New York rocker Jesse Malin is a curious one, overwhelmingly friendly he chats happily about his hometown and passions, tossing in plenty of irreverent charm. He clarifies this faint distraction on stage later by explaining to the crowd that he's been talking to a lot of journalists recently and they all ask the same questions. Thankfully it appears that Room Thirteen missed out the most frequent interrogatives (although we were somewhat saddened not to have had the foresight one German interviewer had in asking the singer if 'The Fine Art of Self-Destruction was about bungee jumping) and the man's honesty makes us smile all the more.
Despite having played 6 gigs in a row and now suffering from a cold, for which he has to consume copious amounts of tea (with or without tequila), Malin is a pleasure to talk to. His new album, 'Glitter In The Gutter' is the obvious premise behind the interview and as there are two years between this record and his last ('The Heat') he jokes that he better be pleased with it, before emphasising that yes, he likes the 43 minute offering a lot. Speaking about the upbeat nature of the new album, Malin has some words of wisdom that we could all listen to, "It's time to start looking up, there's been years of this war going on and the president and prime minister and fucking global warming and bad music and terrorist fear. I think people just need to start believing in themselves and taking action whether it's in your community or family, get in a band, start a revolution, just really do something instead of just being a rat in a working maze and this record is about hope and struggle and finding those little things to get through the day, whether it be a three minute song or someone telling you a good joke in the morning." Malin's songs are definitely the kind to pick you up, when pressed as to whether to everyday romances - the black haired girl he lusts after in the song of the same name and the NY that he serenades - come from a vibrant imagination or real life, he asserts himself as a social commentator, declaring that the little vignettes, "Just come, you've got to focus on them, you've just got to realise that they're there. I wrote this for a magazine on PMA - positive mental attitude and I think it's the way you look at things, I think music is one of the liberators and one of the medicines and the outlets. It unifies people in a positive way; that's why I play music and if I can use it in that way to help emancipate me and if anyone else feels a connection, we can have that together whether it's at a live show or through a song through an iPod headphone and that means I'm doing my job properly. And hopefully I can make another record and reach more people. The world's a fucked up place but there are these little things and we can be strong with them and home in on them and focus and use those powers." Far from far out, Malin has just highlighted precisely the invigorating power that his songs present; tonight's audience couldn't stop dancing because suddenly the world felt good. I've never met a better therapist!
Although Malin seems to have a passion for getting his music out to the people, his tunes seem to have stayed just over the fence from the mainstream market, with massive critical acclaim but less chart action and press coverage. When questioned on whether it bothers him that he's not gunning for number ones, the singer confirms that he'll be "getting the high-powered water gun out" to shoot a few playlisters and DJs. When I enquire as to which album tune he'd like to be the one charging for pole position, he backs current single, 'Don't Let Them Take You Down (Beautiful Day)', a tune that seems to sum up the mood of this album perfectly, so pay heed and get downloading!
As for the big passions that drive him to write and play music, Malin asserts that "people and life" as the vital force, "That feeling of walking down the street and you've got plans, or being out on a Saturday night with a beer in your hand and hearing a record or seeing a boy or a girl that you like, just that urgency. Nightfall, the feeling of the sun, the mountains, just the energy of walking around the city and people of different cultures moving along and all those different connections, when it's good and doesn't make you want to hide in a hole!" Malin's new record is produced on Billie Joe Armstrong's label, and undoubtedly Armstrong's passions would be far more acerbic, so Malin is surprisingly effusive about their relationship, "Oh Billy likes all kinds of music, he listens to country and western. The first time I ever came to Europe I was opening up for Green Day, we played Astoria, the Brixton Academy. We've just stayed in touch, I've played US dates and he's come up, he played 'Death or Glory' by The Clash with me at the Bowery Ballroom. He's a generous guy and he's cool." Tonight 'Death or Glory' is enacted with the help of Danny Sage, the support act for the evening and former D-Generation bandmate, whose music Malin is genuinely excited to get me to hear, however he's equally positive about D-Generation's demise, "It gave me a chance to do this and focus on my songwriting and less on the shoes but someday we might play again. Never say never," he says with a an equal measure of wistful thinking and sly plotting in his voice.
