Jesca Hoop
16th Jun 2012 Big Session Festival
Hoop was born in Northern California to Mormon parents. She grew up singing traditional folk tunes in four part harmony. She broke away from her background, becoming a homesteader in the wilderness areas of Northern California and Wyoming. She also worked in the remote mountains of Arizona with a rehabilitation program for children.
As a nanny for Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan's three children, Hoop gained musical experience. Waits says, "Her music is like going swimming in a lake at night." The Los Angeles Times considered Hoop one of ten Southern California artists that are "new and notable in 2007."
Her contact with Tom Waits led to her initial exposure through Nic Harcourt at the Southern California radio station KCRW in 2003, with a six-minute demo recorded on a four track recorder. Since then, Hoop has shared the stage with many acts. In 2007 she toured with Polyphonic Spree and Matt Pond PA. In 2008 she toured with Elbow and Mark Knopfler, and then in 2009 toured with Greg Laswell, Elbow and Andrew Bird. Jesca headlined a tour of the UK and Ireland in February 2010, and France in March 2010. She also headlined her own tour of the UK in summer 2010, starting in Leeds on May 1.
Hoop announced in September 2008 that she would be releasing an album titled, Kismet Acoustic, in October 2008, featuring one new song and four acoustic versions of tracks from her debut CD.
In July 2009, Hoop announced that she had finished recording her second album, entitled Hunting My Dress, after moving to Manchester, England, on Guy Garvey's encouragement three months earlier. In September she posted the opening track to the record online and on November 30, 2009 the record became available in the UK and Ireland, with the US release in July 2010.
In June 2010, she contributed the song "Angel Mom" to the Enough Project and Downtown Records' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo’s women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.
Hoop toured with The Eels for their US tour in the autumn of 2010 and their July 2011 UK tour.
Related weblinks
http://www.jescahoop.com/news/index.html
