Jesse Malin, Kevn Kinney

Released in 2003, ‘The Fine Art Of Self Destruction’ was the debut album by New York based singer-songwriter Jesse Malin. “It wasn’t named for drug or alcohol abuse,” he states. “It was more about a personal wreckage when I looked back on my life, from my parents’ divorce to failed relationships, broken up bands, dropping out of school, crashing cars, breaking things. It was more of a spiritual journey in some sense. This record is definitely one of my favourites.”

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, ‘The Fine Art Of Self Destruction’ was reissued on 17th February 2023 in expanded form with a bonus disc of the album reimagined and re-recorded with Malin’s longtime band. The bonus material was produced by Derek Cruz and engineered by Geoff Sanoff, who worked on Jesse’s recent ‘Sunset Kids’ and ‘Sad And Beautiful World’ releases.

A video for a new version of the album song ‘Brooklyn’ entitled ‘Brooklyn (Walt Whitman in the Trash)’ that honours New York in days of yore has been directed by Catherine Popper and Vivian Wang. “Cat and Vivian have a great sense of beauty, art and decay,” Malin adds. “‘Brooklyn’ is about beginnings, those early days of innocence and big dreams that often collide with irreversible mistakes and regret. We try to find ways to accept the mistakes and look back with laughter, forgiveness and love.”

Following his teenage years in the pioneering hardcore band Heart Attack and his 20s fronting the wild and beloved D Generation, Malin took a cue from his songwriting heroes and was ready for a chance to stand alone. His solo debut was recorded over six days in New York City, live and raw.

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Kevn Kinney is an acclaimed Rock and Folk singer, songwriter and performer most widely known as the founder and frontman of the Atlanta-based rock band Drivin N Cryin.

An accomplished musician, poet, and painter, Kinney has released multiple critically-acclaimed recordings over his  30+ year professional career including the gold-certified album Fly Me Courageous. He is well-known for his collaborations with the Allman Brothers’ Warren Haynes, REM, and Grammy Award-winning producer Paul Ebersold, among others.

Executive Producers of F/X Network’s hit TV show Archer asked Kinney to produce 12 tracks (five of which were pre-existing DNC/KK songs and three were written anew for the series) for season 5 debuting January 13, 2014.

Kevn Kinney has just released his first solo record in more than a decade, also his first vinyl since 1990’s MacDougal Blues. Featuring R.E.M. co-founders Peter Buck and Bill Berry, as well as Brad Morgan of Drive-By Truckers, Laur Joamets (Drivin N Cryin, Midland, Sturgill Simpson) and more, the star-studded Think About It has its roots in the introspective solitude of the pandemic, and also the passing of Kinney’s old friend, the iconic oddball musical/improvisational genius and lighting-rod philosopher Col. Bruce Hampton.

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