NFV Song Spotlight: Jesika Von Rabbit's Psychic Spice

I don't get to catch Jesika Von Rabbit all that often. I first came across her in the band Gram Rabbit in 2011. One has to jump to 2019 before I caught her again, now performing under the name Jesika Von Rabbit. That is very infrequent, but throughout my years in the Los Angeles music scene, I've often wondered when I'd get to catch another set. Jump to 2024 and I happened to notice that she was doing a Saturday night residency at  Harvard & Stone for the month of October. I knew I had to make it to at least one night of that residency.

Jessica Von Rabbit at Harvard & Stone

As a side note: for the years 2022 and 2023, I would keep a mental list of bands / singers (that I enjoy seeing prior to COVID) that I saw for the first time since venues reopened in mid-2021. It took 5 years to finally catch a Jesika Von Rabbit set, but I can finally say a caught a post-COVID set.

Jessica Von Rabbit at Harvard & Stone

One thrill in catching a Jesika Von Rabbit set is the effort put into the stage show. On her Instagram page, she described her costume for the night as being the "Black Rabbit Witch." There were two dancers on stage throughout much of the set. Both went through multiple costume changes. They started off as skeletons. They then scurried up the Harvard and Stone stairs to the green room for a costume change. They did this a handful of times. After dancing as skeletons, they came down as aliens, sex performers, and pink dogs. 

Jessica Von Rabbit at Harvard & Stone

The costumes were not the only details on stage. There was a specific set list set aside for a friend who worked the fog machine. The setlist had the header "fog" and there were checkmarks next to specific songs. Atop the key board was a globe light bulb prop. For one song, the dancers brought out bubble Sci-Fi guns. 

Another thrill is, of course, the music which has an Internet described of "avante-garde eletro pop" that I say has a desert rock undertone.  

Jessica Von Rabbit at Harvard & Stone

What's a song to highlight? Let's go with "Psychic Spice." One could argue this has a Dune inspired topic. This was the second song played on the night I went. She and her two dancers had the opening choreographed where they spun in circles and then went with a pose while lifting their arms in a sort of genie belly dance. All this against some spooky synths, tracks, and guitar. The crowd loved it. 

Do these lyrics tie together into any semblance of storytelling? 

I'm psychic, I read you, my third eye will lead you

I'll make you, I'll show you, I'll feed you, I'll grow you

Nah, it is stream of consciousness songwriting. You can find the song on the 2015 album Journey Mitchell.