Artist: Jesse Terry
Hometown: Stonington, CT
Latest Album: Stargazer
Personal Nicknames: JT, J-Breeze, Breeze-daddy, O’Terry, Breezy
If you could go back (or forward) to live in any decade, when would you choose?
Oh definitely the ’60s. I canāt imagine what it would be like to hear the Beatles for the first time, when everything was brand new. Or hear Hendrix, for that matter, when he was brand new and freaking everyone out. That would have been unreal. Itās still unreal and itās 50 years later. There was no time like it.
Who would be your dream co-writer?
Gone or still with us? I would choose George Harrison for folks that have left this world. I love them all, but George was probably my favorite Beatle. He seemed like such a gentle soul with such a beautiful, humble spirit. And, wow, George wrote the most amazing songs — some of my favorite Beatles songs, not to mention his work on All Things Must Pass and his other solo albums. I have this feeling that co-writing with him would be really relaxed. I picture us drinking tea in his garden and just talking about life and spirituality until an idea hit us.
If weāre talking about someone still with us, Iād probably choose Jeff Lynne, one of Georgeās best friends and one of my biggest heroes. Heās another guy that seems very grounded and chill — and he seems like a hilarious, sharp dude in his interviews. Iād love to see how Jeffās mind works, as heās writing. He plays like seven instruments, and Iām sure that would affect his writing process. I wonder how much heās producing and thinking about arrangements as heās writing. I think heās one of the best melody writers of all time and certainly one of the greatest producers. Iād take that co-write.
If a song started playing every time you entered the room, what would you want it to be?
āAll You Need Is Loveā because thatās totally true, huh? What a simple and perfect lyric. And that melody makes me forget about all of the negative things in the world.
What is the one thing you canāt survive without on tour?
Exercise. Well, my wife and dog, too, but weāre a trio, so that goes without saying. We always make time to take our pup Jackson out to a local park when weāre traveling. Or we do some exercise together using this great app my wife found. This very calm lady on the app has us do a bunch of crazy moves in our hotel room and it totally kicks our ass. I think we get a better workout on the road than we do at home at the YMCA. If I donāt get exercise, I can get down and go a little batty. I tour so much that we really donāt have much time to drink or party, but I really donāt mind at all. I dig what weāve got going on. ROCK ‘N’ ROLL!
What are you most afraid of?
Clowns and zombies ā¦ okay, mainly clowns.
Who is your celebrity crush?
My wife already knows this one ā¦ Scarlett Johansson.
Pickles or olives?
I donāt like either, but if I had to choose, I would go with pickles.
Plane, train, or automobile?
I dig all three big time, but if you can take one of those trains that goes from Italy to Switzerland with the glass roof, JUST DO IT! Wow, that was the best freaking transportation of my life. You go right through the Alps and over all of these crazy bridges and cliffs. You have a sneaky feeling that you might not survive the journey, but itās almost okay at that point. Whatās left to see after that?
Which is worse — rainy days or Mondays?
Youāre talking to a touring troubadour and a coffee addict. I LOVE rainy days and Mondays. Rainy days are a great excuse to wear pajamas all day and drink an excessive amount of coffee with the windows open. And Mondays are like the weekend for me, after a long week of shows. We hardly ever book shows on Mondays, so they are usually my recuperating/movie watching days, too. Whatās the best kind of day for me? A rainy Monday.
