab not to get off the subject of music but a lab is like 80 pounds. You know, that's usually a pretty 119 is like that's like a massive. It's 40 pounds overweight.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Is he a he right?
Speaker 1:It's a he. He's all you know. He's been neutered, all that stuff, yeah, um, all that's taken care of. He's been.
Speaker 1:He was very well taken care of yeah he needed some love and you know, now we got him here and he's kind of taken over the house. He's so big. He jumped up on the bed and there was. We have a queen bed and one of us couldn't sleep in the bed bed and one of us couldn't sleep in the bed and he wouldn't move and he tried to move. A dog that weighs 119 pounds, he's not fricking moving. So I'm just saying hey, I told you this podcast was going to go in different directions but it's real though.
Speaker 2:I mean, I think people are craving that whole like real yeah no, that's this is what we do.
Speaker 1:That's why I call it happens too, yeah no, that's, this is what we do.
Speaker 2:That's why I call it Skip Happens too Well, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me Skip no-transcript seen. They need to be heard, and it's you know. To me that's what it's all about.
Speaker 2:It is and I think you're right with, like the, the drive, the passion, the struggle and that beauty in it and the art which makes great art, I think, are in the artists that are trying to make it still. So, I appreciate you for supporting us and giving us a platform.
Speaker 1:Of course I got more questions.
Speaker 2:Keep going then.
Speaker 1:I don't know. I don't know what's the most ridiculous thing you've ever done for a dare.
Speaker 2:A dare.
Speaker 1:Or maybe you don't want to talk about it.
Speaker 2:Probably eaten like a really hot pepper.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's like for me that's like a big deal because I can't do hot stuff at all, but most of the time you don't need to dare me to do something stupid, I'll just do it like a fun person.
Speaker 1:I can tell already you're just your personality is fun. Your husband's probably got his hands full. I get it.
Speaker 2:It's like I've gone streaking, not on a dare, so I mean it's been there, done that.
Speaker 1:We won't talk about it. Um so if you could eat only one type of food for the rest of your life, what do you think that would be?
Speaker 2:One type of food forever.
Speaker 1:Don't say fish.
Speaker 2:No, I actually I'm a red, I'm a red meat girl.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:Beef. Yes, I really love my steak.
Speaker 1:How's your cholesterol?
Speaker 2:I think great I don't know.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, Cause I love red meat and the doctors, uh, you know we need to work on this a little bit and, uh, get your cholesterol down, and you know you're going to have to stop eating red meat.
Speaker 2:So I heard there's more opinions on that lately, like yeah, could be, I don't know I don't know.
Speaker 1:Let's see what else we have here. Uh, I have some really stupid questions. I don't know. Let's see what else we have here. I have some really stupid questions. I don't even know why I'm doing this. Oh what, I don't know why. If animals could talk Okay, this is really stupid which one do you think would be the rudest? Which animal would be?
Speaker 2:the rudest, the cat for sure. Really you don't have cats, yeah I mean, I had my whole life, but they just do it. They're boring yeah, I mean some cats are cool, but some cats are like I don't know. I just feel like they do what they want if you could invent a holiday, what do you?
Speaker 1:what do you think you would call it? I know so stupid questions.
Speaker 2:Anyways.
Speaker 1:Fisherman's frolic Day. Fisherman's frolic day, I guess it happened there. I don't know. I love it, sorry, I don't know, I love it, sorry. Back to back to music. So if somebody wanted to, you know they're watching this or they watch it down the road and they go wow, she's, she's cool. I want to listen to her music. Where can they go?
Speaker 2:I mean, jessigmusiccom is my website. You can kind of find everything there. But Jesse G official is my tag on Instagram. Facebook X is Jesse G underscore music and then TikTok is at Jesse G official again. You know, just if you look up Jesse G, I'm the chick with brown hair, I'm not the dude.
Speaker 1:There was also a Jesse J.
Speaker 2:Yeah, jesse J, then there's Jesse James in country, and then then there's um, yeah, there's a couple. But you know, I feel like and I actually went by my full name and then gretchen convinced me to drop the because my name was so hard to pronounce that she's like you should just that's only the first, the first letter of your last name, then, yeah. Yeah, my last name is Gergen, and that's just.
Speaker 1:Jesse Gergen music yeah, I don't know, jesse.
Speaker 2:G yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I love it. Well, there again. She gave you some great advice, yeah. She really did you guys? I mean, other than playing together, do you get together and hang?
Speaker 2:Do you guys? Maybe let's go do some shots or sit around a campfire. You know, yeah, I mean, she doesn't, she doesn't do shots anymore. So I mean, occasionally the wild me will convince her to do one, but that's very, very rare. She's a wine drinker and I love wine, too, red wine. So she used to always do whiskey, though she did, and those days are, yeah, no, I mean like it's, it's good, probably that they're are. Yeah, yeah, no, I mean like it's, it's good, probably that they're over. I feel like I guess.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's all good, and the they're so grassroots is pushing the new song to radio for you. Is that what they're?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So yeah we're, we're sitting at like number 61. It's keeps climbing every week.
Speaker 1:Look at it Once you hit 80, you, if you're above you know 80 and you heading towards that number one spot.
Speaker 2:That's good, that's good, awesome. Well, I don't know, I feel like it's been a while, like it's been like a few years since I've done a radio tour, so, um, we're kind of back in the game and I'm really excited because I feel like this is moving faster than the last one did and we got in the 20s in the last one, so I'm hoping number one, you know, let's go.
Speaker 1:Let's go Now. When you head out on the road, what is it? A 40 kind of line van with a big trailer behind it and take turns driving? Or are you on a bus?
Speaker 2:driving or are you on a bus? So we have a fully converted sprinter van. My dad and my husband's uh and I built the floor plan and then they built it out, which I'm grateful, and I'm like trying to convince my husband to get an RV because I'm just like I want a little more room than the sprinter van can provide. But the sprinter van has been amazing, so blessed that we have that. And then sometimes we pull a trailer, but most of the time we try to get sound provided and backline a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I mean, that's the way to do it. Yeah, you don't have to worry about all that. That's kind of cool. We've been talking with Jesse G tonight. A lot of different angles, you find out. Look at the smile and the personality and all that and just a fabulous artist. Uh, check out the music. Uh, the what. Where can they go again?
Speaker 2:say it again, because I'll never jessigmusiccom for one-stop shop and at jessig official on social media that's cool.
Speaker 1:You know you're the best. I really enjoy chatting with you. You're so cool.
Speaker 2:But thank you, thank you, I don't know about that.
Speaker 1:I'm old, I'm old.
Speaker 2:No that felt like just super.
Speaker 1:It feels super organic and you know that's that's the way I like it, so that's cool. Right back at you. Pretty good, you do a great interview and a lot of fun to chat, so we appreciate you coming on skip happens tonight. And hopefully, if you're watching this, uh, look up her music, jessie G. Listen to it, I think you're going to love it. If you're a fan of Gretchen Wilson, back in the day, she's still there. She's right there with Jessie. So listen to the music. If you liked it, then you're going to love it now. So it's pretty cool, jessie. Thanks for joining us here on Skip Happens tonight.
Speaker 2:Thanks, Skip.