The release party, and what else we got up to in 2024


We like to end these posts with a bit of a window into our plans for the coming year, but 2025 is still kind of a mystery to me.

You may have heard some of the unsubstantiated rumors about me planning a release of a 33 album box set on my 33rd birthday in 2026 – but for 2025, no such rumors even exist, much less anything concrete – there have been some offers for gigs and tours, and some talks about that, but there’s nothing set in stone.

I still have to figure out what gigs are doable, which ones I really want to do, which ones would best serve my audience – at the moment, a lot of people tell us they don’t have disposable income to even go to these kinds of gigs – so we have to figure out what’s really worth doing. It might be better to save some of these tours for better times, when the world isn’t in total crisis. Or maybe this is when we’re needed the most – it’s hard to say.

I’ve also been writing a ton of new songs! Whether or not I’ll be recording or releasing many of those in the next year remains totally uncertain, but you can at least expect to see some rough outlines and teasers of new material in some primordial form or another, online and/or at the gigs.

And, I’ve been in a collaborative mood lately, so I’ve been cooking up some new collaborative projects with other artists, some of which you might’ve seen and heard bits and pieces of this year – so stay tuned for more in that vein. And feel free to get in touch if you’re interested in collaborating on a project together.

In a collaborative mood with Zandy Nova, Negrita Yani, and Irupé Proyecta, performing a mélange of music, poetry, and live visuals together at Librespacio La Jícara, 2024 (photos by Pablo Mekler)
In a collaborative mood with Jeffrey Lewis and Barton Lewis, performing “Lady Godiva’s Operation” during a Lou Reed tribute event at Sidewalk NYC, 2014
In a collaborative mood in 2011, randomly starting a rock and roll duo with my mom on drums
Once again in a collaborative mood, with Kid Lucky and Jane LeCroy, performing Jane’s song “Lost My Way” at Brooklyn’s Goodbye Blue Monday, 2011

Overall, I’m hopeful for 2025 – in 2024, we’ve made a lot of art that people really seem to enjoy and get a lot out of, we’ve built a lot that’s worth building on, and we’ve gone through a lot of transformation that’s ultimately for the best. So I’m looking forward to building on all that even more, and making even more art that hopefully you’ll enjoy and get a lot out of!

All the best,
Jesse

photo by Katherine Koch

jump back to:

Page 1: Dancing dogs and insects in the days before the party, visual art and guests start to arrive

Page 2: Poetry and Music at the party

Page 3: Cannonball Statman at the party

Page 4: Winter in Wales, recording the new album in Somerset

Page 5: Spring Romantic Punk touring season in Europe and the UK

Page 6: Summer performances in Mexico, digging through the archives in Oaxaca and Puebla

Page 7: Autumn reflections on the NYC underground scene and the power of music

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