Jessamyn Rains’ music career started in Central Illinois. Her mixed-bag mélange of music mentors included a chain-smoking jazz drummer, some heavy metal guitarists, a couple salty band directors, some church ladies and the guy who started the whole thing - her dad. Her use of music as a vehicle to chase after beauty, expression and truth culminates in her 2016 album All My Secrets, a collection of songs about her struggles and her encounters with people, places, and the stories they tell. Her bold and gritty vocal style, heightened by smart, provocative lyrics, are best defined by a genre Jessamyn herself has coined as Folk Impressionism.

Les Caster is following