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Interview with Jessica Larrabee from She Keeps Bees
By Danger and Sarah Barr
Nov. 2008

Why don’t you tell us about the name, She Keeps Bees
I love telling this story about when I was younger. The most traumatic thing when I was little chubette I got stung by bees a whole bunch. It was because my mom gave me all this money and it was the first time I was alone and I was like “I’m gonna get a bag a chips that’s like HUGE and I got a six pack of root beer.” And my little chubette self with just like a swim suit on and shoes, came around and was like “cool guys, I’m here with my six pack of root beer.” And the root beer attracted bees. I was like, oh man.

So did She Keeps Bees start with Andy?
No it was just me. Even in high school I played drums and at the end of high school I started playing guitar cause I always wanted to sing and I didn’t want to play drums and sign cause I didn’t know you could do that for some reason. So I was always playing, and it was a lot more folky. I listen to a lot of ani and that’s really dangerous when you’re younger, cause then you’re just like “I went to the store and had a sandwich” cause she is so narrative. That when you are young its like “oh I wrote all these songs already! Just talking about my day, you know!” but they are like the worst songs ever. I had a long journey you know. In college I played in a bunch of rock bands. And that was always interesting because there would be like two bands going on tour and it would be like nine boys, and me. And they would be looking at me like “oh well you know, the merch table is over here…” and I was like…uh…. Thanks. It was such boy’s club weirdness. And I broke up that band. It was called the English System.
Anyway, I really missed the drums and when I met Andy he was engineering stuff and recording. So that worked really well, and we have been together two years as a band.

What are your songs about? What inspires your lyrics?
Sometimes I feel like they are photographs of sort of emotional times you know. It’s sort of an interchangeable person. There was a lot of throwing my heart at everyone, for years and years searching, you know? Like, “oh yeah, are we in love yet??? Do we love each other??? Im moving in! where do I put my shoes?” I hope it can resemble something for everybody. I mean most of it is about being in a dark place and trying to understand what the correct move is, or like how you love somebody that is so awful and it is always a fight. But hopefully a good fight.

What did you listen to growing up?
When I was really young it was always really old school R&B and soul and Stevie Wonder. But then you know when I was in high school it was all, Alice in chains. But I feel like I have come in full circle. I love discovering old stuff now.

Ok now for some favorites questions:
Favorite dance move? With a demonstration please.
Probably my mom’s shimmy, which she stole from Michael Jackson.

Your favorite dish at thanksgiving?
Oh the cheese cake that my friend Adriana made. It was like white chocolate raspberry. It was unreal. I made chili corn cheese pie. That’s my famous dish that I bring everywhere.

Anything you are dying to tell us?
That I just appreciate what you guys did. It was really seriously a magical night. Just as a girl it was like so awesome to see everyone just let all that bullshit go that we are trained to attach ourselves with. None of that looking over your shoulder kind of thing. It was like such a warm incredibly freeing feeling, to just do whatever and it just gave me strength- it was beautiful to see.