Though she is now involved in the fertile indie music scene in Oakland, California, Jessi grew up on a farm in Michigan under the feet of a father who made his living as a professional country and bluegrass singer, guitarist, and fiddle player. Music ran as an undercurrent in her upbringing and she began writing her own pop and country tunes in her early twenties, lending her voice and lyrics to Brooklyn bands such as Bowling Green and The Millers. Eight Belles calls to mind classic country and folk artists such as Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Laura Nyro, as well as modern female singer-songwriters like Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, Gillian Welch, and Patty Griffin. Though Jessi has worked extensively as a solo performer, Eight Belles now includes banjo, drums, bass, lead guitar, and fiddle and female vocal harmonies. The current touring band consists of Henry Aloysius Nagle (of Emily Jane White) on guitar and peddle steel, Christian Carpenter on bass, and Shaun Lowecki on drums. Aside from her musical career, Jessi has an MFA in fiction writing from Western Michigan University, where she was an editor of Third Coast Magazine. She has worked as a freelance writer and professor at various academic institutions and is currently working on her first novel.