Jesse Payne

Written by Jack Russell June 29th, 2015 at 10:07 am

Jesse Payne’s latest album, Heirloom, is set to release August 14.

Payne is no stranger to his namesake. In the summer of 2012, Payne and his team of “audio-painters” began recording the album, but during the next two years, according to Payne’s site, “life waged a brutal war against Jesse and the album.” In the spring of this year, they decided to begin a crowdfunding campaign. Over the course of two months, the team raised over $11,000 from fans, friends, and family, making Heirloom possible. “This is just the beginning of our story,” Payne says. “The future remains unwritten.”
Payne’s weathered Appalachian post-folk-rock is unlike anything else you’ll hear this year. Listen to “Ravens” off of Heirloom here: - American Songwriter

Jesse Payne - Heirloom (CD, Capture Music, Progressive pop)
According to the press release that accompanied this album, Heirloom is "an audio-painting of the passage of time and the baggage we bury." A rather great way of describing this music...much better than trying to compare this man to other artists or this album to other albums. This is smart stuff delivered from a slightly different universe and yet...these tracks ultimately sound strangely familiar and smooth. Jesse Payne impressed a lot of listeners with his 2010 debut Nesting. Joining Payne on this album are Mike Creager, Thomas Warren, Steven Janes, Daniel Long, Mason Boyd, Matt Devine, and Michael Shackleford. We weren't really sure how to categorize these songs so we finally decided to go with the admittedly generalized "progressive pop" because the term encompasses a wide variety of sounds and styles. Heirloom is a difficult album to describe. But perhaps it's biggest strength is the fact that you can listen to these tracks over and over and over again and they never sound tired or repetitive. That could be because of the spontaneous feel of the music or the fact that the instruments and voices seem to have purposely been left slightly raw. You never get the feeling you're listening to processed cheese here. These songs sound like real people playing real instruments. While we can't compare Jesse to any one artist in particular, we'll just close by saying this fellow writes music with true substance and genuine appeal. Eleven smart reflective cuts including "Ulysses," "Origins," "Bear Flag Revolt," and "Wireless Creatures." Cool smart stuff that will stand the test of time. Recommended. Top pick. - Babysue

by Richard Moses

Jesse Payne‘s music is a bold blend of post-rock and folk music. On August 14, Payne will release his latest LP, Heirloom. This week, he shared the track “Ravens” with American Songwriter. On “Ravens”, Payne’s voice is reminiscent of the soothing crooning of M. Ward, but with an instrumental you’d expect from a band involving the Dessner twins. It’s a really great track with some stunning harmonies, guitar that is almost droning at time, and some real top notch drumming.

If “Ravens” and Payne’s earlier releases, two EP’s, Buffalo and Beyond The Leaves and an LP from 2009 Nesting, are any indication, we’re in for a a real treat on August 14 when he releases Heirloom. Take a listen to “Ravens” as well as the also great track “Origins” below. And as always, keep up to date with Jesse Payne on his website, Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud! - The Revue

Jesse Payne, "Origins"
Memory and experience are fickle things, prone to subtle variations during the course of any remembrance. Context and emotion are so crucial in understanding our own history, and it's the same for any associations we have concerning music. Songs are the perfect vehicles for this kind of contextual connection; we carry with them a wide array of emotional responses and attachments that can be brought out in various ways at the whim of our own volatile states. No one understands this better than Alabama singer-songwriter Jesse Payne, whose music serves as a sort of rhythmic set of half-remembered events and hazy recollections. Tied to the long histories of folk and blues, his songs evoke feelings of long summer evenings and endless haunted forests.

On his latest single, "Origins," Payne sings of beginnings, endings and all the small details that fall in between. Drums patter around in the background, while bass lines shimmy and shake in your periphery. His voice is smooth but measured, a reliant guide through the long shadows and deep woods of the South. There's something intangible about the track, as if Payne himself is the channel through which these notes flow. After he's gone, they will simply flitter off into the darkness and disappear—a quiet ending to a gorgeous and immutable series of sounds. - Nooga.com

Alabama native Jesse Payne has been working tirelessly for three years on his newest full-length record, Heirloom, slated for release on August 14, which must mean it’s going to be a good one. Luckily, his latest single off the album, “Origins,” suggests nothing less than the best.

