Jesse Grant

The person who should be president next year hasn't been born yet.

2012-01-29T22:05:00.000-08:00

Leaders
They know slurs,
those words we butter both with double-meaning
to keep the things on point which get applauded to the background.
Our hero,not an officer, Liens against split logs, straddling the shadow of a neighbor's fence.

Swayed either way by gaffes, glamour and recompense.
Through the slats he sees the birds in the weather, huddled together,

beyond the shelter of market-rate rents.
They're rootless, feckless, increasingly reckless and tense.
He hears calm breaths and nasal drips, shaped by cupped palms and fingertips in two person tents.
He wets his lips and sits, sighs and admits that here, clearly there,

self-love is best not publicy expressed, but every other kind is, all the rest.

Our goal as Americans should be to create a time machine before the elections.

Once the machine exists we just have to wait for the future president to use it,

then they can activate their nanopolitics and fix all the problems.
Let's get started.

I Forget the Words

2011-12-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

It's not a new song or the best possible effort, but it was recorded and produced on an ipod touch, and that's pretty cool.

Existential Piss

2011-11-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

Rational beings rationalize being, as agnostic thought does not beg the question.
Hoard, procreate, suffocate.
Titrated confidence and concentration, translucence bound along corn-silk spindles of cognitive consonance and conscious expectation.
Void for the duration of the dark night of the soul, locked in the small hours, plucked and dropped like buckshot thud in a wooden bowl till over-full,
then they roll all over.

Soon even daytime eyes begin to tingle and vapor, the tide rolling out, draining the face chalk-white and dry as paper. Pumped red by the beat until now and then the plug pulled again.
Rising up, the lump half-mast in the throat, fast fulcrum for empty cup and soggy coat.
The chest heaves the footsteps cut
no impression for others to see
beyond a shadow, an atom, me.

Wicked Middle Finger

2011-10-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

New song. So fresh it's still winking and dripping.

Pop a Wheelie

2011-10-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

New song, shifted out of a recent pile of mostly-finished-whatevers. I bought an acoustic guitar in the near past which doesn't plug in so well, but I'm gathering the benefits of owning one. So, here I am, acoustically nude.

Tools

2011-09-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

still Smelling of turned earth, remnants nestled, sprouting from the nail bed. A thin black line crowning every finger-head, easy proof of work and worth.
Found hungry for grazing when planting ended, dreams of green chard and kale and red carrots blazing. But thin stew until then contended.
Spooned on bread, shifting weight in line from limb to limb, and well-maintained attitude problem...
Drifting down from "Fidgets", the name given the junkie midget, so jealous of your veins. If only you could donate a clear path to his brain again. But, you relent, that vessel met with hardening gridlock would only cause him future pain.
Good process, in good humour, which cuts such loose pangs of silk and chain from the throat and fangs of tepid, graying, and torpid reins. Free to ride a less degrading tack and train of thought, or at the very least, to maintain the one you've got.

Pet Separation

2011-08-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Just to be clear, nothing I've posted here or anywhere else is autobiographical. Even if I'm explicitly self-referential, such as; "I, Jesse Grant, know how to make peanut brittle", there is nothing to infer. I don't know how, in fact, but I bet it's pretty easy.

Here's a song, short, simple, about someone with animal issues.

Anders Behring Breivik

2011-08-01T17:18:00.000-07:00

is 32 years old. A very special age philosophically for a Christian terrorist. As he will historically be one of the great psychopaths of my generation, he is automatically interesting. In reading about him, though, there seems to be more lurking beneath the enamel. Something uncomfortably common and excruciatingly human, a parenthetical life.
I've just made/posted a song on the subject, it is rough, but I hope you like it.

A future aquired by iron sights

2011-07-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

is a guide between fine lines on neutral carpeting.
One foot drags behind, an ossified mass ground between the lightness and the lye.
The second splayed forward in stride, toes curled and dipped, gripping the fibers and flies.
Gathering subsistence, that most personal disease. No form of pride, but the kind of deadly contentment which arrests and molests the mind.
The immortality of empty days, swallowed by calendars like bits of clay, yet always survived.
We will last forever.

Clip from Cafe International 6.10.11

2011-06-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

Personality Theory in the 21st Century

2011-06-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

INTP,
that's what the test said.

How adorable. A child's instant introspection. Profundity playing rugby with raw chicken.

Still, the evidence is there to be read. It stands erect on wiry empirical legs, pivoting and pitching, lapping at the published, the peer-reviewed, the pimple on the internet. Bored and desperate, disgusted and disgusting, neatly absurd.

All these cherished inferences lay flat. That quivering behemoth of individuality still stumbles in dogged continuity, hand-measuring the visceral and viciously unscientific volume of personhood. Here in stride, the one undeniable fact rattles in one roundly addled recollection:

The letters are the same as they were in

1998

2001

2006

6/2/2011

(Last time I checked.)

which begs questions of degeneration, of growth, the mighty myth of measurable change.

