8:30pm.
Jessica Risker grew up in Archie, Missouri, across the highway from the water tower. She moved to Chicago to pursue a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology, while dreaming of being a musician.
From 2011 - 2018 Risker performed and released albums under the name Deadbeat. In 2018, Risker signed with Western Vinyl with the release of the full-length I See You Among The Stars and began performing as Jessica Risker.
The show at Constellation celebrates the release of Calendar Year, Risker's first record in seven years, with Island House Recordings. Chicago musicians Joshua Wentz, Brian Weza (Tension Pets), Maria Jacobson (Fran), Steve Plock (Tobacco City, The Curls), Sam Cantor (Minor Moon), and Macie Stewart (Finom) performed on the album, recorded by engineer Dave Vettraino.
Calendar Year keeps one foot in the introspective folk songcraft of I See You Among The Stars while stretching ever further into rich layers of cosmic psychedelia and modern warmth. The result is a stunning and transportative album, which takes note of our all-too-human tendencies while holding space for the world’s greater beauty.
At its core, Calendar Year is a wistful, melancholic meditation on the importance of human connection.
Official Website [
https://jessicarisker.com/] / Instagram [
https://www.instagram.com/jessicarisker/#] / Youtube [ https://www.youtube.com/@jessicarisker] / Substack [
https://jessicarisker.substack.com/]
V.V. Lightbody is the solo project of Vivian McConnell, a seasoned songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in Chicago. Flute-forward, cheeky, and a musical chameleon, V.V. writes songs that are witty and full of pleasure, but deliver a vulnerable punch. Think Cate Le Bon in a cornfield. V.V. has established herself as a supportive insole of the thriving Chicago music scene and is working on her 3rd LP now.
Since the release of her last album, V.V. Lightbody has had her hands in many musical pies: releasing a synth pop record as Valebol alongside Daniel Villarreal, touring with Chicago’s beloved art rock group Finom, and producing records under the name ‘Album Doula’.
Her 2020 LP Make a Shrine or Burn It (Acrophase Records) was released with much anticipation in May 2020. Referred to as ”a masterclass in self-reflection and female autonomy,” the first pressing sold out within 24 hours and received critical acclaim from Noisey, Stereogum, Paste, Gold Flake Paint, Chicago Tribune, and more. Jessi Roti writes of MASOBI, “An album of lingering farewells and cautiously optimistic beginnings punctuated by a deceptive wit, Lightbody - a.k.a. Vivian McConnell - turns her attention inward, exploring what it means to be with yourself after being with another; trading abstract, third-party narratives for those more poignant and conversational.”
www.vvlightbody.com [
http://www.vvlightbody.com/]
www.instagram.com/vvlightbody [
http://www.instagram.com/vvlightbody]
https://vvlightbody.substack.com/
Press photo by Shannon Marks
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