THE DRESSING ROOM: Jen Johnson, Static of the Gods

Jen Johnson of Static of the Gods. Photo: Lara Callahan (click image for website). Dress: Urban Outfitters. Necklace: Campbell's.

Strapless dresses, a wash n’ dry ‘do and smokey eyes: These are the style essentials of Jen Johnson, petite blonde bombshell and vocalist for Boston’s own indie trio Static of the Gods.   While checking out her show at TT the Bear's Place a few days ago, we couldn't take our eyes off her stripey frock as she belted out songs from the band's latest release, Knowledge Machine.  In addition to her powerful pipes and notable stage presence, Jen’s feminine flare makes for an interesting contrast to the buttoned up or rumpled tee-clad dudes of the Boston music scene. Outside of the spotlight, Jen trades flirty hemlines for comfy basics: She can be seen walking the band’s wise old beagle, Loki, around Somerville in hoodies, jeans and her favorite pair of Sauconys, and even though she doesn't wear them during practice, she's kind of obsessed with a pair of recently acquired plastic  horn-rimmed glasses.  With thought-out looks that are equal parts socially and sartorially conscious, Jen's closet was a no-brainer to raid for NB's first installment of The Dressing Room.

Interview and photos after the jump....

Jen!  Let’s dissect your onstage style.

Mike and Ben, the boys in Static of the Gods, have noticed that if I ever get ready for a show and I’m still wearing jeans, they’re like, “…Aren’t you gonna wear a dress?”  It’s gotten to that point! (Laughs)  I like being really femme-y and girly when I play, and I also feel really strong and powerful when I’m dressed up.  What’s interesting to me is how clothes make you feel.  I think whenever you do something special, and for me, playing a show is something special, it’s not like, just going to get coffee.  If I have a dress that makes me look good and feel strong, it helps me give a good performance.  I’m interested in a strong, feminine vibe.  We see cute and sexy, but what’s really, really strong and feminine?  It brings a different kind of power than a guy rock show power. There’s another side of me that comes out when I play, and not wearing jeans is part of that.  I’ve experimented with that back and forth, but I feel most comfortable onstage when I’m wearing a dress. I do have one pair of boots I always wear when I play because they’re kind of like heels, but they’re a wedge because I need a strong base.  I can’t step on a pedal board with heels, you know? 

Jen at the Knowledge Machine CD release. Photo: Matthew Tucciarone. Dress: Girlie Chic Boutique, Indianapolis, IN.

So, sex, drugs, and rock and roll for Jen Johnson is in… a dress!

(Laughs) Yeah!  Take the dress I wore for our CD release, for instance.  That was such a find!  We were playing a show in Indianapolis and we got there early, and it was raining, and we were sitting in this coffeehouse taking advantage of their free WiFi, so I started to get bored and decided to wander around in the rain for a bit.  I came across this awesome store called Girlie Chic Boutique, and it’s so cool because all the clothes in there are handmade by people in the area.  I was so happy because that dress is really special to me and made me feel really good, and it’s something that someone actually made.  The woman who made it – this is really weird – the shop girl told me that she’s actually a baker, and she also sews, so she owns this awesome bakery in Indianapolis but she’s got this side gig sewing dresses.  It’s really cool. 

What about when you're offstage? What's your uniform?

Definitely jeans and t-shirts! (Laughs) I’m kind of an Anthropologie whore.  I really like how they can make a simple shirt or hoodie special with little details.  I’m not necessarily into brands; whatever suits my fancy works.   I try not to wear my glasses when we practice because a lot of times I notice that I’ll hit myself in the face while I’m moving around.  

What about hair?  Do you style your hair any differently for shows?

Jared at Shag cuts my hair and he’s THE BEST.  I love getting my hair cut by Jared because he understands fine hair, and I have superfine hair.  Honestly, out of the shower, air dry on the way to the show?  That’s the best hair.  My hair can’t take a lot of products, maybe a little hairspray, but I always have to have my hair down when I play.  I read somewhere once that women get their power from their hair, and I thought that was really interesting.  When I’m just bouncing around town I have my hair in a ponytail or up somehow, but I definitely like it to be down when I play.

Jen and Loki. Hoodie: Anthropologie. Tank top: American Apparel. Jeans: Urban Outfitters. Kicks: Sauconys (picked up at Berk's in Harvard Square.)

Makeup: Everyday vs. shows?

I love makeup.  I can’t lie.  I love Aveda; they make my favorite lipstick.  You eat a lot of lipstick in your life.  There’s some weird statistic that you eat, like, the average American woman eats off pounds of lipstick a year.  I don’t like wearing lipstick onstage, because when I’m singing up on the mic and stuff I wind up with clown mouth.  I go for smokey eye for shows, and my makeup is more exaggerated when I’m playing than if I’m just going out.  It makes me feel like I’m transitioning into that other side of myself when I play a show.

If I were to hand you $200 right now to buy an outfit for a show tonight, where would you go?

Anthropologie!  I’d look for an awesome dress that’s probably strapless, because I feel very free with that, especially playing guitar.  And also because I have some awesome tattoos that Erick Lynch and Josh McLear did over at Redemption.  I’d probably wear something knee-length, fitted around the waist, with a poufy skirt and something with interesting fabric or details.  I might go by Urban Outfitters, although it depends over there… sometimes you can find some good stuff, and sometimes you can’t.  I’d check out Poor Little Rich Girl in Davis, too – they have some good clothes made by people around here, too, aside from the vintage stuff.

Say that you were to sell out Downstairs at the Middle East or the Paradise Rock Club, and Static of the Gods was the only band on the bill.  What would you wear, based on what you’ve got in your closet right now?

Oh man, probably that same dress I wore for the CD release!  I’m very in love with that right now.  How I feel about outfits is kind of how I feel about songs: I go through phases of being totally addicted to articles of clothing, and then they sometimes wind up in the background when I fall in love with something else.  I’m big on novelty!