About Me
I have been a music educator for over 15 years and a performer my whole life. In 2003, I graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelors of Music and majored in music education with a focus on the clarinet. That's right, I have been a band geek for a very loooong time. I have been teaching at a little rural school in Northern California for the past 10 years. I started a music program there with 15 ukuleles and progressed to a full arts program adding drama and art. In collaboration with the high school students and their dance teacher, we created a vibrant original musical in 2018 entitled, "Where's Waldorf?" where students take a journey to many mystical realms only to better discover themselves. You can see beautiful pictures of that performance by Full Life Photography. Overall, I have been focusing on musical projects that see the arts as integral to sustaining mental health, bring attention to climate justice, social justice, identity justice, racial justice, healing justice, and are accessible to all no matter race, class, ability, or gender.
Not only am I an performing arts teacher, but I am also a volunteer firefighter and brand new EMT. I also volunteer on the board of our local non-profit, Coastal Headwaters and just started our community's first Fire Safe Council. I also volunteer as a DJ for our local independent radio station KMUD www.kmud.org as DJ Septik, host of Early Morning Anarchy every early Saturday from 12am-2am where I play punk, metal, hip hop, and all music that is subversive.
In 2017, I community released my first studio album, The Mirror. I created this album to help process vanity, narcissism, while questioning a relationship with reflection. I raised money for that album along with money to build our local community center and then donated more money to the community center at our release party. I was able to produce this album and raise $1800 for our community center.
In 2018, I put out a solo folk album, The Moon, to help connect to spirit, earth, and ourselves inspired by the phases of the moon.
In 2020, I completed a compilation for Planned Parenthood entitled Subversa: A Compilation for Planned Parenthood, in honor of Vi Subversa from the Poison Girls. (You can check out my journal entry to learn more.) This compilation is a collaboration of musicians from the west coast from Arizona to Washington from Hard Core punk rock to Anarchist Rap to Cascadian Folk. The tape and tour I had planned are postponed due to the pandemic.
This year, I have been recording my next album, The Madness, which I intend to have elements of metal and noise and be focused on mental health for my generation, the generation of higher suicide rates and opiate overdoses. The first generation to have a younger life expectancy than the generation before us. "This one's for us."
Listen and/or purchase Subversa: A Compilation for Planned Parenthood: subversaplannedparenthood.bandcamp.com
Listen and/or purchase music here: herahasaheart.bandcamp.com
Listen to more raw recent music: www.soundcloud.com/jessi-lea
|
Upcoming EventsWinter 2021 Be still or be ill Recording Projects: Subversa: A Compilation for Planned Parenthood You can still support Planned Parenthood and get this awesome compilation from artists all over the west coast! 2020 241 plays and raised $175 Tape cassette delayed until 2021 due to Covid19. subversaplannedparenthood.bandcamp.com Performances: New You Tube video. Check it out below! |
|
My Equipment
|
I can play all instruments in the orchestra at a beginner level and continue to teach myself any other instrument I come across. Although clarinet is what I concentrated on in college, my voice has continued to remain my strongest instrument. I am currently exploring the world of looping, beat boxing, dance beats,noise and punk rock.
|
|
|
|
