Jesse Terry & The Promise is Hope at Westport's Voices Cafe

Jesse Terry: Finding Strength and Resiliency in Difficult Times

Jesse Terry will be performing at Voices Café on Saturday, March 9 at 8:00pm.  Voices Café is located at The Unitarian Church in Westport, 10 Lyons Plains Road.  Tickets are $25 and are available for purchase online at voicescafe.org or by calling David Vita at 203.227.7205 x 14.

Opening for Jesse will be The Promise is Hope, the musical couple Ashley and Eric L’Esperance,

A true musical journeyman, Jesse Terry has made it his mission to share his love of music fully and completely, without regard for shading his emotions or tempering his convictions.  By his own definition, he’s never been a cautious individual, but rather one who finds inspiration and optimism in the solace and joy making music brings him; and that which he can impart to others. In that regard, his artistic quest has become satisfying and self-fulfilling. 

“Things happen for me at the right place and time when I’m focusing on my art and connecting with people,” Jesse suggests. “I’ve always had the desire to spread peace and unity through my music. This gives me a tangible purpose, even when life doesn’t seem to make much sense.”

That ability to create a connection, to bare his soul and express his emotions through his songs have been the defining thread in a career that’s spawned five albums (The Runner, Stay Here With Me, Empty Seat on a Plane, and his latest pair, Stargazer and Natural) as well as an EP (The Calm and the Storm) as part of a career that began in 2010. It’s evolved and expanded ever since, thanks to a tour schedule that’s found him playing over 1,000 shows in the past eight years and taken him across the country and to points well beyond – The UK, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Greenland, and New Zealand included. It’s given him a fresh perspective on the world and additional insights into its common humanity, sentiments and a sensibility that continues to impact his music.

“It’s about inclusiveness,” Jesse insists. “I love that music can bring all kinds of people together. I feel so lucky to be making music for a living. I don’t mind the long drives and the long hours, because that’s all part of the journey. And once you stop loving it, you stop living it.”

Indeed, that’s at the core of his convictions. “So much of my music is about expressing the joy of the journey and finding strength and resiliency to battle through the difficult times,” he muses. “Touring the world has given me a very different perspective. We’re all part of a global family.”

Since the start, Jesse has found time to reflect and reminisce. By contrast, his early life was turbulent. “I’m only happy now because I know how difficult life can be,” he maintains. “I am so grateful, because even though I’ve travelled down some painful roads, I’ve met many more people that have had it a lot worse. I now realize that happiness is a choice, a daily choice in fact. It’s about creating your own place in the world and your own path that no one can steal or deny. Music and songwriting helped illuminate that path for me.”

Still, that path wasn’t so clear early on. Growing up, he spent time in reform schools and in shelters as a runaway. After ending up in the hospital at the age of 18 following an overdose of illicit substances, he woke up to the fact that his life would have to change. “Music didn’t completely overtake me until I started writing my own songs around age nineteen,” he recalls. Motivated by his parents’ love of music, he found a new depth of devotion and discipline. Learning to play on his mother’s guitar and laying down vocals to his father’s instrumental accompaniment at his dad’s home studio, he found his initial inspiration in the Beatles, Roy Orbison, Bruce Springsteen, Brian Wilson and the remarkable singer/songwriters of the ‘70s -- James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, CSNY, and Paul Simon, among them.

After attending the Berklee College of Music, Jesse landed his dream job working for a publisher in Nashville and turned his attention towards writing songs full time for five years. A downturn in the economy left him out on his own, but he took the opportunity to tour the world with his new wife Jess by his side. Gripped by what he calls his “perpetual wanderlust,” he’s been at it ever since, driven by a mission that he says has “been a great ride so far.”

He pauses to consider his good fortune. “The tapestry of my life is woven through human connection, healing and unity. This is what music has allowed me to experience.”

“A match made in heaven” may be fanciful, but the blended musicality of Ashley and Eric L’Esperance comes close to validating this old saying. The pair first felt the electricity of their undeniable chemistry at an impromptu song swap. A year and a half later they were married and released their debut album “Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Going”.

Ashley performs subtle yet stunning melodies with a classically-trained and often folksy voice. Her poetic lyrics explore the deep mysteries within nature and human relationship. Eric’s obvious reverence for the beloved songwriters of the 60’s and 70’s shines through his sweetly deep voice. His prose-like lyrics unravel the joys and struggles of life’s journeys, and take what appears to be freeform and make it flow beautifully into well-crafted pieces. Together, the two artists complement each other in every respect.

Seating at Voices is at tables, cabaret-style. Snacks and beverages can be brought; coffee and desserts are for sale at intermission.  Table reservations (minimum 4 people) are accepted by contacting David Vita, david@uuwestport.org or calling 203.227.7205 x14.  Walk-up tickets are $30 and the doors open at 7:30. 

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Submitted by Westport, CT

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