Jesse Nova was born in the history rich town of El Paso, TX, the previous stomping grounds of such musical talents as Bobby Fuller, Adam Duritz, and Stevie Nicks. Though the parents in the Nova family were not very musically inclined, Jesse’s siblings picked up the slack.
Along with Ralph Vega and Ben Rivera, Jesse formed the band Kactus Juice. This was Jesse’s first opportunity to come out from behind the drums and in front of the mic. Kactus Juice opened for such acts as The Toadies, Tragically Hip, Cake, and 311. They would play in such locations as New Orleans, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and had a regular gig at Long Wong’s in Tempe, AZ. Kactus Juice would stay together for eight years before the members would go their separate ways.
Jesse ended up heading to New Orleans, a place that served as the background for him to perfect his craft before becoming a soloist. He honed his guitar skills and sharpened his song writing ability before returning to Tempe, Az.
Once in Tempe, all of his hard work culminated in the writing and recording of his first solo album, Blue Period, which was co-produced by Don Bosse and Doug Preston.
After spending several years in the Phoenix area, Jesse returned to El Paso to work on a more group-oriented project, Sol Vox. The group toured the Southwest; before Jesse decided to go out on his own again and relocate to San Diego.
Jesse continues to write and record original music with his current band, Jesse Nova and the Second Line and is still based in San Diego, CA.
Blue Period was rereleased on Chunkrock Records for a limited run of CDs in 2017. The album is now out of print but you can listen to it here.