Los Angeles just got significantly more interesting with the lovely Jasmine Cain on its soil! Currently enjoying an exciting and adventurous tour, Jasmine Cain is a multi-award winning musician who moved to Nashville in 2003 and went to work paving the way for female fronted rock in the motorcycle events industry. Jasmine has won more than 30 awards for her music and performances including: JPF Female Artist of the Year, (MCMA) 4-time Female Rock Vocalist: and NIMA Artist and 2 time Alt-Rock band of the year to name a few.
With her exciting new album SEVEN releasing in May, now was the perfect time to catch up with Jasmine and pick her brain about all things music.
RockRevolt Magazine: Hey hey! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today. How are you?
Jasmine: Hey! Life is good! Thanks so much for having me.
RR: Let’s dive right into it. New music. May. Tell me about it! What should fans expect from this upcoming release?
J: The new album is called SEVEN and drops on May 10th! We are super excited about it because it is DOPE! Instead of keeping it so organic, we added programming elements to this one that is quite different than anything else we have done, but not far enough in left field that our long time fans won’t relate too.
RR: What has the writing, recording, and production process been like?
J: This was hands down the most fun I’ve ever had writing an album. Kevin Bebout and I worked with Monique Staffile and Caleb Sherman to write most of the music on this record. Those were just really late nights of too my Wyoming Whiskey and ridiculous laughter. We used engineer Mills Logan for recording and did all drum tracking at Sound Emporium in Nashville. I love that studio and have recorded my last 2 studio albums there. This album took almost 2 years to complete and I’m ready to get it out there.
RR: Music videos on the mind? Anything you can divulge to us?
J: Yes! We are already finished with the first music video for our song “Be Brave” which is the first single on the record. I wrote the storyboard and we did all the filming last month before we came out here to the West Coast, but when I released the single itself on May 29, I had fans reaching out telling me how much the song affected them and how they felt such a strong connection with it. Many of them started telling me their stories of struggle and survival and I was completely overwhelmed with how powerful those stories were. I’ve decided to do a 2nd music video for “Be Brave” using just the stories of our friends and fans because I think it is much more important. The first video will be out by May 1st and the 2nd one I’m working on currently. This is good stuff.
RR: You’ve been on the road for a wee bit performing all over the United States! What has been the best show on the tour thus far, and why?
J: I really had fun in Los Angeles at Universal Bar & Grill on Tuesday night (April 16) because not only did we get to perform the entire new album in it’s entirety, but all of our friends were there (many who are rockstars themselves) and we just did a jam session. It was like renting a giant club for our super fun rock party. We all drank too much and had way too much fun.
RR: Where are you headed off to next?
J: We still have quite a few shows left on this trip in Cave Creek, Arizona and Laughlin River Run and then ending in Vegas. But the party doesn’t stop there. We make our way back across the US to Tennessee for 3 more songs the following weekend, one of which is kind of our special “Thank you” to our hometown fans & friends who will be able to get their hands on the album before the release date. We put together a really fun “May the 4th Be With You Cantina Party” for that day and invited all our cosplay friends to party with us too. It should be a blast! After that, we ship out pre-orders and head to Daytona Beach to release the beast on May 10th!
RR: When people inevitably ask, “so, describe your music! What do you play?” how do you answer that? What image do you think your music conveys?
J: I think our music is honest. For the most part, it’s very raw and organic. This particular albums is fun and makes you want to get up and dance. There are a couple of really powerful ballads on the album as well that just hit your right in the chest. It’s a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.
RR: What are the biggest obstacles for bands, and in overcoming them, how would you define the word “success”?
J: Finding a group of people that you can call family that look out for you and respect you is the hardest part about having a band. I’ve been really fortunate to have such great people as well as great musicians in this band. The road is only as fun as the people you’re traveling it with and we are having a great time. I would call that a success.
RR: How does music affect you and the world around you?
J: You can literally change someone’s life in a 3 minute song. Tell me how that isn’t the most powerful thing out there?
RR: What are your fondest musical memories? How did you end up on the musical path to begin with?
J: I always go back to where it started with my older brother. He got an electric guitar and an amp when I was about 6 years old. He was 12 or 13. I listened to him play and I wanted to play too. He taught me basic chords and taught me how to keep time. We started a little 3 piece country bands and played municipal bars in rural South Dakota my entire childhood. Those were the best memories. I loved going to the gas stations after the shows to get those terrible cinnamon rolls with raisins in them and chocolate milk and doritos. I was living my best life.
RR: How did you end up in the motorcycle world with your music? Is this something you sought out through interest, or did you kind of end up in it? I think that’s super cool!
J: I was born in Sturgis, South Dakota during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which is the largest motorcycle rally in the world. Even though my family were cattle ranchers and I grew up riding horses, I always loved the people I met on motorcycles. In South Dakota you don’t have to be 21 to work in a bar as long as you’re not handling alcohol. So I was performing in bars starting around 6 years old. I met many of the motorcycle visitors during that week and pretty much all of them were super fun and exciting. I knew I would end up following them down the highway eventually.
RR: Your awards resume is AMAZING! Blow me away! What goals are you aiming for now?
J: You know, it would be amazing to have just 1 hit song…that’s all..just one. I would love to be cruising down the road with the radio on and just hear a song come on that I wrote and feel that accomplishment of being everything you dreamed you would be. That would be the best.
RR: I know you’ve got a few rad companies by your side as well. Tell me about your endorsers!
J: My endorsement companies keep the wheels turning out here on the road. I’ve played Warwick Basses since 1999 and have been endorsed by them for quite a few years. Currently I am playing Traynor Amplification. They are a Canadian company and these tube amps are built like tanks. I don’t worry at all about bringing them out on the road with me. They sound amazing! The only strings I use are GHS Strings. I was introduced to GHS from Russell Jackson, who played bass for BB King for 10 years. Plus they have pretty much my favorite artist relations rep of all time, Jonathan Moody. He has a strong bowtie game.
RR: Before we conclude this interview, anything you want the fans to know about?
J: I’m just continuing to spread the word of our new album, SEVEN. All pre-orders are available online at jasminecain.com and you can link to our social media there as well.
RR: Thank you so much!
J: Thank you! Peace, love, and rock n roll!
