Interview: Darren Jessee
In addition to being a founding member of Ben Folds Five, Darren Jessee has drummed for Sharon Van Etten and Hiss Golden Messenger, but beneath the memorable percussion work, he’s been a songwriter all along. With the Five, he wrote “Magic” and co-wrote “Brick,” “Kate,” and “Song for the Dumped,” and he’s since built an impressive catalog with his band Hotel Lights and now as a solo artist.
Currently based in Durham, Jessee spoke with Asheville Stages about recording his third album, Central Bridge (released today) in West Asheville, the joys of moving towards a classic singer/songwriter style, and the potential of another Ben Folds Five reunion.
Edwin Arnaudin: I read Ben Folds’ memoir when it came out, and he mentioned that, had he not moved to Chapel Hill in the early ’90s, Asheville was his second choice. Were you similarly tempted around that time by Asheville?
Darren Jessee: Man, I wish I was. That would've been the time to get in. [laughs] I wish I had done that, really. I remember talking to him about that, but at that time, there was just more energy happening in Chapel Hill. Now, it’s hard to know, really. There's just tons of stuff happening everywhere now.
EA: For sure. I went to college in Greensboro and that's really changed a lot since then. All parts of the state.
DJ: Yeah. But it would've been interesting to start a band at that time in the mid ’90s in Asheville. It would've been interesting to see what that would've been like.
EA: Absolutely. Well, I'm pretty sure I saw you at The Mothlight with Hiss Golden Messenger back in maybe 2016. And I was just curious what other history you have with Asheville prior to making some of this album at Drop of Sun [Studios].
DJ: Yeah, that was me on that gig. That was fun! But my history with Asheville…we did some gigs at The Orange Peel. When I'm thinking about Asheville, it's mostly just going there to play a show or maybe to just explore. My dad lives in Hickory and it's not too far away, so I like going to Asheville. And more recently, the last few years — just before the pandemic and during that time — I had some friends move to Asheville, and I always love it when I'm there. But if I'm not working on a music project…I don't know. I don't really have like a house there, so outside of hiking, I'm just usually there for music.
That was a longwinded way of saying, “Not really.” [laughs]
EA: [laughs] A very detailed “not really.”
DJ: The other thing that made me think about Asheville was, years ago, I was into some poets who went to a school in Black Mountain which isn't there anymore. I don't know if you know this, but there used to be a school for writers up there that Charles Olson was involved with. Kind of fascinating — I don't know really what happened. I think even Robert Creeley was there for a minute, and they were just inspired by the landscape and started the school for writers in the mountains.
EA: Was that Black Mountain College that had the kind of experimental curriculum? I think John Cage and a bunch of folks were part of?
DJ: Yeah, that’s it. Exactly.
EA: Yeah, I wish I knew more about that. They have some events that happen and there's a center downtown that has some of the history there. It's kind of amazing who was involved in that over the years.
DJ: Yeah, really incredible. It sounds like it was a pretty inspiring group of people to be around, and it was all about craft and artistry, and it wasn't so much about commercialism. It was pretty interesting stuff. There's just all these feelings — I know that's outside Asheville, but all these feelings around there for stories.
EA: So, how did you wind up choosing Drop of Sun for some of the recordings?
DJ: Well, my friend [The War on Drugs bassist] Dave Hartley, who you’ve probably run into, he's living there. So, we had been talking, and Alan [Weatherhead], the producer/engineer who makes these records with me, he now lives in Asheville as well. And they had just moved there, so I was reaching out to Dave about a studio in Asheville and, obviously, he's got some friends there. And it just kind of just came together and it ended up being the perfect place for us. It was a very good experience. I had known about the other studios in town, but when we got to Drop of Sun, they were just reopening with the changes they've made and it was really good experience. I would totally go back.
I’m walking down Blount Street and about to turn on High Street, so I just thought someone from Asheville might find this intersection…interesting.
EA: [laughs] Whoa whoa whoa!
DJ: [laughs] I know. If you only knew how backwards that the statement really is.
EA: You’re not wrong. [laughs]
And then thinking about Central Bridge being kind of a post-pandemic album, in what ways do you feel like the past few years have really impacted this set of songs?
DJ: Well, I put out a record in summer, leading into fall of 2020, and that experience was not ideal. And when I was beginning to think about a new record after the worst of the pandemic, I actually felt a lot of gratitude, and I felt, as an artist, I wanted to find some way within my own voice to express some of that.
So, I didn't really bounce out of the pandemic with anger or frustration around everything that happened or my last record. It's hard to explain, but I just felt a bunch of love and gratitude, so I kind of started from that place and had a few ideas about what I wanted to do differently. For the most part, the process and everything is pretty consistent throughout all these records for me. But that was just such a big event, and then at the other side of the pandemic, I just felt like everyone was kind of groggy and foggy, and the whole experience was…it's even hard to get a timeline on all that, when you think back on it.
Music has always showed up for me and opened the door for my future one way or another. And so Central Bridge just started to appear, and I think even the title suggests looking inward, but also just a connectivity, a feeling of being connected. My last record was even titled Remover, which kind of signals someone seeking solitude. So I was full circle, honestly. I just was ready to connect.
EA: And then I’m curious how that whole experience might have changed your outlook on just being a musician and dealing with some of these industry necessities. And maybe taking this album out on the road this year, are there things that have shifted in your brain that maybe you're looking at with a fresh lens because of all that?
