Posted on March 9, 2010 - by Editor

Three Chords And An Attitude: Jesse Malin

Jesse Malin

When the new album for New Yorker Jesse Malin came through the mail (email that is) I have to be honest the name didn’t ring any bells. I say that with no disrespect to Jesse but while he was playing in bands in his teens I was in diapers and had yet to be introduced to punk rock in all its life altering glory. His press release includes some sweeping statements too, and being a press release I always indulge them with a sense of cynicism but Jesse’s background and music credentials certainly read impressively and his musical collaborations and stage-sharing intriguingly seeing some high profile, eclectic, albeit commercial connections; “with everyone from The White Stripes to Counting Crows, The Hold Steady to Lucinda Williams.”

Jesse had experienced his musical transformation through involvement in seminal early 80’s and 90’s punk bands, from Heart Attack and D Generation, before travelling the solo musician’s path with sporadic collaboration bands along the way; most notably with Bruce Springsteen and Ryan Adams. This winding road however seemed to take Jesse to some lows as well and during 2009 he was in a state of flux as he stood at a crossroads in terms of career paths and perhaps lacking motivation or inspiration musically. A series of events would lead him to reignite the passion and motivation to plan a new record and by the summer of 2009, Jesse had written most of what was to become his most recently released effort with the St. Marks Social; “Love It to Life”. After some detailed research into Jesse’s background using the half truths of the internet; Distorted corresponded by email with Jesse in the middle of his current residency in New York to get the bigger picture of his musical life , the new record and dispelling internet rumours.

Early Days:

Steve: So let’s start with tracing your early musical roots? You played in the early NYC hardcore scene with Heart Attack; (according to the web) you were only 12 or 13 at the time with most of the band in the early teens. How did you get attracted to punk rock and go about starting a band so young?

Jesse: I was a big KISS fan and used to get beat up by the kids that liked Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath.  I was accustomed to being an outsider.  I was full of angst and hyper. My parents were divorced and the Sex Pistols came on TV on the People’s Choice Awards. It had a lot more fury and power than KISS. It made me want to smash my room up and form a band. Then I found the Ramones and learned how to write songs in a simple aggressive manner.

Steve: I read that the sound of the band (Heart Attack) took a distinct turn after you played a show at the seminal CBGBs with Bad Brains to adopt a more hardcore sound.

Jesse: Music like The Dead Boys, Clash and The Ramones was raw but most of those bands either cleaned up, went disco or broke up by the time I came of age.  The Bad Brains offered speed and precision, a power never ever seen before. We all kicked the tempos up and aspired to be as tight and powerful as possible. Their message of PMA and their live performances will stay in my mind forever.

Steve: So what is your lasting impression of seeing Bad Brains live?

Jesse: They were the best live band I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot!!

Steve: You also played with The Dead Kennedys & The Misfits amongst others, who for you were the biggest influences and have the best memories of?

Jesse: I dropped out of school and people like Joe Strummer, Billy Bragg, Crass and Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedy’s were my professors. I learned about politics, social issues, world issues, expression and being an individual outside of a media driven, brainwashed, mainstream society.  I also realized that I wanted to enjoy and have fun while trying to make a small difference in the world.  Three chords and an attitude.

Steve: And were you identifying changes in the punk landscape at the time (early 80’s)?

Jesse: For a few years hardcore seemed like a brand new take on the form.  I was fortunate enough to be part of something right from the beginning, instead of just reading about it historically. After a couple of years in, it became macho and metal, conformist and violent; everything I was running from. I broke up Heart Attack and formed my 2nd band Hope.

Jesse Malin

Steve: Other bands you were grouped with in NYC were The Undead, Reagan Youth etc. but Heart Attack is believed to be among the first to tour outside the area you were playing in? (And mentioned in documentary “American Hardcore”). What lasting memories do you have of those times, and how have they helped you shape the musician you are today?

Jesse: Yeah we got out of New York and toured with GBH, Social D and others. The DIY ethos taught me how to travel and how a music community can support each other throughout the world. There’s always some great people, open hearted with a beer or floor to crash on, that gets you to the next town.  Also to play every show with the presence and passion, take the moment. Like Walter Lure says on the Heartbreakers “Live at Max’s” album, “it could be the last.”

When Heart Attack disbanded in 1984, Jesse worked on several other projects, including the band Hope as he mentioned, before joining glam punks DGeneration which he fronted for eight years. They were initially dismissed as Johnny Thunders copycats (depending on what sources you read) but grew in repute and went on to release three albums.

