Known as “The Queen of the High Desert,” and for formerly fronting Gram Rabbit — one of Joshua Tree’s most celebrated bands — Jesika von Rabbit continues her solo journey with an upcoming album inspired by her love of electronica and Americana music, the epic desert desert landscape and even her beloved late cat.
“There’s definitely a good chunk of abstract, electro cool modern sounding stuff. And then there’s stuff that’s kind of just desert and rustic soulful stuff. And they all work together,” said the singer and keyboardist, who will be performing songs from her new album as well as her prior records at several local shows.
She’s making stops at the Little Street Music Hall in Indio on Sept. 13 and the Adams Street Fair in San Diego on Sept. 21. She then comes to the Los Angeles area for shows at Harvard and Stone Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26. And desert fans can catch her at the Morongo Valley Music Fest on Oct. 25 and the Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown on Oct. 31.
The musician made her name fronting the Joshua Tree-based indie band Gram Rabbit, whose mix of psychedelic rock and electropop earned them a cult following. Since going solo a few years ago, von Rabbit has toured with the Eagles of Death Metal, and has performed at Desert Daze, Camper van Beethoven’s Campout Festival and Joshua Tree Music Festival. She has released two solo albums so far and next spring will release a third. yet to be named album, which was recorded at The Rabbit Ranch in Joshua Tree and is currently being mixed at Royal Triton Studio, Silverlake.
Jesika von Rabbit, known as The Queen of the High Desert, will be releasing her third solo album in the spring of 2025. She’ll be playing some of her new material at several upcoming local shows. (Photo courtesy Jesika von Rabbit)
“The band had a long run and things just came to an end and people went in different directions and I didn’t stop. Music is my life. It was a little scary at first going solo but I just forged ahead and here I am,” she said.
“I still feel like there’s a lot of Gram Rabbit in what I’m doing now because I was one of the lead song writers. So I feel like it’s not too far from what I’m doing now,” she added.
The singer recently dropped the first single for her upcoming album, a track dubbed “I’ve Gotta Keep My Buzz Going.” The title however may be a bit misleading because the song, which is driven by a hooky electro-rock track with bits of pop and punk influences, isn’t about keeping a beer or music buzz going, but about her dear cat Buzz, who sadly passed away at the age of 9 when he was hit by a car.
“The song can mean whatever it means for people, it doesn’t have to be about drugs and alcohol or a party buzz. But if some people want to play this song while they’re partying I have no problem with that. But for me it was about paying homage to my beloved cat that I miss dearly and also using his memory to keep me making music,” she said.
“There are actually two songs on this album about him,” she said. The second song is a ballad titled “The Year of the Tiger.”
Other songs include upcoming singles like “Hooray for Hollywood,” which is about her days in Gram Rabbit and “What is your Ism?” a political tune about how people identify themselves and others.
Overall, von Rabbit describes the album as electro-Americana and while she hasn’t settled on a name she was toying with the idea of calling it “Electranamericana.”
“Sometimes people are confused like what is Jesika? Is she an electro artist, is she kind of country, and I do both things, I like both things,” she said.
Besides her unique sound, von Rabbit is also known for her live shows, which are energetic performance pieces that feature the Grundles, her Wonka-esque dancers who interpret her music with dancing, costumes and Vaudevillian skits. And she’s of course bringing them to her upcoming shows.
“The vibe is always high-energy artsy performance art,” she said. “And the aliens, gypsies and political leaders, they’ll all be on stage with me,” she said, referring to her dancers.
Jesika von Rabbit
The local shows area at the Little Street Music Hall in Indio Sept. 13, the Adams Street Fair in San Diego Sept. 21, Harvard and Stone in Hollywood Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26, the Morongo Valley Music Fest Oct. 25 and the Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown Oct. 31.
For information go to: jesikavonrabbit.com
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