Silver Patron Saints – The Songs Of Jesse Malin | Album review

Silver Patron Saints – The Songs Of Jesse Malin

(Glassnote Records)

LP | Stream

Out 20th September 2024

PRE-ORDER HERE

The world of rock’n’roll has come together to produce an album of Jesse Malin’s songs performed by other artists both as a tribute to Jesse and also to raise money for his ongoing treatment to recover from a rare spinal stroke which left him paralysed back in May 2023.

Silver Patron Saints not only serves as a fine tribute to an artist who has been within the very heartbeat of the New York rock’n’roll scene for such a long time, but also demonstrates what a huge songwriting talent Jesse really is.

Music was principally born out of the art of storytelling as well as its spiritual connotations and I have always considered it to be one of the most powerful and potent forces in the world as we know it. Let’s face it, little else can bring people together from such diverse and disparate backgrounds into one huge melting pot of love and emotion and, at its finest, it can strike right to the very core and fabric of your soul. And for me it was Bob Dylan who so eloquently transformed the art of songwriting in the 60’s to bring it into the modern era and help to shape so much of what was to follow, documenting those pivotal times that were ever changing along the way.

One of those artists who picked up that songwriting baton was Jesse Malin, a youthful punk from Queens in New York, who had his own view on the world around him and found music as a way of both releasing his emotions and expressing his views on life. Spending his very young and formative years developing his art in the New York underground, foraging through the hardcore and glam punk scene whilst absorbing all that was around him, and also crucially making many influential friends along the way, Jesse found himself as a core element of the very heartbeat of the New York rock’n’roll scene, treading the boards with the great and the good from all walks of life.

But then of course maturity does start to bring a scene shift to your perspective on life and influence the kind of art form through which you wish to portray your feelings as an artist. And that shift emerged in 2003 when Jesse decided to take a more personal and reflective approach through his art which started with his debut solo album, The Fine Art Of Self Destruction which, quite rightly, received huge critical acclaim. I had the good fortune to interview Jesse during a UK tour in 2004 for a mates’ Community radio station programme and what struck me immediately was how every song we discussed had a real context and a story behind it.

Not only does Jesse’s music subsume so much of the great influences that he has absorbed over the years and reconfigure it in a whole new unique form and context, but he has always written with such passion, honesty and sincerity, always seeking to portray the PMA mantra that he has so avidly promoted throughout his life and career. Little wonder that I have seen Jesse perform live more than any other artist.

Just as important is that Jesse has always shown such care and empathy towards others and has consistently been a passionate supporter of other people’s causes, through his time, energy and pure artistic talent. And let’s not forget those grim times at the start of this decade when live shows were so suddenly curtailed by the pandemic in March 2020. Not even that could hold back Jesse Malin as his weekly series of live streams throughout 2020 became the stuff of legend and single-handedly kept music alive for me and so many others around the world.

Set against this context, it was this overwhelming sense of positivity and determination that was so cruelly challenged on a fateful day in May 2023 when Jesse suffered a rare spinal stroke condition which left Jesse paralysed from the waist down. It was at this moment when the world of rock’n’roll turned on its heels and recognised it was now Jesse who needed their support, especially with the huge medical costs that were to follow in Jesse’s long battle to achieve any form of physical recovery.

Aside from establishing a Jesse Malin Fund as part of the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which had been established to raise funds to support artists in difficult situations, this is when a gathering of artists started coming together to record some of Jesse’s songs from throughout his career. This has now manifested itself into a 27 song album under the banner of Silver Patron Saints – The Songs Of Jesse Malin to raise vital money for this Fund.

One look at the stature of the artists involved in this project tells you all you need to know about the impact and influence Jesse has had in the rock’n’roll world. The track listing reads like a who’s who of the great and the good, really demonstrating the love, respect and support towards an artist who has given so much to so many over the years. Let’s face it, it’s not often you can include names such as Springsteen, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Ian Hunter, Billie Joe Armstrong, Counting Crows, Graham Parker, Wayner Kramer, Rancid and Willie Nile all in the space of one review. A truly eclectic bunch indeed which reflects on Jesse’s immense reach, impact and influence within the music business.

So on with the show and where better to start than Bruce Springsteen with whom Jesse has collaborated on numerous occasions. Here Bruce delivers a version of She Don’t Love Me Now filled with real heart and soul together with a suitably glorious sax solo to close it. Counting Crows give Oh Sheena the full-on rock treatment with all the urgency that the original demanded, whilst The Hold Steady give Death Star a suitably hard edge.