Check all the hardware in keeping with the original law: every living cell in dumb compliance, from Copy to apostosy to copy, the deformities of aging offering the only hint of any motion at all.

This mind could be better, it could be different, but only hypothetically.

So I checked, it's still wet. Still bemused by the politics of oral sex in a single party state...

Come on, don't be an idiot, at least two parties are required.

Two new songs

2011-05-15T14:57:00.001-07:00

The Hole Thing

Reincarnation Blues

(In the player)

It's the Tenderloin Red-Tailed Hawk,

2011-05-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

Striking down Seagulls an' hounding the Rock

Cheggidaught!

2011-05-01T00:06:00.000-07:00

$30 pedalboard, I should have done this a long time ago. Yeah, it's a little big, but that's room to expand. It's constructed of 1/2 inch scrap plywood sanded butt-smooth and some rubber door-stopper feet at the far corners for anti-skid and minor slant. The pedals are attached with industrial strength velcro (which was about 90% of the cost).

This velcro is for real, it laughs at the force of gravity. Seriously, I picked up the whole board and shook it like a silent flat maraca, but none of these bulky monstrosities even budged. If the Sticky Bandits had this stuff wrapped around their hands they wouldn't have been put back in the position of being bested by Kevin McAllister, as they'd be able to spend 120 minutes cleaning up central park of hats, scarves, pets, and beards for less pain and the same amount of profit.

Not talking JIVE, I'm talking STUFF

2011-04-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hey,

I’ll freely admit that I’m no bloggard. I think this format is supposed to be either(neither) a censored refrigerator door gripped at the hinges, or a pudding postcard to the universe loosely cropped into covering a certain topic...So,in the interest of the latter, and you unfortunate souls that got here from google expecting something cogent; here are a few reviews of the nitty-gritty artifacts that occupy the heart of my chest and the floor of my apartment. Today I’m looking at my oldest and newest effects and how they’ve affected me. In that order...

The Smokey amp pumps out line noise, it picks up bits and pieces of radio stations and telephone calls, it pops speakers, it shoots through schools, it gets uncontrollable if the guitar pickup volume is turned past 3(!), but in this chain it’s indispensable.

The size of a cigarette pack, the smokey by its lonesome can power a fully speaker cabinet. The tiny plastic speaker wired to it does pretty well(*), in my one bout of studio work so far we ended up just miking the little dickens directly. But, with sincerity, the real power of this thing is plugged through as a fuzz box. There are no controls on it, just input and output, as the fuzz level is altered exclusively by the volume controls on your instrument. It cuts the incoming signal very sharply which can make it a bit unwieldy at times, yet fairly dynamic given that the controls are right at hand instead of on the floor. There are plenty of fuzz pedals out there with actual controls on them that sound terrif, but this is what I use. Not for everyone maybe.

(*Bless Gentleman John Predny for sending me a fresh one, just as the old was starting to fail.)

The Vocal 400 hasn’t gotten all that much time out of me yet, but I’ve learned two things; it has a massive amount of potential that rewards experimentation, and its gold is found by digging through 40 presets worth of turds and then slowly teasing and spinning those turds into spidery strands of aurum. Yes! A shit-alchemy-fairytale handsomely wrapped in an envelope of metallic purple with BIG fuckin' GREY buttons!! What better vehicle to pilot your instrumental dragging death?

I haven’t had an epiphany about how to process the vocals yet (even though I’ve already clearly labeled that preset “Hellaphone”) but “Harmon2” makes a harmonica sound like a digital harmonica-organ-trumpet chimera, which is pretty gnarly. Part of “Harmon2” is a 1 octave pitch shift blend which, happily, uses a circuit that can’t handle runs and flourishes. Every rapid succession of notes sends out a phasing distorted signal that pixelates into oblivion. Completely unintended effect, but a great find. You can hear this effect in the songs “Hallelujah!” and “Marlena” in the player.

That's all for now.

Upcoming Shows

2011-04-22T13:21:00.001-07:00

:May 8th @ 7pm @ Brainwash Cafe SF: :June 10th @9pm @ Cafe International SF (This one is an open-mic feature): Both are free. More are in the works and more details are to come.

Fresh Tracks in Salmon Roe

2011-04-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Another:

Hallelujah!

In the player just above.

All of these are free to download, btw (under playlist + options in the player)

2 new songs

2011-04-09T22:34:00.000-07:00

The Marrow and Marlena, both sandbox tracks.

Getting a new piece of equipment is always a learning curve, but this thing is sure to get more and more useful. I don't think I need any more buttons at my feet for a little while, however.

Push play above.

Borderline

2011-04-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

What better time to get the flu and lose your voice/will to breathe? Why, after dropping all of your very favorite Ben Franklins on vocal eq of course! Don't fret though, friends, all will be better in a few days and new sounds will be posted...unless stricken with a new flu, love, wealth or success in the interim.

