Photos by Aaron Richter

Interview by Andrew Parks

As a general rule, we never interview artists at South By Southwest. While some publications are happy to squeeze a couple pull quotes out of a five-minute conversation, we’d rather save our enthusiasm for a later date—one where we’re not all high, drunk, rushed or some twisted combination of all three.

We made an exception for one artist this year, however: Zola Jesus. And not just because we’re still obsessed with the operatic pop songs on her Stridulum EP and its steel-plated, self-produced counterpart, The Spoils. The 21 year old isn’t able to tour much, as she’s currently wrapping up her French/philosophy degree in Wisconsin, so self-titled figured we’d take what we could get.

What we didn’t expect was the first, and so far only, interview with Nika Roza Danilova and her full live band. While that may seem unnecessary (she’s a solo artist, right?), the group’s innate chemistry could lead to some collaborations on Danilova’s next album, which is expected early next year. And even if it doesn’t, the way the young singer is learning to apply her sky-scraping melodies and subzero soundscapes to an actual band says more about her position as one of today’s most thrilling artists than a simple one-on-one session would. Here’s the supporting cast, then:

ALEX DEGROOT (keys, samples, backup vocals)
NICK TURCO (keyboards, bass)
SHANE VERWEY (synths)
NICK JOHNSON (drums)

You can catch this speaker-caving incarnation of Zola Jesus over the next couple months, including a one-off show at Glasslands in Brooklyn tomorrow night. It’s close to selling out and features a bunch of s/t-approved Sacred Bones artists, so you might want to snag tickets now here. And if you’re not in New York, all other dates can be found on MySpace.