Jessica Dobson began showing off her musical acumen before she could read chapter books. On a car ride as a very young child, Jessica sang along with the radio, as many kids do. However, instead of singing along with the lead melody, Jessica sang her own harmony part with the recording. Her mother was understandably stunned. With encouragement from her family, especially a “rock and roll” aunt, Dobson learned to play guitar, largely eschewing traditional lessons for a more didactic path.
As her abilities and talents grew, Jessica began dabbling with the act of songwriting and slowly started building her own unique voice. Dobson began to blossom as a guitar player, approaching the fretboard with a fierce combination of raw talent and deep focus. Eventually, Dobson formed Deep Sea Diver with drummer Peter Mansen. The project was built around Jessica’s songs, her powerful voice, and her brilliant guitar playing. Around the same time that Deep Sea Diver formed, Jessica landed a gig playing in Beck’s live band on the massive Modern Guilt tour.
On the heels of the formation of her new band and touring with Beck, Dobson found a new home as a member of The Shins, touring with the band for close to three years. In 2013, Jessica left the Shins to pursue Deep Sea Diver full time. Since the band’s inception, Deep Sea Diver have released four albums and a trio of EPs. Over the course of the band’s history it is easy to see the evolution of Dobson and her songwriting. With each successive record, Deep Sea Diver have become more confident and more self-assured.
During our chat, Jessica and I take a long look at the path to today, both musically and personally. We cover the depths of self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Dobson shares the personal story of the difficult false starts involved in making the most recent Deep Sea Diver album, Billboard Heart. Jessica shares how a Wim Wenders film inspired her in the process of making the newest album, and she teaches us how to live with our antennas up.
This is a fascinating conversation about self-discovery, intuition, artistic faith, and the path to finding your own voice.
Let’s get into it.
Cheers,
Matty C
