Jess and the Bandits will be opening the Brooklyn Bowl pop-up stage at this year’s C2C: Country to Country as they celebrate the upcoming release of their new single Kiss You Now on 8th April 2016.
A deluxe edition of their album Here We Go Again will follow later in the year and include some new tracks. Lucky C2C attendees will get to hear the new tracks first so if you’re going make sure to include them on your schedule of artists to see.
We caught up with Jess to talk about the new single, discuss their performance at next week’s C2C, and to to find out what else the band has coming up this year.
Hi Jess. Where does this Q&A find you today?
At my apartment in London getting ready to head into the JATB HQ in central London
Your new single Kiss You Now is being released soon. Give us a feel of what the track is like and the story behind it.
I am in love with this song! It makes you instantly happy and in a great mood (or that’s the plan!). The story behind the song is your typical boy meets girl but the boy is taking way too long to make a move so the girl takes matters into her own hands! I love that the girl is the aggressor in this case. Sometimes you just have to make the first move!
Your debut album Here We Go Again is being released as a deluxe edition for pre-order on 11th March. What’s new about this version of the album?
We will have four new songs! Two happen to be covers from other artists that we made our own and two originals.
You’ll be marking the album release with a performance at C2C. What can your fans expect from the performance?
As usual we are going to keep it upbeat and fun! We are going to rock their faces off. We can’t wait to perform the new single for everyone! We also plan to include some of the fan favourites as well like, My Name Is Trouble and Single Tonight.
You’re currently working on your second album. How is that shaping up?
So far so good. Right now is all about writing and just trying to get as many songs as possible. Later in the year we’ll pick the winners and start the production of the new album. We aren’t rushing anything, we want to make sure to get it right!
Give us an insight into what you’re like in the studio. How do you go about pulling a song together?
The key is having a really great producer who sees the vision we have and thankfully we have always been very fortunate to work with some amazing people. We usually start recording as a full band mostly and then go in the next day and add any extra bits we want to. The next day will be vocals and then a song is finished! We can usually get 4 songs completely finished in about 2 or 3 days.
What’s the story behind Jess and the Bandits. How did the band come to be?
Basically we all met while I was opening for a group called The Overtones in 2012. We got on really well and within a year started working together. From that moment on we knew there was something special about this band and the chemistry. Two years ago in June we decided to make it official and become a proper band. That is when Jess and the Bandits was born!
Country music is really beginning to take-off in the UK. Why do you think it’s taken so long?
I think it’s because it’s not a natural part of the culture like it is in the USA or even places like Ireland. No one likes to get out of their comfort zone and that even happens with music. We hit the scene in 2013 doing country music when no one else was. Ward Thomas nor The Shires’ were making any waves yet. I think people thought we were a bit crazy for doing this in the UK but we just had a feeling something was about to happen and wanted to be on the ground floor of it. I’m so thankful we followed our instincts! We’re honoured to be one of the bands who is introducing a “new” genre to the UK.
What artists are you listening to at the moment that you think should be on the playlists of our readers?
I am loving Old Dominion right now as well as Sam Hunt. There are also some great new artists like Claire Dunn, LoCash, Cole Swindell and Maren Morris!
What else do you have coming up in 2016?
Our plans are to be very busy this year playing live – not only in the UK but branching out into other parts of Europe. We’ll also be back and forth to Nashville to do some writing as well as writing with some great writers in the UK. It’s going to be a creative and fun year for JATB. So far it’s off to a great start!
Jess and the Bandits will perform at C2C: Country to Country, which takes places at The O2 Arena, London from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th March 2016. Listen to the band’s new track Kiss You Now below:
