WELCOME TO THE PONY

Jesse Malin
with special guests Hollis Brown
Ecks Men
Matty Carlock & The Jailbirds

Jesse Malin — whom the London Times says “writes vivid songs with killer tunes and sings them with scary conviction”— and Lucinda Williams— the southern troubadour once named “America’s best songwriter” by Time magazine— first met in the early 2000s at a jazz club in NYC’s West Village. In a joint 2017 Rolling Stone interview, the two discussed their “shared love of miscreants, misfits, the misunderstood and the mysteries of everyday lives binds them across the Mason-Dixon line.”

“From the early frontier days of hardcore in New York to all the punk rock and singer/songwriter touring,” says Malin, “it’s all been about survival and reinvention. I wanted to make an open-sounding record with the space to tell these stories. I like to write about characters and people I meet along the way. The dreamers, schemers, hustlers, romantics, lovers, leavers and believers.” Many of the dreamers, schemers and so on from Jesse’s own life contribute to Sunset Kids, his new album of highly personal songsbeing released August 30 on Wicked Cool Records.

Sunset Kids first took shape at The Hollywood Bowl, when Jesse accepted Lucinda’s invitation to see her open for what turned out to be Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ final concert.The bittersweet experience inspired one of the new album’s highlights, “Shining Down,” a rainy day jangle about “keeping alive the spirits of the ones we’ve lost.” During that same visit, the idea came about of three-time Grammy-winning Lucinda producing Jesse’s next record.

“Lucinda has a great eye for finding the beauty in broken things and a knack for always picking the right take. Once she started dancing in the control room, we knew we had it.”

In addition to this rare turn in the producer’s chair for Williams, she co-wrote and sang on the evocative Country-flavored “Room 13,” which Malin calls “the heart of the record in a lot of ways, about those meditative moments far away from home, where you’re forced to reflect on the things that really matter.”

The album also features “Chemical Heart,” an upbeat pop basher located at a mythical point on Queens Boulevard where Paul Simon and The Ramones intersect, name checking Bernie Taupin and Jake LaMotta among others. “Shane” is a gentle ballad about one of his heroes, the lovably shambolic Shane MacGowanof The Pogues.

“My first album, The Fine Art Of Self-Destruction, was about finding glory in the wreckage,” says Malin of the album which was upon release Uncut’s “Album of the Month.” “Sunset Kidsis about owning it. The failures, the victories, the moments. And moving up from there.”

After reflecting on his life while walking the streets of London, jamming riffs in an East Village basement and writing songs in Florida hotel rooms while visiting his ailing father, the ambitious 14-song album was recorded on both coasts between the two artists’ touring schedules.

It opens with the pre-apocalyptic confession “Meet Me At The End Of The World Again,” which includes backing vocals by Malin confidante and collaborator Joseph Arthur. Another key guest contribution comes courtesy of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, who co-wrote and sang on “Strangers & Thieves.”

“Billie Joe was in town and I showed him where we hung out when we were kids in the hardcore days,” Malin recalls. “A couple days later, I got a text and he had finished the song. He went into the details of his experience in the Bay Area with that scene, and also my experiences, which were very parallel in New York.”

Those early days found a young Jesse “riding the subway trains from Queens to the record stores and nightclubs in dirty, pre-Disney New York City” and never looking back. His band Heart Attack put out the first New York hardcore single “God Is Dead” when Malin was 14 years old. He later went on to acclaim as the frontman for the fast and loud D Generation, whose albums were produced by Ric Ocasek, Tony Visconti and David Bianco.

Bianco is one of the Sunset Kids referenced in the album’s title. The engineer who won a Grammy for his pristine sonics on Tom Petty’s Wildflowers and produced the first major-label release of Jesse’s career passed away suddenly after overseeing the initial sessions for Sunset Kids in his L.A. studio.

  “Playing music is something I need to do. Singing under those hot lights every night is a great exorcism. We get to put together this pirate ship of characters and go around the world making trouble and singing our guts out.”

