Jess Ribeiro is in fine spirits for someone who had intended to cancel our conversation.
It’s nothing personal, the former Darwin teacher assures me; rather, after an intense six months of rehearsals, touring and writing, the exhaustion has finally caught up with her. Despite feeling rundown, Ribeiro is still set to dive headlong into another string of tour dates, including gigs at Manly’s Hotel Steyne and Newtown Social Club. It’s been a wild ride, but Ribeiro isn’t one to rest on past laurels.
“I really don’t like looking back. Even if it’s something that I did last week, I’m like, ‘Oh, God,”’ she laughs. “Because it’s always different to how it felt being there in the present. I mean, I should, and sometimes I do wonder, ‘Hmm, maybe I should become more theatrical,’ and if I look back on it I can learn some kind of technique for the stage, because I’m not necessarily the most vivacious person at times. But last year I took the approach of, ‘Well, OK, we’ll do something, and then it’s probably best not to look back. Let’s just keep going.’”
Ribeiro’s second album, Kill It Yourself, arrived mid-last year and instantly became a fan and critical favourite. It’s little wonder, given that Ribeiro is penning some of the sharpest, most expressive lyrics out there right now. Following 2012’s My Little River, it is not so much a departure from her debut sound as an evolution; a term that many artists will casually drop into conversation, but one that suits Ribeiro well. Yet discussing her music in terms of progression is a difficult ask. The exuberance of a new release seems an exciting, albeit ephemeral experience.
“I don’t know, it’s done. It’s over. That’s it now. It was so much fun to play shows and reconnect with audiences, to connect with new people … I was talking to a French man the other day who is friends with The Wombats. He was explaining it like, ‘You want to cook a nice meal for your friends, so you make this beautiful meal and you feel satisfied, you feel full and you’re in good company, you go to bed. Then you wake up again the next day, and you have to eat something else again.’ I think that’s a bit like music. Sometimes you make a good meal, and other times it’s really shit. You just have to keep going, because you always have to keep eating.”
It’s a neat analogy, and rather inspiring in its way. It suggests judging achievement not only from your most immediate project, but the endeavour yet to come. For Ribeiro, the foundation of this future is still very much being shaped. There are new songs to wrangle (“I have loose sketches all over the place,” she says), upcoming performances alongside Darren Hanlon, as well as a growing desire to start branching into other forms of writing.
“I’d love to be a playwright, and I’d love to write a book. I’d love to write a children’s book – that’s always been in the back of my mind, especially this year. I wonder how long it would take … I just love stories. I’ve been talking about it for ten years, and I’ve written a draft. It’s interesting how you meet people who will weave in and out of your life. I remember meeting Shaun Tan, and I have an overview, but it’s just a matter of sitting down and finishing it. And then afterwards there’s another story I’d like to work on, and another after that.
“I’ve been invited to be a part of the Rock & Roll Writers Festival in Brisbane later in the year,” she adds, “and I was really kind of flattered, but also thought, ‘Why are you guys inviting me at all? Do I fit?’ I really just love being around writers.”
Ribeiro’s literary exposure certainly shines across her lyrics. Sometimes sweet, sometimes savage, her words evoke a sense of place and character that brings to mind the stories of Paul Kelly, Nick Cave or her own musical hero, Patti Smith. This allows each song to stand on its own feet, yet you can’t help but feel that across both albums, we are hearing vignettes of Ribeiro’s own development. An evolution in song must overlap with an evolution in the artist, and this latest chapter in Ribeiro’s life will surely provide the catalyst for whatever change comes next.
“I feel like we’ve gone in a heavier, rockier vibe. [At] Newtown Social Club we’ll be playing with Jack Colwell and The Jon Dorys, and I’m really excited. I’ve wanted to play a gig with them for a long time. I’m always interested in all other kinds of artists. I’ve written songs based on Van Gogh paintings, things like that. The cover of the record was inspiration from Cindy Sherman, who’s an American photographer who I love. I wish I was a painter; I would love that. Paint stories. But I’m sure you could turn any story into a song. You could turn Star Wars into a song. Oh my God, I could write a song for the next Star Wars movie! I actually had that thought straight after the movie in the cinema bathroom. I heard one of the songs playing and thought, ‘You know, that’s pretty cool. Maybe I could do that too.’”
Kill It Yourself is out now through Barely Dressed/Remote Controland Jess Ribero plays Moonshine, Hotel Steyne onThursday February 11, with The Buffalo Grass Boys; and at Newtown Social Club on Friday February 12
