The Short Skirt Dilemma

'I thought he was crazy [to want to produce me]," Molly Jenson says about San Diego colleague Greg Laswell, "but we met one afternoon and wrote a song in our first meeting." Laswell eventually produced her 2005 debut CD Maybe Tomorrow, an independent release available online.

"I feel that independent musicians are getting more attention with music supervisors looking for unsigned artists to put on TV shows and movies," says Molly. "That is extremely encouraging, and I hope that interest pushes indie artists to create more music and push harder to reach their goals. Musicians will try to do this on their own and not look so much to labels for help."

Molly Jenson opens for Tyrone Wells at the House of Blues this Friday, March 23.

TRICKIEST PROBLEM PLAYING LIVE?

"Trying to decide what to wear. I never know if the place is going to be too cold or too warm or just right. If there is a high stage with no stairs going up to it, I can't wear a short skirt. It can be quite a dilemma."

YOUR GUITAR?

"I only have one guitar. Bought it off a guy I was in a band with. It's a great guitar, but I'd like to get a new, smaller one. I'm not attached."

EARLIEST MEMORY?

"Being bathed in the sink. I know that's kind of weird, and you may think my memory is amazing if I remember that far back, but I was just a really small child, and I could fit in the sink till I was about four."

BEST GIG?

"I love playing house concerts; those have been some of my favorite shows. One of my top shows was the first time I played the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. It was a perfect night in every way."

WHAT'S IN YOUR CD PLAYER?

"A mix CD my brother made me. Our favorite gifts to give each other are mix CDs with new music that we think the other doesn't know anything about."

END-OF-THE-WORLD CDs?

1. Harry Nilsson, The Point! "Harry Nilsson is a genius, and this record is my favorite. It's a soundtrack he did for a cartoon in the '70s called The Point! He wrote these amazing songs for the show and then has these couple-minute narrations in between each tune. This record makes me happy."

2. Eddie Izzard, Glorious. "Okay, he's not a musician, but he's my favorite comedian, and he'd help me take my mind off the fact that the world was ending."

3. Butterfly Boucher, Flutterby. "This record always makes me feel like I'm a lot stronger than I think I am. That may be why I always listen to it when I work out."

4. The Cardigans, Long Gone Before Daylight. "I just love this record. It is such a nice mix of soft, mellow songs and kick-ass rock. I listen to this record on my iPod when I'm walking downtown. It always makes me feel like I'm in a movie or another world."

5. Antonio Carlos Jobim, 20th Century Masters, The Millennium Collection. "His voice is so mellow, and I have no idea what he's saying so I can't get stuck in the lyrics."

IF YOU WERE INVITED TO THE OSCARS...

"Greg Laswell would be my date. I imagine he and his music will be really well known by the time we have a reason to be at the Oscars; he could introduce me to famous people. I imagine it would get boring, too, and he's really good at making up fun games when things get boring. I'd want to sit next to Ellen DeGeneres -- we could crack jokes throughout the night."

FAVORITE SAN DIEGO HANGOUT?

"I'm really a homebody these days and don't hang out much unless I'm out after a show. This is very much unlike me, but I like the change. If I had to choose my favorite spots, I'd say Balboa Park, Hillcrest, and the Ould Sod in Normal Heights."

IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, YOUR

PROFESSION IS...

"Beastmaster."