When I read Jesse Malin’s name recently as the special guest auctioneer for Ryan Adams’ art auction at NYC’s Morrison Hotel and caught Adams’ mention that he’s been in the studio with his former collaborator and longtime friend at the NYPL Mary-Louise Parker chat, it got me wondering what else the ex-D Generation frontman has been up to of late. As it turns out, Malin did go on a bit of a hiatus following the release of his third solo album Glitter in the Gutter (though he has put out a live album and covers record since), but now he’s back with a new label, tour, and fresh material on the way.
“The new record was written after a personality crisis and brief hiatus during which Malin attempted-among other things-stints as a charity auctioneer; a Las Vegas wedding DJ; and a documentarian of Rastafarian culture,” an announcement from Malin’s new label SideOneDummy Records reads.
The as-yet-untitled album will be produced by Ted Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, Flogging Molly) and was recorded at Sonic Youth’s Think Tank Studio in Hoboken, NJ. Here’s what Jesse has to say about the upcoming record: “I wanted to mix the raw, loose energy that I got from playing in my early hardcore bands and the lonely feeling I get from traveling with an acoustic guitar.”
I’m crossing my fingers that Malin has teamed up with his buddy Ryan Adams again, as his first Adams-produced album The Fine Art of Self Destruction is one of my favorites.
Meanwhile, catch Malin on the Light of Day Benefit Tour in Europe with Marah, Willie Nile, Badly Drawn Boy and others this December.