Jessica Groom (Lead Vocalist, Rhythm Guitar, and Keyboard)
Jessica’s love for dancing and performing came at a young age singing in church, and dancing in her bedroom to old country classics in her home on a ranch in Wyoming. With a fiercely competitive nature, she would hold make-believe singing competitions with her favorite singer Martina McBride to see who could hold notes the longest, and she always won. If you follow Metallica (her all-time favorite band), you’ll also see her featured on their Instagram page in January of 2021 as she won a photo contest for an autographed box set give away competition, bringing hundreds of thousands of views and increased publicity to the band.
She started playing piano at age 5 and later added saxophone to her musical repertoire. She was awarded a scholarship to play saxophone in college, while earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design and a Minor in music from the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
Jessica has a flair for the fun and fancy things in life, so you never know exactly what to expect. She’ll often dawn bright, hot pink, or neon colors and sparkles, while other times she’s dressing it down in a black Metallica beanie and matching band tee. She loves to keep life interesting, but always coordinated.
As a mother of seven, and owner of multiple businesses you can always find her working on the go, hauling kids to dance, coaching little league tackle football, or packing a car full of weekly groceries, so it’s no wonder she makes entertaining a large crowd look so easy.
Jami Taylor (Lead guitar and backup vocals)
Jami picked up the guitar at age five and has never set it down. Years of private lessons ultimately led her to earn a Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance from Utah State University. As a child, Jami fondly remembers listening to doo-wop and Old Country on the boat with her family. In Junior High, she discovered Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Social Distortion, among many others, and these beginnings have shaped the music the Mothers of Mayhem plays now. Jami has spent a lifetime enjoying, teaching, playing, and creating music and considers that time well spent.
Jami lives in Huntsville, Utah, with her husband, two children, and her lazy dog. Playing on stage in a rock band gave Jami the confidence to return to school for a Computer Science degree as an adult. She now works as a project manager at a software company by day and as a musician by night. Her favorite hobby is skiing, and she gets in as many days as possible. Her favorite color is black, just like Johnny Cash. It was Jami’s husband that suggested her all-mom band play old-school heavy metal when her band first got together in October 2017. The niche of hard rock and MoMs dressed in Vintage 1950s Housewife Dresses with Heels and Red Lipstick has powerful stage appeal. He was so very right!
She is so grateful for the 3 AMAZING women who rock by her side in the Mothers of Mayhem. Making leaps and bounds from the original “best Neighborhood Mom Rock Band ever” to playing at big venues and huge events.
Victoria Green (Lead Bass and Back Up Vocals)
Victoria got a call from Jami asking if she wanted to be in an “all girl” band. She was on board immediately! When a girl band needs a bassist, the obvious answer is “YES!” What she didn’t let them know was that she had no idea where her bass was, and she hadn’t played it for over 10 years. After days of searching she found it at her Mom’s house under her sister’s bed. Flashing back to years before, during college at Brigham Young University, Victoria’s roommates decided to begin an all female folk band and they needed a bassist. Victoria’s years of piano lessons gave her the confidence to say, “I don’t play the bass but I’m dating someone who is.” And they had a bassist. They named the band Shye Violet, played only originals, and Victoria loved every minute of it. The band broke up when most of them got married within a year of each other. The bass was put away to make space for the beginning of families, until a time when there was once again space for the bass.
Victoria is a quieter and more soft spoken member of the band. She is the one who bakes cookies for the Sound Crew, but also insisted on Red Lipstick and Petticoats to give the Mothers of Mayhem some flair! Her favorite colors are charcoal and black. Occasionally breaking those up with bright solid colors. She tries to see the good and be the good, always.
She says her 5 kids were delighted when she started throwing in hard rock and metal music to her predominantly MoTab (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ famous Choir at Temple Square) playlist. She loves how being in a rock band has allowed her to connect in a new way with family, friends, and strangers, who fast become friends.
Her favorite bassist is Flea. Those smooth funky lines speak to her soul. But she loves that unique Tim Commerford tone! Who doesn’t? That power!
People who know Victoria in her private life are often surprised that such a sweet, conservative girl moonlights in a rock band. She says that she definitely gets her share of raised eyebrows, which reminds her to make sure she lets her hair down and not be so serious, even while she’s pinning it up for a show.
Nikki Ashton (drummer)
Nikki was born in Chicago, Illinois to highly energetic and gregarious parents. Being quiet by nature, and surrounded by 4 busy siblings, Nikki discovered her most expressive voice through music. At the age of 5, her parents purchased a piano and she developed an instant connection with the instrument. After continuously making noise of her own, mostly variations on a theme from Chopsticks, her parents felt it would be nice for her to broaden her skills. She excitedly started piano lessons, and eventually earned herself a degree in piano performance from the University of Utah.
Fast forward many years, Nikki finds her life in the small, mountain town of Eden, Utah, with her husband and 5 children, to be her absolute favorite thing! She puts more miles on her van than a taxi driver and loves exploring new adventures with her family, particularly those involving mountains and beaches. She would love to say she’s a fabulous cook, but tries really hard not to lie! She believes the most delicious foods come from trees, and is particularly appreciative of grapefruits, avocados, and cacao beans. (Chocolate is a must have)!
Well into her 30’s, Nikki felt that growing need to find her own voice again, and this time it presented itself in the shape of a drum kit. She fought back feelings of nerves and self-doubt, and enrolled herself in drum lessons. She found a new fire and soon began playing with a local band, The Eden Experiment, and fell in love with that experience! When that group dissipated, she had an overwhelming desire to create an all-female band, and approached Jami Taylor, (guitarist extraordinaire) with the idea. She didn’t know at the time just how much that decision would change her life!
When M.o.M. formed in 2017, the group decided to play within a musical genre that would provide ample room for Nikki to expand her talents. Growing up, her favorite music was a bit more mellow. You could often find her listening to songs by artists that included Billy Joel, Indigo Girls, John Denver, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, Shawn Colvin, Jon Schmidt, Peter Breinholt, Chopin and Yo-Yo Ma, (just to name a few). Stepping into the musical style of hard rock has been one of the biggest and most unexpected surprises for her, and she is absolutely loving it! Nikki believes that diversifying musical tastes is one of life’s greatest gifts and is delighted that she now finds inspiration, and is learning so much, from the grooves of drummers such as John Bonham, Dave Grohl, Steve Adler, John Densmore, Travis Barker, Cindy Blackman, Stanton Moore and many others.
Nikki’s hope is for when people come to see Mothers Of Mayhem, they leave feeling excited to rock whatever it is they feel inspired to do in life!