Daily Discovery: Jesse and The Rise, "The Reset Button"

Videos by American Songwriter

BIRTHDATE: 3/15/1982

HOMETOWN: Fortuna, CA

CURRENT LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA

AMBITIONS: To stay true to myself in this every conforming society. To speak out and stand up for what is right. To love fully.

TURN-OFFS: I’ve kind of learned to not be bothered by too much these days but I try not to surround myself with anyone who is too much of a Contrarian or Con-Artist or has a stick up their ass.

TURN-ONS: People who don’t give a shit and just live without limits or judgements. I like big hearts but I also love a good dark side. People who have tapped into all of the different aspects of themselves and aren’t afraid of them. I admire the people who live off the grid, who aren’t consumed by their cell-phones and who know how to just go with the flow. I like people who take care of themselves and eat right and stay fit but also aren’t afraid to hit the drive-thru of McDonalds at 1am with me once in a while. People who have weird hobbies or jobs that don’t go with how they look, like the perfect 10 who makes quilts. Anomalies are my favorite.

DREAM GIG: I’ve always dreamed of performing the televised section of the Grammy’s.

FAVORITE LYRIC: This changes everyday but right this second it’s “I find something so right in doing the wrong thing…” Which leads us to the song I wish I wrote (currently)

CRAZIEST PERSON I KNOW: I feel like the proper question would be more like, “Who is the most ‘normal’ person you know?” Isn’t everyone a little crazy!? Or am I projecting?

SONG I WISH I WROTE: Counting Stars – One Republic

5 PEOPLE I’D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Einstein, Pope Francis, Oprah, Abraham Lincoln, Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt (I’m a bad counter)

MY FAVORITE CONCERT EXPERIENCE: Gotta be Dolly Parton. Not only do you get a fantastic concert but you also get a stand-up comedian. Her banter is spot-on. And she plays like 13 instruments. I saw her at the Hollywood Bowl and it’s a night I will never forget. A beautiful, beautiful soul that Dolly!

I WROTE THIS SONG: .I was in a really dark place the past few years: I was f*cking up opportunities and sabotaging my life with drugs and alcohol and I came to a point where it just wasn’t working anymore. I’ve always been pretty spiritual but I couldn’t quite connect with the world the way I wanted to because I was always f*cked up. That’s been a major influence on this record for me; the start of a new chapter and the realization that there’s a force out there that we’re all a part of, and this new conviction that you really can do whatever you want in life. You just have to get rid of whatever brings you down and just look yourself in the mirror and say “I can do this. I can do anything.