No such compilation would be complete without a version of Brooklyn which became an instant classic when it appeared on Jesse’s debut solo album over 20 years ago. We have become accustomed to two different versions of this song – both band and stripped down acoustic – and this falls somewhere in the middle, but still draws out the heartfelt sentiment which sits at the core of the narrative, especially with the impassioned vocal. Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello give Room 13 an alternative country feel, with shimmering vocals which seems even more poignant for this reflective song given how much time Jesse has spent in hospital beds over the past 15 months.

Shane is presented by Rocky O’Riordan as an appropriately sensitive version of this tribute to Shane MacGowan, with the line “everybody sends their love” applying equally here to Jesse as he battles back to try and find some kind of new normality. Greener Pastures features Graham Parker in a wonderfully countrified blues arrangement, again with the poignant sentiment “greener pastures always come to you, you can make it if you try”, which aligns so strongly with Jesse’s ongoing mantra for PMA which I am certain will get him over the line in his recovery.

Black Haired Girl is attacked by Billie Joe Armstrong with the driving energy which is exactly what we have missed and look forward to on Jesse’s return to the stage. Meanwhile Riding On The Subway starts off as if Tommy and Ruby Stinson are busking on the street before it explodes into life with the band hitting the strong beat full on. St. Mark’s Sunset is given a lively arrangement by the Walker Roaders which is closer to being an Irish jig, whilst Dead On is performed by Ian Hunter with a dark and moody vibe replete with Ian’s classic husky vocal tones which breed sincerity throughout the song.

Almost Grown gets a full-on alternative country treatment courtesy of Danny Clinch and Christopher Thorn, alongside Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, whilst Aaron Lee Tasjan gives Shining Down an ethereal feel, quite appropriate for a song written in the wake of Tom Petty’s untimely loss to the world of rock’n’roll. Willie Nile runs with All The Way From Moscow in straight up no nonsense NYC rock’n’roll style, the way it was always meant to be, whereas Prisoners Of Paradise is given a total makeover by Bleachers with a significantly toned down arrangement underpinned with a skiffle style beat.

And just to prove that this album covers the full breadth of Jesse’s immense and hugely impressive back catalogue, we get the full-on hardcore treatment of God Is Dead by Agnostic Front taking a song from Jesse’s first band Heart Attack, and also two from the songbook of glam punk outfit D Generation, No Way Out (featuring Rancid) and Frankie (featuring Murphy’s Law). And even after all these, there are so many more songs on this album which I haven’t even touched on which make it the excellent collection that it is.

As for Jesse’s current state in terms of his recovery, the great news is that he is making progress and is continuing a strict daily regimen with physical therapy and stem-cell treatments. As Jesse comments, “I am getting some strength back in my legs, but it moves a lot slower than I would like. I don’t want to portray it like I’m ready to do the James Brown splits onstage. I definitely have a long way to go, but I’m blessed and so grateful for the amazing fans and friends that I have.” And Jesse is also now emerging back into the public eye through his own online personal updates and interviews which is truly heartwarming.

Building even further on this is the news that Jesse Malin will finally return to the stage at the Beacon Theatre in New York City at the beginning of December for the biggest hometown shows of his career. The show on 1st December has already sold out, with some tickets remaining for the show on the 2nd which can be bought HERE. All proceeds from the shows will benefit Jesse’s Sweet Relief Artist Fund. Jesse will perform a full set with his band, followed by special guests at each show that include Lucinda Williams, Jakob Dylan, Butch Walker, J Mascis, Adam and David Immy of Counting Crows, The Hold Steady and Alejandro Escovedo, with more yet to be announced. Aside from the important funds to be raised for such a worthy cause, these are going to be two truly amazing shows.

As for Silver Patron Saints, well if you have ever been wary of compilations of cover versions of an artist’s songs as much as I have in the past, then put your fears to one side because this is a classic album which will stand the test of time and serves as a very fine tribute to Jesse’s songwriting talents and the respect which is directed his way from the music business right across the world. So dig deep and invest some of your hard earned cash to this very worthy cause for what I regard as one of the most important releases of 2024 on so many levels….trust me you will not be disappointed.

I will leave the final words to Jesse himself, “My whole process since I started making music at 13 has been to progress, evolve and challenge myself on each record. I really hope people in all parts of the world can relate to these songs, just the spectrum of emotions, overcoming by celebrating life through music and art” and “As always in my songs, the themes are all there – transcendence, positivity and global unity through music. This is what I love to do, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep doing it.” Let’s just do our own little bit to help Jesse achieve this!

You can donate to the Sweet Relief Musician’s Fund for Jesse Malin here.

You can pre-order the Silver Patron Saints album here or pre-save it here.

You can find Jesse Malin on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and his website.

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All words by Ian Corbridge. You can find more of his writing at his author profile here.