As the line in crucial cut “When You’re Young” says, “Don’t waste your life on things that don’t get better.” Malin concludes: “It’s about finding ways to survive and navigate through all this stuff. Being compassionate and loving in a world that will break your heart. But you’re still here. You wake up again and put one foot in front of the other and live every day like it could be your last.”

$22 in advance (plus applicable surcharges), $25 at the door

MELVIN SEALS & JGB

Tickets: $25 in advance (plus applicable surcharges), $30 at the door

Melvin Seals has been a powerful presence in the music industry for over 30 years with a long-established reputation as a performer, recording artist and producer. Melvin is most revered for his powerful, high-spirited, Hammond B-3 organ, and keyboards in the Jerry Garcia Band. Melvin spun his B-3 magic with the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years and in doing so helped pioneer and define what has now become “Jam Band Music”. From blues to funk to rock to jazz, Melvin Seals serves up a tasty mix with a little R&B and gospel thrown in to spice things up.

Melvin and JGB bring an intuitive, expressive style, soul, spontaneity and remarkable chops to the table. John Kadlecik on lead guitar and vocal duties, John-Paul McLean’s savory bass, Pete Lavezzoli’s hearty drums and, of course, a heapin’ helpin’ of the wizard’s magic on Hammond B-3 Organ and keyboards. Along with Lady Chi & Mary-eL on back-up vocals, the result is a most satisfying blend of natural organic grooves that challenges genre boundaries. Their chemistry is the focus from which they create a spontaneous and high art where the sky is the limit musically. They offer an exciting, often psychedelic musical journey that changes nightly and keeps the audience dancing and smiling (and some staring in amazement) for hours.

Adding his rock-gospel-soul-rhythm and blues touch with his funky style of playing, no wonder Jerry nicknamed him “Master of the Universe.” Melvin continues to treat music lovers to his unique brand of melodic flavor with JGB. Come see and hear for yourself!

Melvin Seals – Hammond B3 Organ, Keyboards & Vocals

John Kadlecik – Electric Guitar & Lead Vocals

John-Paul McLean – Bass

Pete Lavezzoli – Drums

Lady Chi & Mary-eL – Backup Vocals

Pink Talking Fish
Jams on the Sand Announce Party

Tickets: $20 in advance (plus applicable surcharges), $22 at the door

Come join us for the announcement party for Jams On The Sand with one of our favorite alumni, Pink Talking Fish. Pink Talking Fish is a hybrid tribute fusion act that takes the music from three of the world’s most beloved bands and creates a special treat for fans of the music.  Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads and Phish are all more than just bands, they are considered by many as phenomenons. Their creations have artistically inspired people and their mind-blowing live performances have brought people together to form a special sense of community around the love for their favorite band.  Although the music from each act is different, Pink Talking Fish has discovered that fusing the material together creates an amazing story. The epic emotion of Pink Floyd, the funky, danceable layerings of The Talking Heads, the multitude of styles, unique compositional structures and pure fun of Phish merged into one gives music lovers a special experience.

Los Amigos Invisibles

Winners of a Latin Grammy, five nominations for the same awards, three American Grammy nominations, more than 60 countries visited, nine studio albums, a live DVD + CD, a remix album and an own record house in 22 years of trajectory, several of his songs have won the “Song of the Year” award by the American Society of Composers (ASCAP), are just some of the important data of a band whose career has no brake on the music scene , these are the Invisible Friends.

Aterciopelados

Aterciopelados, the pioneer Latin-American folk-rock group, returns after 8 years with their first long and live project entitled “Reluciente, Rechinante y Aterciopelado.” This CD+DVD is a compilation of the most representative songs of their repertoire that celebrates over two decades of their existence as a band. It features the participation of big names, such as Macaco, León Larregui (vocals for the Mexican group Zoé), Goyo (Chocquibtown) and Catalina García (Monsieur Periné).

Aterciopelados have grown and evolved with each production, making history in Latin America and the rest of the world. They have released seven studio and one compilation album, selling over ten million copies of their records. Their album Río has been mentioned by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 10 best Latin rock albums of all times.

Tickets: $30 in advance (plus applicable surcharges),$35 at the door