Escondido, Media Club, Monday Dec. 2, 8 p.m. Tickets $10 advance, 19+ with ID. For more information visit themediaclub.ca.
Jessica Maros has finally made it home for a gig.
Originally from Port Moody, and a former Capilano University student, the singer/songwriter has been based in Nashville for several years. "The last time I played in Vancouver was about six years ago," she says. "I am really really happy to finally come full circle and play in my hometown."
Maros, along with fellow musician Tyler James, make up the honky tonk pop duo Escondido. who will be performing on Monday night at the Media Club in Vancouver.
She began her music career locally as a self-taught musician performing at venues such as the St. James' Well Pub in Port Moody.
Nettwerk Records signed Maros to a development deal and she relocated to Nashville where she continued her career as a solo artist.
In 2011, Maros was working on an album when she met fellow musician and future band mate Tyler James.
"He was on Nettwerk Records too, which is ironic, but we never crossed paths," she says.
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Maros and James grew up less than two hours away from each other, yet they met in Nashville, which is located more than 3,500 kilometres away from them.
James, who hails from Mt. Vernon, Wash., was producing her solo record when things quickly changed.
"The deeper we got into working together, he just set me aside one day and asked if I wanted to start a band with him," Maros says.
"When we started working together it clicked. I am now totally cool going out and singing every night," Maros adds.
The name Escondido, which has absolutely nothing to do with the city in Southern California, was the brainchild of James.
"It was something he had for a long time," Maros says. "He wanted to start a band that sounded Southwestern and then I showed up with this Southwestern haunting style of music."
The duo released their debut album, The Ghost of Escondido, recorded live on Oct. 17, 2011 in Nashville.
"I was writing all these songs as I was going through a rough heartbreak in my life," she says. "Tyler had the production and we mashed it together. It turned into this washed-out desert landscape sound."
"The album is basically a one-day version of our demos that we did. It's very spontaneous and quick and fast," she adds.
Escondido have had no shortage of publicity over the past two years. The duo, along with their song "Don't
Love Me Too Much," were featured in the ABC hit series Nashville.
"It's pretty awesome. I feel so grateful for how far we have come," she says. "We released the album ourselves. With a good work ethic and if you're driven then anything is possible."
They were also featured on Conan O'Brien and have appeared in major publications such as Rolling Stone, Vogue, USA Today, and the Huffington Post.
"I am not taking it for granted," Maros says of the band's success.
Escondido are currently in the middle of their fall tour, which has already seen them make stops in a handful of cities including Minneapolis, Fargo, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary.
While Maros loves life on the road she says it isn't all glamour and can be a lot of long nights followed by early mornings.
"I love it. It's inspiring for me but a lot of people would absolutely hate it," she says. "You're waking up early every morning and you're driving for hours to a venue. Then you are loading into a venue and sound checking. Then you're doing your show until about two in the morning.
"You do this routine for two months or in some cases for an entire year."
Following Escondido's performance in Vancouver, they will head south to Seattle and then make stops in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Texas.
One of the more challenging aspects about life on the road for many artists, including Maros, is trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
"The hardest thing is the lack of sleep and trying to stay healthy," she says. "It's hard to eat healthy on the road."
Making matters worse, Maros is allergic to gluten.
"It's really hard for me sometimes but I'll usually buy groceries and I'll have snacks in the car," Maros says. "I'm all about trail mix."
Although Escondido have never actually performed in Escondido, CA, they have driven through and would like to perform in the city they take their name from.
"We got an email about five months ago asking us if we would be interested in playing in a city show," Maros says. "It hasn't really followed through yet but I am sure we will get there at some point."
For more information on Escondido visit thebandescondido.com.
