Jesse Malin

All Music Guide:

Singer/songwriter Jesse Malin was the face of the glam/hard rock band D Generation for eight years, following the dissolution of Heart Attack, the hardcore punk act he fronted as a teenager in the '80s. They weren't a metal band, but critics quickly dismissed D Generation as Johnny Thunders copycats. Their teased hair and glossy wardrobe were just a part of the act, but substance and song structure were there. As one of New York City's more talented acts of the 1990s, the band released three albums before disbanding in April 1999. Malin, who's a punk with a soft heart, didn't stop writing music. His love for Neil Young, Tom Waits, and Steve Earle affected his work; he spent the next two years working on a fresh, countrified sound.

Ex-Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams, who'd been a friend of Malin since the D Generation days, was impressed with Malin's new approach. Adams offered to produce Malin's debut album even though he'd never produced a record. The two headed into Lo-Ho Studios in New York in January 2001 and made an album in just six days. A deal with Artemis soon followed. The Fine Art of Self Destruction appeared in the U.K. in October 2002; first single "Queen of the Underworld" was a moderate hit and the British press quickly hailed Malin's debut as one of the year's best. Stateside fans finally got their hands on The Fine Art of Self Destruction in January 2003. Road dates followed, both in America and the U.K. Malin contributed a version of "Hungry Heart" to the benefit album Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen; he also picked up a nomination for the Shortlist Music Prize. By November he was back in the studio, laying down tracks for Self Destruction's follow-up. The Heat appeared in June 2004, accompanied by a string of tour dates on both sides of the pond.

Malin's third album was recorded in Los Angeles during the summer/fall of 2006, which marked his first time making a record outside of New York (or even above 14th Street) during his career. Featuring guest spots by Bruce Springsteen and Jakob Dylan, among others, Glitter in the Gutter eventually surfaced in March 2007 via Billie Joe Armstrong's Adeline Records label. Malin spent most the year on the road with his backing band, the Heat. That group released Mercury Retrograde in 2008, which was recorded live in New York City. The same year Malin followed up with the One Little Indian release On Your Sleeve, a gusty set of covers that featured imaginative readings of songs by the Bad Brains, the Rolling Stones, Fred Neil, Paul Simon, and others. In 2009 he founded a new band called St. Mark's Social, which released Love It to Life in 2010 on the Side One Dummy label.

Wikipedia:

Jesse Malin (born January 26, 1968 in Flushing, Queens, New York, U.S.) is a rock musician. He has played with Heart Attack and D Generation. He is currently a solo recording artist.

Biography

Malin began his music career, at the age of 12, as the front-man for the seminal New York City hardcore band Heart Attack. Following the demise of that band in 1984, Jesse worked on several other projects, including the band Hope, before joining glam punk band D Generation for which he was the lead singer for eight years. As one of New York City's most noted bands of 1990s, D Generation released three albums, including No Lunch before eventually disbanding in April 1999.

Malin didn't stop writing music and went on to form two other projects, PCP Highway (with former D Generation bandmates Howie Pyro and Joe Rizzo) and Bellvue (also named Tsing-Tsing for a brief time); the latter band released one album, To Be Somebody on Goldenseal Records. The album included versions of songs that would later be reworked for Malin's first two solo albums, including Solitaire, Basement Home, Brooklyn and Downliner.

Solo career

Being a fan of Neil Young, Tom Waits and Steve Earle affected his work; he spent the next two years working on a fresh sound. Former Whiskeytown front-man Ryan Adams, who'd been a friend of Malin since the D Generation days, was impressed with Malin's new material. Adams offered to produce Malin's debut album despite the fact that he'd never produced a record before. The two headed into Loho Studios in New York in January 2001 and made an album in just six days. A deal with Artemis Records soon followed. The Fine Art of Self Destruction appeared in the United Kingdom in October 2002; lead off first single, "Queen of the Underworld" was a moderate hit and the British press quickly hailed Malin's debut as one of the year's best.

Stateside fans were eventually able to purchase the album "The Fine Art of Self-Destruction' in January 2003. Tour dates followed, both in America and the United Kingdom. Malin contributed to two cover albums, first he covered "Hungry Heart" for Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen, and then he recorded a cover of The Clash's "Death Or Glory" on the tribute White Riot Vol. 2: A Tribute to The Clash. He also picked up a nomination for the Shortlist Music Prize.

By November 2003 he was back in the studio recording tracks his second album, The Heat, which was released in June 2004, accompanied by a string of tour dates on both sides of the Atlantic.

Malin has also collaborated with Ryan Adams & Johnny T to form the band The Finger (the pair adopted the pseudonyms "Irving Plaza" and "Warren Peace" respectively) who released two EPs which were later collected into the album We Are Fuck You.

Malin's album, Glitter in the Gutter was released on March 20, 2007. It also featured a cover of The Replacements' "Bastards of Young" and a duet with Bruce Springsteen on "Broken Radio." A music video was also made to accompany "Broken Radio."

Malin released a 'live in the studio' album, "Love It To Life" in November 2007 on the One Little Indian label for sale in the UK. Recorded live at Gigantic Recording Studios in New York City, NY and featured songs from his previous albums. He used the title again in 2010 for an album of new material.

Malin released a covers album on 7 April 2008 entitled On Your Sleeve, containing covers of songs by, among others, The Ramones, Sam Cooke, Neil Young and The Hold Steady, as well as a studio recording of a long-time live favourite, Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'."

In 2010, Malin formed a band called Jesse Malin and the St. Mark's Social and released a new album called Love It To Life; the title comes from a quote by Joe Strummer. (The title was previously used on a 2007 UK release of live material on the One Little Indian label.) Featuring a more rockier approach, the album's first single was "Burning The Bowery" and next single was "All The Way From Moscow." Love It To Life was referred to as "the best album of his career" by Paste Magazine.

Malin was also a judge for the 9th annual Independent Music Awards.

In December 2010, Malin, along members of Green Day, formed the band 'Rodeo Queens'. They released one song, along with a video, called 'Depression Times'.

D Generation reunited in 2011 and continue to play live, with talks of a new album being released in 2012.