First & Last #13 - Zola Jesus

There have been more than enough words spewn from my finger tips about Zola Jesus so I thought now would be a good time to let Nika do some speaking for herself. Joining us for the unlucky thirteenth edition of F&L is my favourite artist of 2010 so far. Read on to hear her talk about Stevie Wonder, Patti Smith, anxiety and fancying Rik Mayall.

First band you ever saw live?
Probably some punk band from my hometown.

What was the first instrument you played as a child?
Piano. Violin shortly after...

First song you wrote as Zola Jesus?
"Little Girl" was the first recorded song as Zola Jesus. "Soeur Sewer" was my first song written as Zola Jesus but I didn't record it until a couple years later.

Where was the last show you played? How did it go?
Oberlin College. It was great, Mark McGuire opened and Stevie Wonder played across the street from us that same night. Everyone was very nice and the chapel we played in was so pretty.



First album you ever bought?
First record I think was either Patti Smith "Wave" or Kate Bush "A Kick Inside". I was very excited both times to find those buried deep in the tiny, dusty record shop in the small town I grew up. Felt like a treasure.

Last time you were drunk was...
Not sure. I don't like to get drunk so I rarely get to that point. I'm real tiny so even a modest glass of wine gives me a buzz, however.

First crush on a famous person...
Rik Mayall

The last band you saw live recently?
Xeno + Oaklander

Tell me about the first ever Zola Jesus show
It was really awful. I wasn't over my anxiety yet.




Last time you swore...
Sometime today, I'm sure.

Last film you saw...
"La Femme Publique" by Zulawski

Stridulum will be released in Europe with 3 extra tracks as an album called ‘Stridulum II’ on Souterrain Transmissions in August.

First & Last #13 - Zola Jesus