Irradiating the Future

2011-03-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

So I keep overhearing conversations about atomic corpses drifting halfway across the planet to mutate our bawling California infants and render bald all the cherry blossom trees that are starting to bloom across the street in Japantown. But, in trying to maintain an optimistic outlook, I'm going to assume whatever little exposure occurs will just increase my shelf life.

Also, I just floated whatever I had planned to eat in April on this little freak box, so, beware.

...Don't cry for me though, I also bought a big-ass bag of medium-grain Japanese-rice (on-sale).

Only funny to me

2011-02-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

A Sophist and The Buddha meet on a bridge. The bridge jumps off.

DanceDanceDance

2011-01-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

New song, push play above.

2011-01-06T23:53:00.000-08:00

Dear gentle reader,

2011-01-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

did you fool the new year? Maybe folded it away for winter. Keeping the mind concrete, stirred thick with both arms. But not quick enough to pull out the pole that now sticks fast, pointed skyward from skin and skull. Now and again demarcating the path of the pole star, or a tender at the bar, or the pillow deflated from the weight of its base. There warmed by heart's fluid passenger.

To my wide fan-base

2010-12-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

...of accidental click-thrus from Google Search: More songs are 2/3 written than I might care to mention. To be recorded in fantastic lo-fi-one-track style ASAP. Just uploaded is one that will never be finished, appropriately titled "The Last Days of 2010". No; I don't have a band. Yes; I want to be on a stage, in a corner, or on a roof. With love, until next post. J

6/6 = 1 fantastic night at Pissed Off Pete's FREE

2010-06-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

At 9pm With: John Predny Icekat Shakin' Michael J The gig calendars and event creators are starting to grate on me. With how much emphasis people have on trying not to leave an electronic trail it's funny how much of a chore it can be to leave one on purpose.

Why I think U.S. minted State Quarters are Swell

2010-06-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

If I was transported back in time and confronted by George Washington, a Virginia quarter could make me a big fish in a small pond. I'd probably die of smallpox the first winter, but MAN! What a summer!

Live on Pirate Cat Radio 5.22

2010-05-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

FREE SHOW Tomorrow 5.22 -> 6pm @ Pirate Cat Radio 89.3 (2781 21st Street, SF) with John Predny. Stop on by or tune in...They apparantly make a bacon-maple latte there, so stopping in might be better for your soul, if worse for the heart.

Sabado 5/1 (May Day) , Socialism VS Rock and Roll

2010-04-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Free show @ 9pm inside Redwood City's fantastic Mardis Gras Lounge. Playing with our good friends Dak! and Ziggy King and the Jokers.

PigeonHoled Reviewed on Pirate Cat Radio

2010-04-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

JESSE GRANT / Pigeonholed CD / Self-Released / 2010 Basic garage rock (more FLAMIN’ GROOVIES than WHITE STRIPES) from some intrepid locals. What is lacking in precision is made up for in attitude. Minimalist old school tunes without a trace of pretentiousness. SOUNDS LIKE: SOCIAL DISTORTION, NOBUNNY, DEAD MOON SUGGESTED TRACKS: 3 “Casual Sex” (‘60s garage punk with goofy lyrics) 5 “Greener” (LINK WRAY meets DEAD BOYS) 7 “Manifest Destiny” (dark and cynical like early WIPERS) -Russel Forster : Pirate Cat Radio

Hey! Read a short review!

2010-04-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

First review of Pigeonholed, take a read at: East Bay Express Also!: Playing with John Predny and Chris Bruce at Epicenter Cafe in SF @ 7pmish, yah, It's free.

Hot Topic

2010-03-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

With what may end up as our strangest gig ever, John Predny and myself will be pestering merchants and patrons alike at the mall in San Bruno with rippling walls of sound.

Kimos SF 3/17

2010-03-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

@ Mardis Gras in Redwood City 3/6!

2010-03-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday March 6th: With IceKat and Bad Touch. It's free and if you come before 9pm (when the music starts) the Jager girls will shake it for you and maybe feed you a drink.

RockitRoom Tonight @10pm

2010-02-22T10:24:00.001-08:00

The Scented Band and I will be closing out an evening's entertainment with some future-rock. It's free and drink specials are fair.

And on the drums...(2/15/10)

2010-02-12T12:31:00.000-08:00

On the drum kit for John Predny leading the Scented Band in a president's day booze-hour show (10pm) at Rockit Room in SF!

Mastering-ing-ing!

2010-02-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

Final mixing complete, mastering in progress. Take a listen to a few of the freshly uploaded and (nearly) finished tracks.

Shows

2010-01-25T11:53:00.000-08:00

Adding shows as they come along through the works. Next up on the Calendar is Rockit Room 2/22 @ 10pm