Jesse Malin has long been one of New York City’s best kept secrets. A rock troubadour from Queens, he forged a sound rooted in punk, and rounded out with the melodic grace of a Tom Waits song about carnival rides. He began making noise in the 1990s with his band D Generation. But it was Ryan Adams who helped Malin develop the sound he has been known for since 2003’s brilliant “The Fine Art of Self Destruction“. There he found his voice, and he wrote songs that moved from fiery rockers to slow burns, and dealt with topics like lost love, lost faith, and the power of hope.
It’s his music that fans have now long leaned on during the most difficult of times, turning to the inherent optimism that can be located even in the darkest of tunes.
Now he has been forced to do the same. Last year he suffered a paralyzing spinal stroke that left him unable to walk. Since then he had been in Buenos Aires, undergoing experimental treatments that now have him able to move with the assistance of a walker.
Argentina is Jesse Malin’s latest single, out now on Wicked Cool Records.
The Fat Angel Sings 