Steve: You appropriately played your last show with Heart Attack at CBGBs- and you quickly started a new band DGeneration. They lasted for a longer period as a band, why was that and why the change in sound/direction?

Jesse: DGeneration was more punk and rock’n roll. We came out of Hardcore but it had a different sexuality and style when the rest of the world was dressed like grunged up farmers.

Steve: Was there anything you purposely wanted to change in terms of learning from mistakes with Heart Attack?

Jesse: That anarchy politics of anti-establishment and trying to live outside of society can also become a hierarchy if used to judge and ridicule others.

Going Solo:

After D Generation Jesse performed in other acts (PCP Highway, Bellvue or known as Tsing-Tsing) before turning to a path as a solo musician.

Steve: How different was the change from being in a full blown band & how did change that come about?

Jesse: I wanted it to be more about my songs, lyrics and such and less about the hairdo, brothel creepers and mascara. I stripped it down to an acoustic guitar and built the songs back up from there. I enjoy both kinds of music: country and western.

Steve: And Ryan Adams famously produced your first solo record despite not having production experience himself; how did you forge a friendship with Ryan and how has his viewpoint on music helped you?

Jesse: We met in the DGeneration days when he was in Whiskey Town. We shared a love for music including lots of punk rock. When he moved to New York we hung out a lot seeing bands and hitting the bars. His passion and creativity and super energy was infectious. I was scared to go solo and he encouraged me that it wouldn’t be so frightening.

Steve: You have also been involved with several contributions and covers over the years from Springsteen to The Clash.  You seem to have an eclectic taste and appreciation for music, but will punk rock always be in your”island disc selection”?

Jesse: Lots of punk would be on it, especially “London Calling”, “Rocket to Russia” and the second Dickies album.

Steve: Nice choices-Let’s discuss the past year and your new record “Love It To life”. You wrote songs for the new record over the course of last summer. What was your frame of mind and situation at that time, did it just feel right to write new material?

Jesse: I was scared, desperate, broke and considering a change of life. Got inspired again at the last minute. I met with producer Ted Hutt (Lucero, Flogging Molly, The Gaslight Anthem), hooked up with my new band The St. Marks Social in a dirty basement under a bar in the lower east side and suddenly I had something to say again.

Steve: Why the title “Love It To Life”?

Jesse: When I was a kid I got Joe Strummer’s autograph and he wrote on the ticket “To Jesse, love it to life.”

Steve: That’s a nice little memento. So what aims did you have for this record, coming from a varied punk and hardcore background, how easy is it to transition to acoustic guitar and writing material as a solo artist?

Jesse: Some of the great punk rock was written and performed on acoustic guitars such as Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” as well as Johnny Thunders “Hurt Me” record.   It’s all about what you are saying and the attitude in those chords.  From “Ginsberg’s tears to Thunders cross, messengers and misanthropes.”

Steve: I believe you laid the basic tracks in three days at Greenpoint, Brooklyn’s Mission Studios, and the rest at Sonic Youth’s Think Tank Studios in Hoboken, NJ. Why were they chosen?

Jesse: They had good old equipment to keep the music warm and real.

Steve: Simple enough and the record is titled and collectively known as yourself and the “St Marks Social” collective- who and what are they exactly? I believe some well known names are loosely linked to the collective?

Jesse: It’s the St. Marks Social.   It’s a solid band line-up and occasionally a revolving door.  Some are famous, some are infamous.

Steve: And you mentioned working with producer Ted Hutt on this record. How did you two meet and decide to collaborate on the album? What were the biggest challenges and goals for him and yourself?

Jesse: The old cliché “we met in a bar”.  Ted had done great work with Flogging Molly, Gaslight Anthem and Lucero. He is English and has great old school and forward thinking visions of soul and rock music. He’s tough on the artist but also inspires you to reach higher even if you want to tell him to go “fuck off” sometimes. In the end, he is usually right. He created a record that has a sonic thread that was done fast, raw and on the cheap for the richest sound.

Steve: I have been listening to the pre release version of the album and I’m really enjoying it. Not being too familiar with your previous music myself, there are some themes I’m told are trademarks of yours- redemption, nightlife, heartbreak, survival? Would you say that’s true with this record?

Jesse: Somehow I can’t seem to get away from those themes. I guess it’s just life every day. The pain and the power.  Searching for something.

Steve: I find your first single off the record ‘Burning on the Bowery’ is pretty uplifting/emotional and catchy. I read a review recently which hinted at a quasi romantic and dark urban romance to your earlier sound. What are the ties to the Bowery for yourself?