DJ: Absolutely. Like I was saying before, just a sense of gratitude and just being able to be an artist is something I don't take for granted anymore. And I would like to get out and do more with this record. Currently, I don't have an agent, so it's a little harder for me to get the shows I want. But we are talking to The Grey Eagle and hopefully something will shake out.
EA: Excellent. Yeah, it's been interesting talking to artists these past few years and seeing that gratitude and how things have changed and how even the little things about touring or something that might not have been fun or just been kind of a grind are now kind of like, “Oh, I miss that. I want to be back in that.”
DJ: Definitely. I was already sort of in this rebuilding phase, personally. I had stopped playing with Hiss Golden Messenger in 2018 to put out my first solo record, so I was already in this headspace of, “I'm starting over with this only project.” But that's just kind of who I am. I’m, like, big time Aries energy and I'm always the person you want on your team to start things.
So, that was not unusual. But even in my own experience, we had a show coming up last year that we were excited about that got canceled because the other band got COVID. And that's just one little show at [Cat’s] Cradle [in Carrboro], but it just made me think of all the tours and everything that my friends were on that were postponed or rescheduled and how frustrating that must be.
But to be honest with you, a lot of us — myself included — are still parsing through the pandemic and where we are. And at a certain point, it might just be letting go of all that and moving on. I don't know.
EA: I also wanted to talk about the strings on this album. I think that's what really brings it over the top for me. Just thinking about these big, cinematic sounds on “Riding the Horses,” “A Mirage,” and “I Live in Your Hometown” — what were your inspirations for bringing that big, kind of moviegoing sound to those songs?
DJ: Oh, thanks! Well, I've been working with an arranger from Richmond, Virginia, named Trey Pollard. And Trey for a long time was a part of the Spacebomb group in Richmond, which is a collective of artists. We started working together on my first record and it was just a great fit. These last few records, I had been trying to explore getting outside of indie rock sounding stuff and a bit more into the classic singer/songwriter. And when I say that, I mean in a historic, classic sense of singer/songwriters, not the modern version of it, which is I think a little more predictable.
So, I just surround myself with all these talented people and I try to inspire the best in them and they do the same for me. So my team ended up being Alan and Trey and [bassist] Jay [Brown]. But yeah, I love the strings, too. It's a sound I had been into, and I agree with you: it does something really special with the lyrics and the pace of the music.
We make records that you would want to put on the turntable and sit back and listen to. We're in album experience mode and it takes a bit of landscape — you need 30 minutes to set it all up. And when you get to the end of the record, you felt like you really went through something and that you want to hear it again. So, we're still kind of operating from that place, really.
EA: Well, we listeners appreciate that. As a vinyl head myself, it's very much appreciated.
DJ: It's my pleasure, too. Music and books are the most important things to me, and listening to albums has kind of shaped my life, so I'm with you.
EA: That's kind of a perfect segue to the last couple of things I wanted to say, including that the Five was one of my formative bands when I was really getting into music. It was you guys and Beastie Boys and Wyclef Jean and the Refugee Allstars. So, just a big time thanks for playing such an important part and getting me into music right when I needed it.
DJ: Well, that means the world. I appreciate it.
I've always tried to hang with artists who are doing their own thing, who are sort of fiercely original. I don't mean that in a way of being loud — I don't mean that stylistically; I just mean their vision is sort of their own and don't really run with trends so much. That seems to resonate with you as well.
We once had the same lawyer for a minute [as the Beastie Boys]. And we were just kids and we were kind of obsessed because the Beastie Boys were one of the biggest bands in the world. And so we asked about them and the only information we got was that they all had juicers and they were very healthy. They were constantly taking care of their health and stuff, and we were just kind of blown away. That's kind of all I remember is hearing that the Beastie Boys had juicers.
EA: [laughs] That explains so much.
DJ: [laughs] Yeah. I still don’t have a juicer.
EA: Yeah, it’s a lot of work. I had a friend give me one and I just tried to make some orange juice and I was over it after about five minutes.
DJ: [laughs] Yeah, it is a ton of work.
EA: I’m like, “I’m just going to go to the store!” [laughs] Well, the only other thing I was curious about was if you and Ben and [Ben Folds Five bassist] Robert [Sledge] are still in pretty regular connection or have y'all kind of gone your separate ways?
DJ: Ben and I have been texting here recently because we both have new music. We stay in touch a bit, but he's in Australia now. It's unrealistic to have expectations for that band. I mean, you'd have to ask yourself how far you want to fly for band practice, right?
EA: [laughs]
DJ: But I'm not really sure, to be honest. I don't spend too much time thinking about it anymore. If that's what the universe wants and the energy is around that, then I would not stand in the way. I'd be excited. But at the same time, artistically, I'm in a good place. I like the work I'm doing. I'm 50 now and this is technically my seventh record, so I'm kind of after trying to make a name for myself as a writer and creating the life as an artist that will be satisfying for me — and that might not look like me touring constantly on drums anymore. I think it could look like me moving towards writing, and that feels good.
It's hard to move on from something that you're known for because people will always remind you or put you there. But it’s also really exciting to start new things. Like I was saying earlier, I have always had the personality type that likes to take on the challenge of starting impossible ventures and being around the crazy spirited artists that you'll meet who think that's a good idea. That energy has always worked for me, and that's how it was when I met Ben.
(Photos by Dustin Condren)