Malin laughs when asked about the more famous or infamous guests on his album, from Foo Fighters Chris Shiflett to Bruce Springsteen, infact he begins to flick through his phone book, mockingly pointing out what could be the numbers of Adolf Hitler on drums, ("we've dug him up"), Jimi Hendrix and Weezer; a perfect example of his down to earth and all too amiable personality. He clarifies that they're friends he met on his travels, with Bruce Springsteen being a fan from his first album and the new duet, 'Broken Radio' coming about as a result of Malin reminding Springsteen on the Seeger Sessions Tour of his forthcoming album, and Springsteen loving the tune, which is about Malin's mother who passed away when he was 18 and listened to the radio a lot. "She used to sing along in the car and sing along to the hairbrush in the mirror and the shower," he enthuses, painting a touching picture of the subject of a truly affecting song, which is definitely one of the finest on 'Glitter In The Gutter'.
Speaking of playing the new tracks live Malin explains, "A lot of this record is written on electric guitar so live there'll be a lot of full force, in your face power and there are a lot of quiet moments. I always liked bands that can tear it up and tear it down and we try to do that on this record but the songs are a little more anthemic, little more crowd singing, less of the guy alone crying in his beer."
As for the travelling involved in the tour, he could do without it, but instantly adds that the 2 hours onstage makes it all worth it. "We're all crammed in a van together, breathing other people's smoke, sleeping very little but when you get out there under those lights, when you hear that kick drum it's great." The band he's currently travelling with is formed of two new members, the guitarist and bass player, while Christine Smith and drummer Paul Garisto are seasoned tour buddies, although that evidently doesn't stop the atmosphere getting a little too heated at times as he admits the group have had a couple of fights, but then quips, "We're pacists, we don't pass fist". The singer reels off new and old groups alike as popular favourites to listen to on the road, from singers that he grew up with like Tim Crook, Neil Young to new groups like The Hold Steady and "medium new bands" like Wilco, The Kooks and much more.
Although all of Jesse Malin's songs seem to have a spiritual home in his hometown of New York, 'Glitter In The Gutter' was recorded on L.A, which Malin states was an isolating and lonely, but focused experience. He summarises the experience: "Nowhere to drink after 1.30, silicon boobs, good vegetarian options, burritos, a lot of work - the label was there, I never saw the ocean, got to swim in a hotel pool, drove to work every day, which was kinda weird, it's not a big walking town, you walk anywhere in L.A and everyone thinks you're a male prostitute. I wouldn't move there but it's a nice place to visit". Even for New York though, Malin's patriotism seems to be becoming a little effete, "I used to feel that New York wasn't part of the rest of the America, that we were our own little country in Europe but that changed with Giuliani, the mayor who made everything corporate, so neighbourhoods became chain stores stuff that was in the middle of American like Applebys, Starbucks, Subway ended up everywhere, so it's kind of a weird time. There's still a lot of character in New York, a lot of cultures on the street, you walk around and days unfold and life just kind of happens. It's so sad that recently it's become so expensive to live there that a lot of New Yorkers aren't there anymore because they can't afford it, but I still love it. I own a bar there with some friends that we all chip in on so we can get drunk and listen to records late at night, it's called Niagra." He pauses before becoming more impassioned, "But I love New York, Coney Island, beaches, great pizza, great cinema and good tofu." Malin also mentions the closure of the infamous CBGBs but not with too much sorrow, "One thing closes, another opens", he reflects before declaring resolutely that he'd like to open a club himself, as a tribute to Joey Ramone, although he's a practical mind and claims that he's not interested in any of the other pursuits of philanthropic musicians, such as establishing a label, because he's too focused on his touring still and wouldn't want to "fuck it up and let any other artists down like I was let down when I was younger".
I raise the question of whether there's anywhere else in the world Malin could see himself living and he responds enthusiastically, "London, Stockholm, Chicago, in the North Pole with Santa", the latter clearly goes without saying, so we clarify the merits of London living, "A lot of music, good food, good people, a lot of cinema, you can walk around, taxi drivers know how to speak English and know where they're going - they're intelligent, underground is pretty good, good pubs, good jukeboxes... good women." Malin confirms that he has a soft spot for playing in Britain, "I love playing here a lot, people queue up early to hear the opening act as if they really focus on the music, I think that's really great."
To conclude I probe about Malin's aims for 2007, he reels out plenty of earnest ambitions, "Have a huge hit record, meet a lot of people, make a lot of money, keep it real, keep it honest, have a lot of fun, get to tour a lot, start writing some new songs, travel all over the world, connect with my audience, give ten thousand per cent of myself to my art, to what I do; to my guitar, use it as a weapon, from the heart, from the soul, from the universe, from the cosmos, the intergalactic rabbi!" Well, Amen to all of that!