We bow our heads in remembrance as Malin and Schoepp bring us Tales of love, loss, death and friendship.
It seems apt for Jesse Malin to be touring to celebrate the re-launch of his 20-year-old ‘The Fine Art of Self-Destruction’ at The Garage, as this London building celebrates its own 30 year anniversary as a music venue (we were there from the start).
‘You write what you know’ Jesse Malin once said, and it is to be an evening of retrospection, narratives, poignancy, elation; an evening amongst old and new friends, of merged backgrounds and effortless cohesion.
We weren’t sure what we were expecting as the support to Jesse Malin on this packed Friday night, but after having battled the insane traffic, seeing and hearing Trapper Schoepp was a delightfully welcome surprise.
A seemingly all american boy, dressed in a button-down shirt and jeans, accompanied by his enamel flowered burgundy guitar and harmonica, the tremendously talented Trapper Schoepp took the spotlight. As we started to listen to that warm, engaging and compelling voice, all frustration faded away and we were tightly woven into Trapper’s world through his cleverly connected set of songs. Trapper clearly loves being on stage – it is absolutely where he belongs. Flowing, charismatic Americana combined with his gorgeous, smoky vocals and confident strumming makes for a joyous start to the evening. Accompanied by the brilliant Carter Shilts on mandolin, Trapper’s stories are surging, reflective and tender, moving through the full range of emotions. Using the capo to change key, Trapper tells us a little story between each song. Starting with the harmonic hooks of Queen of the Mist, he follows with On Wisconsin,(the song that made him the youngest ever person to share a song writing credit with Bob Dylan), Ogelalla, and The Scat; a song about an amusement park ride with its tremolo mandolin finish. The frenetic Freight Train, featuring jamming in between verses with Carter, is fresh and frantic. Energy and enjoyment soar and Trapper finishes his exciting set with Devil’s Kettle – a powerful, defiant summation of this joyful set.
Speaking to Trapper during the break, over an alcohol-free beer (no Budweisser here) , he seems genuinely overjoyed to meet his delightedly appreciative audience, many of whom are asking for selfies with him. Trapper tells me he turned to music in general and singing and song writing in particular following an accident that put an end to a promising BMX racing career. Taking up the safer practices of guitar playing, Trapper tells me that at the age of 15, he “replaced BMXing with music”… serendipitous indeed.
Jesse asks us, “Do you remember?” We do"
Jesse Malin and his 4 piece band (consisting of keys, drums, bass and electric guitar) take the stage to begin their impressive 2 hour-long set. Jesse begins by telling the rapt crowd that he has “spent some time thinking about love”. Back in London town, 20 years after releasing his critically acclaimed “The Fine Art of Self Destruction”, Jesse’s live performance has lost none of its energy, power and stellar quality.
The Garage is absolutely and quite rightly rammed as he begins with Room 13, a beautiful song about those moments when you are alone with no distractions to think about what really matters- and this rightly sets the tone for this cleverly crafted set which encompasses all those years, styles and songs that illustrate Jesse Malin as the master singer/songwriter he is. This contemplative start segues quickly into the punchy, upbeat Pogues cover, If I Should Fall From Grace With God, which gets everyone moving, followed by Way We Used To Roll, everyone joining in as Jesse asks us, “Do you remember?” We do.
Jesse and the band then start on songs from the re-released special anniversary edition of “The Fine Art of Self Destruction”, starting with Queen of the Underworld with its lovely melodic ostinato keys accompaniment, seamlessly followed by TKO, a juxtaposition of suffering and redemption. The fans know these lyrics; they love them, they believe them, they are singing them tonight out loud.
The band tonight comprises long-standing members Derek Cruz on guitar, Rob Clores on keyboard and James Cruz on bass. Paul Garisto, who played on The Fine Art when originally recorded, is on drums. Beautiful harmonies, thought-provoking lyrics and soul searching emotive themes are explored flawlessly through a range of tempi, dynamics and key signatures- this is what Jesse Malin does so brilliantly; this communication, connection, ultimately inclusive self- expression.
He (Howie Pyro), changed my life and so many others in ways I can’t even begin to say. We made our world together"
And so the stories begin… in his quintessential New-Yorker style, Jesse tells us tales of friendship, notably his with Ryan Adams, whose input 20 years ago he credits with the change of direction of this career. He tells us of love, hope, loss, (some names changed to protect identities – especially the song Wendy). Taking us back to the very beginning of his musical career in Brooklyn, he sings of beginnings, depicting this through simple chords which build to a complex, evocative chorus which has everyone joining in. Throughout the dark Garage, now bathed in an orange glow, you can see matching black berets bobbing sympathetically, acknowledging and agreeing with every sentiment.
The mic is fed out and Jesse is in the crowd… right in the middle… and then at the opposite end to the stage, by the bar, requesting refreshment in the form of vodka. He sings to us from the bar before singing all the way back to the stage, through the delighted, tightly packed crowd.
Jesse then sings Broken Radio, a story of a club he opened on the east side of NY, telling us about his great friend and co-member of D-Generation, Howie Pyro, of whom he has said; ‘He changed my life and so many others in ways I can’t even begin to say. We made our world together.’ Jesse tells us of his drive to keep a ‘positive mental attitude’ in the light of the challenges and complexities of life. The Fine Art of Self-Destruction warns against morbid self-obsession as he tells us how, as a child, he would break his own toys and things he loved in his frustration and confusion of the world around him.
She Don’t Love me Now sees a change to an upbeat, lively dance-y vibe and in true Malin style, the synonymous mood of everyone is lifted and we are all moving again. Wild guitar solos, chromatic crescendos, furious drumming, a driving bass line and insane jamming on keys lead us through the three encores; Revelations, Rudie Cant Fail and Meet me at the End of the World Again, Trapper Schoepp joining Jesse and the band on stage to give us the final, ultimately undeniable message that “Life is for living”- a glorious and fitting end to a life-affirming night.
JESSE MALIN played The Garage, Islington on 17th February 2023.
Support from Trapper Schoepp
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