“I used to be very scared of failure, of the responsibility of doing the one thing I knew I was born to do...” Zola Jesus, whose given name is Nika, proclaims. “This record was made in an effort to try to make the most massive record I could, shunning all fear and any sense of smallness I ever once had.”
More WBOB Reads | For her 5th studio album, TAIGA, Nika relocated from central Los Angeles to Vashon Island in the Puget Sound, in effort to immerse herself in the natural world. Vashon is a densely-wooded en- clave with no bridges connecting it to the mainland. The taiga is the world’s largest terrestrial bi-ome; a wild boreal forest covering large portions of Russia, Canada, Eurasia, referred to as the ‘Northwoods’ where it connects in North America. Nika grew up on several acres of land in the northwoods of Wisconsin. Her Russian ancestors extend the taiga’s bloodline throughout several generations and to some extent this land has genetically imprinted on her. She has always felt its pull. To Nika, the taiga represents boundlessness: no law, just survival - at once innocent and raw, embodying naivety from its purity, yet at its core unforgiving and savage. Fête Ballroom. Doors: 7 PM, Show: 8 PM. Tickets: $15 Adv., $18 DOS, $40 Reserved Seating, available at fetemusic.com and the Fête Box Office. |