Jesse: My Grandfather sold liquor up and down the Bowery in the ‘40’s.  I grew up outside of CBGB’s sucking down beers in a brown paper bag and sneaking into shows. DGeneration signed its record contract in the Graffiti’d dressing rooms of CBGB’s. After touring for seven years around the world I found myself back on the Bowery, broke and in the middle of a recession, questioning my next moves, watching the homeless return to the quasi-gentrified attempts at a new community.

Steve: But you are currently playing a two part residency on the Bowery at the Bowery Electric- is this formerly home of the legendary CBGB’s? How did you feel about the venue closing and how do you feel playing on a site with so much history?

Jesse: I was sad to see CBGB’s go but nothing lasts forever. The Bowery Electric is not CBGB’s but it offers great live music, super sounding room, free beer and it is on Joey Ramone Place.

Steve: Thanks for clearing that up. After the residency you will be heading off on tour across the US with Gogol Bordello (I believe you have toured with them previously) how much do you enjoy touring and being on the road?

Jesse: I love playing every night. I don’t like sleeping with strange bed bugs, eating at a truck stop and trying to find a vegetarian meal at McDonalds but it’s all about the shows…the kids and the pirate ship you build with your musicians and crew.

Steve: Haha, and do you find the road is a good place to source and inspire new music or do you prefer the confines of lofts and basements and a sense of solitude?

Jesse: Hotel rooms, bathrooms and dressing rooms can be great for writing. I wrote my second album “The Heat” mostly on the road in Europe while Bush was trying to take over the world and my friends were having babies.

Steve: Pretty good source material! You were a latecomer to hit Europe and the UK with touring but more recent ventures have been well received; are there plans to come to Europe and the UK in the near future?

Jesse: I plan to be there this summer to support “Love it to Life”, drink some real good beer without any ice!

Steve: And touring aside, do you still actively keep abreast of bands within punk rock and go to many shows yourself?

Jesse: I love going to shows. New bands that I like are The Big Pink, Only Son, The Hold Steady and The Gaslight Anthem, as well as Frank Sinatra and other loud mouths.

Steve: And are there any other bands/artists you are impressed by currently?

Jesse: Frank Turner, Pete Yorn & Scarlet Johanson, Nicole Atkins & The Sea, Spoon, Wilco and always Ryan Adams.

Dispelling rumours:

We asked Jesse to verify the following “facts” we found whilst researching and asked him to expand on them:

Jesse Malin

True/False: Owner of the Electric Bowery?
Jesse:  I’m involved with the place. I get to drink free there and maybe some day I’ll get to own the whole Bowery!

True/False: You started work on a documentary film on The Bad Brains. Interviewing Ric Ocasek from the Cars, Al Anderson of Bob Marley and the Wailers, and Jerry Williams (and many others- If true how did your involvement come about?
Jesse: Being a fan for life and meeting filmmaker Mandy Stein while HR from the Bad Brains was playing at my bar Niagara.

True/False: For over a year you didn’t play or record?
Jesse: I took the bus a lot, read paperbacks and ended up living on my sister’s couch. Those days are over, hopefully for good, though my sister is really cool and has a good couch.

True/False: You were asked to pen songs for a film about author J.D. Salinger, writing “The Archer” and “Lonely at Heart”—two songs that would make you want work again and lead to this new record? What are your views on the recently deceased author?
Jesse: I am like everyone else who is a fan, waiting to see if he really was writing for the last 45 years and if there’s something to dig into.

True/False: You worked on the soundtrack for Mandy Stein’s documentary “Burning Down the House: the Story of CBGBs”?
Jesse: Yeah I did. It was a lot of fun. Great movie. Very cool gal.   It’s a sad and touching story. Some great Dead Boys clips and tons more.

True/False:  You recorded ‘Depression Times’ at Stratosphere Studios with Green Day and Bob Gruen producing? (Has this been released/ due to be?)
Jesse: It has not been released yet.

True/False: During January and February of 1998 D Generation played their only European shows in support of Green Day?
Jesse: That was the “Nimrod” tour.  My first time in Europe. The Green Day guys are some of the coolest people I know.  As big as they get, they still make great music and stay real.

True/False: D Generation had a song on the film “Airheads S/T” in 1994 and the movie’s director felt your voice did not fit the face of lead actor Brendan Fraser, so Brendan was asked to overdub?
Jesse: They re-recorded the whole song with studio musicians. At the time we were pissed off. I still hold a grudge and never watch the movie, though I do get residual checks.

“Love It To Life” will be in stores on April 27, 2010.