ION INDIE MAGAZINE November 2014, Volume 6 | Page 52

It’s been almost two years since Jessica Ott moved to Tennessee and has made a name for herself and the
band. When not performing or rehearsing, Jessica has another job that she truly enjoys: “I work as a server
at a great privately owned restaurant in Sylvan Park--which is a neighborhood in Nashville. I've never had a
day job I love more! The owners understand that you're going to have to take off for tours, etc. and are super
supportive of what I'm doing.”
Forget The Grand Ole’ Opry, and lose the Stetson for a night out in Nashville with Jessica. This lady is all
about individuality. That is indicative of her music videos which you may see on YouTube, including “The
Bedroom Sessions” and “The Basement Sessions”. Jessica and her band, Whoa Dakota, recorded their first
EP about a year ago. She still has some reservations about her guitar playing, “My guitar playing has gotten
better as the years have progressed, but I consider myself good enough to accompany and lay down chords
and that's it. I couldn't rip a killer solo if you paid me.”
I’ve read critiques about Jessica’s musical styling and delivery described in many different ways. She and I
agree that her style is difficult to label. When I first heard her voice, I wanted to listen to every song that was
made available and sent to ION Indie Magazine submissions. So I did, and became mesmerized by the
hypnotic vibes, tone, texture and quality of her voice. Jessica’s style, in some of her songs, are reminiscent
of NORAH JONES, CORRINE BAILEY RAE, SARA BAREILLES--all rolled into one. She gets very personal with
the lyrics that depict life’s every day encounters--songs about love, and relationships, and change, or how
to adapt when all of those things are out of sort with the universe. Yeah, I admit it. I am a hopeful romantic.
Whoa Dakota has been described as a band that performs “Vintage Pop”. Jessica is branching out even
more in her new video, “The Sand”, which made its debut in October, giving us a mix of Blues with a killer
slide guitar and tribal rhythms. In only 12 months with this band, Jessica Ott has become a hot ticket around
the club scene in Nashville--while Whoa Dakota is getting more exposure with the use of the internet,
connecting with new fans, supporters, and friends around the world.