Inside Jane Doe's Rebellion: A Band Rebuilding Momentum, Redefining Power and Refusing to Conform
Shaving heads, shredding riffs, and saying what needs to be said, Jane Doe are here to disrupt the status quo.
Los Angeles rock disruptors Jane Doe are back with The Menu, a face-melting single from their acclaimed sophomore album Found. The track channels grief, rage, and gender politics into pure sonic fire culminating in a striking music video where frontwoman Izzy shaves her head on camera as a symbolic reset.
We caught up with Izzy to talk about the meaning behind the song and video, the band's collaborative writing process, bouncing back post-pandemic, dream collabs and festival goals, what it means to make art and a living in today's music industry, and more.
Eugenia Rodits, Musicngear: Hello Izzy, welcome to Musicngear! “The Menu” hits with a fierce energy right from that unforgettable riff. Can you walk us through how the song came together and what elements from the band really shaped its sound and message?
Thank you so much for highlighting us!
“The Menu” started with this super heavy riff we had, very much inspired by the down and dirty rock of the Grunge era. Lyrically, I wanted to explore - in the saltiest way possible - my perspective on how women are often treated. We wanted the song to be face-melting fun with some deeper meaning.
Musicngear: Your shaved head in the video has become a striking symbol of empowerment. What does that act mean to you personally, and how do you think it connects with listeners who may be seeking their own kind of reset?
I went through the saddest and hardest year of my life, filled with loss and grief. My hair felt heavy - even if it was just in a symbolic way.
I feel that women and femme-presenting people are historically and societally tied to their hair - pardon the pun. So much value is put on it, and that’s bullshit. It’s just hair.
Shaving my head was the start of a new chapter, regaining some agency while also rejecting societal norms. We think many people can relate to that.
Musicngear: How does the creative chemistry work within Jane Doe when you’re writing new music? Is there a particular dynamic or role each band member takes on that pushes the sound forward?
We’re an incredibly collaborative bunch – the main reason we’re in a band is that we all wanted to be a part of a music-making team.
If any of us has a song/riff idea, we “present it to the class” and then we explore it as a team. There’s a lot of vibing and seeing where things go until we think it’s in a place where we can create a song structure, and Jake can start to slap some serious drums into place.
Charlie is the production maestro as he knows the most about Ableton and whatnot. But all of us play an equal part in the actual construction of the song.
Shaving my head was the start of a new chapter, regaining some agency while also rejecting societal norms
Musicngear: What’s been the toughest challenge you’ve faced as an artist, and what advice would you give to someone going through something similar?
I’ve been in some iteration of Jane Doe since I was 19, so it’s been a journey.
Maybe the biggest challenge was that we had some serious steam going and had played a sold-out show at the Sayers Club as our first show in LA, opening for Taylor Hawkins and Perry Farrell, and then three months later, the pandemic happened.
All of our touring plans flew out the window, as did the plans of thousands of other up-and-coming artists. But we knew if we kept going, trying to make music, put out content, and connect with fans, when the pandemic was over, we could regain any lost momentum.
It was incredibly difficult, especially given that the music industry hasn’t fully recovered (and might not ever). We’ve worked incredibly hard to get to a place where we feel we’re back to the precipice of super exciting forward movement.
We can’t wait to show everyone what we have in store!
Musicngear: Your last album, “Found”, marked a major chapter for Jane Doe, and with “The Menu” carrying that momentum forward, what’s the main focus right now? Are you aiming for more visibility, festival bookings, press coverage, or something else that defines success for you as a band?
All of the above! We’re back in the studio recording new music, and we’re hoping to shop our demos around and get signed by a label.
We want to play as much as possible and our booking agents are working on some really exciting opportunities like festivals and touring with some amazing bands.
We want to keep getting ourselves out there in any way possible.
Musicngear: You’ve already worked with names like Howie Weinberg, but if the stars aligned, who would be your dream collaborator - artist, producer, or even visual director? And are there any stages or festivals still on your bucket list?
There are so many people we’d love to work with! I think Miley Cyrus could definitely lead an army of female-fronted rock bands ripping up the scene. I’d love to get the chance to work with her.
We’re big fans of Jim Kaufman, so if we could work with him on our new music, that’d be amazing.
As for stages and festivals, our bucket list is long. We’ll play anywhere! We’d love to play at Pinkpop, Glastonbury, Reading, and Rock Am Ring, to name a few.
Musicngear: Ηow do you navigate the challenges of making a living as a musician today? Is music your main source of income, or do you have other ways to sustain yourself financially?
Like you said, making a living as a musician today is tough. Each of us has a day job to make ends meet.
We work our asses off on all fronts and hope every day that music can be our livelihood.
Musicngear: Now let’s get weird: If Jane Doe were the star of a comic book or a film, what would the plot be? What kind of characters would each of you play, and what would the title be?
I was going to say we would do a 2025 version of “This is Spinal Tap” and call it “This is Jane Doe” and we’d just be ridiculous caricatures of ourselves - but upon bringing the question to the rest of the gang.
Apparently, we’d be wacky versions of “The Incredibles”. Charlie would be Dash, Zephry would be Bomb Voyage, Jake would be The Underminer, and I’ve been anointed as Mr. Incredible.
Musicngear: If you could teleport Jane Doe into any legendary music moment, would it be opening for Hole in ‘94, storming the stage at CBGB’s in the late ‘70s, or throwing a guitar into the crowd at Reading Festival ‘92?
If we could’ve ripped up the stage at Pinkpop in 1992, that would be so freakin’ rad.
The lineup that year was insane, and Soundgarden’s performance would’ve been so cool to see in person.
Musicngear: What’s next for Jane Doe? Any upcoming projects, new music, or surprises fans should be excited about?
We’re back in the studio working on new music, so we hope to have more for your earholes by the end of the year!
We’re going to continue to have a blast making music videos (though they will most likely never again include shaving my head in real time).
We also plan to make it to lots of cities and towns near and far.
Follow us on social media for updates and amusing content!
Connect with Jane Doe
Facebook / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube / Website
About Eugenia Roditis
Eugenia's passion for music was ignited from an early age as she grew up in a family of musicians. She loves attending concerts and festivals, while constantly seeking fresh and exciting new artists across diverse genres. Eugenia joined the MusicnGear team in 2012.
Contact Eugenia Roditis at eugenia.roditis@kinkl.com
In this section of the blog we host interviews with established but also up and coming artists we love and recommend as well as music industry professionals with tons of useful information to share.
Interested in an interview, writing a story as a guest or joining the Musicngear team as a Contributing Author? Contact us at info+blog@musicngear.com
