J. Graves is passionate dance-punk. Tense relationship rock, sanguine lyricism, guitar music, chord changes that sound like secret longing, a rhythm section that thuds, skitters, and melts over the determined voice of Jessa Graves. The heat of the cataclysm gives off a vapor known to galvanize meatspace into writhing, dancing heaps, creating rabid, loyal fans. Against all odds, J. Graves is back in 2022, with a crushing new LP Fortress of Fun, a choose your own adventure record due out this fall. Nothing can substitute the experience of a live J. Graves show. With comparisons to Sleater-Kinney, Karen O, and, Siouxsie And The Banshees, catching a J. Graves show became a goal for music denizens of the Northwest. Along her trajectory Graves annealed other talent with her drive and ideals. Kelly Cifton, perhaps the best bassist (and certainly the most exciting to watch), and the unassuming Aaron McDonald, who would be a watchmaker --for his distinct timing and style, were he not a drummer. You must be in front of the liquid rhythm section and pounding chords of the band to feel the blast. In performance Graves eyes roll furiously and her jawline sets as she contacts the emotion that produced her songs. She contorts herself around a fender slimline telecaster, and, in fits and starts, springs forth with contagious, inspiring performances.