With laid back drumbeats and deep basslines allowing Payne’s wispy, woozy vocals to take precedence, “Origins” is a timeless post-folk track. Payne’s voice emits lyrics like “You got me by the necktie/But I got you by the spine/Reach for the rafter/’Cause I’m cutting down the tree” as subtle percussion lays beneath the pounding instrumentals and slick vocals in a way that ties the track into a cohesive unit.

Listen to Jesse Payne’s “Origins” below and be sure to grab Heirloom when it comes out this August: - Elmore Magazine

By Randi Beers
Synesthesia is a mental condition wherein the patient's senses are muddled: they see musical notes in colour or taste words. Jesse Payne is a visual artist and musician who claims to "paint sonic landscapes." I don't know if Payne experiences Synesthesia, but his music suggests he might. As a follow-up to his 2010 debut album, Nesting, Jesse Payne has put together a four-track EP entitled Buffalo. Every one of the tracks on this short but sweet EP is absolutely beautiful. "Annual Weathering" features a vocal harmony that strongly recalls the Fleet Foxes. "Colorado" is a cold, foreboding track with a mood that brings to mind the stoic, grey Rocky Mountains themselves. The EP's ethereal feel is a direct result of the band's post-modern, self-referential folk inclinations. Despite the group's high-minded meta philosophy towards the musical process, the final product makes for a gorgeous listen.
(Capture) - Randi Beers

In the not too distant past I worked in a downtown office-building food court, and one day as I trudged home from the fluorescent doldrums that filled my day, attempting to get the ringing of Fox News blather out of my ears, I saw a peculiar sight. Perched on the edge of the topmost tier of a parking deck was an owl. A big one. It was absolutely still, and I stopped and stared, wondering how such a beast had come to be in such a place. The next day, as I made my way back to work, I checked for the owl, and strangely, it was still there, stoic, unmoving. Before long I realized that it was a fake owl, probably left out to scare away pigeons and other vermin. Still, I took comfort in its presence. It was nice to know that there was an odd bird waiting to make me smirk as I traced my own footsteps on that familiar path.

This odd bird is a nice guy: Jesse Payne plays at Rogue Tavern on Oct. 29.
Jesse Payne also has a thing for owls, and when I meet him on a lunch break from his own daytime gig, he reminds me of my fake feathered friend. Payne, with his rumpled hair and long beard, stands out in the crowd of clean-cut business-folk who are going about their lunches around us, an odd bird himself. Since I’ve got owls on the brain and Payne has featured owls in many aspects of his work, I ask him about his own attachment to them.
“The owls, man,” Payne exclaims. “Well, it goes back to my childhood. My dad, when I was six months old, obviously way before I can remember, brought me an owl from Washington, D.C., and that started this whole trend throughout my childhood, of pictures on the walls and like — I mean, we carry an owl with us on stage now, it’s pretty funny. [I like] that they’re nocturnal. I relate myself to that lifestyle. I always look tired during the day because I was up all night. I seldom sleep. Really, during the day I feel like I’m asleep all day, and nighttime it doesn’t matter how tired I am, I’m re-energized.”
All that nighttime energy has paid off in the form of the album Buffalo and companion DVD Kettle and Crow, which were released on Oct. 4. Although Payne began working on tracks for the album in 2010, an extremely rough patch of fate put a temporary wrench in the song-works.
“This last winter was really hard for us, on the road, because of stuff happening at home,” Payne says. “A family friend died, a neighborhood cat that was kind of my buddy died. We were on the road for a lot of hours, and [when we arrived] at on Ohio show, the local who was on the bill was standing outside the venue in four feet of snow turning people away. The venue hadn’t cancelled the show — they had closed completely. That started a whole trend. I broke a tooth on a nacho, from little things to big things.”
According to Payne, the misfortunes changed the album.
“I think the vibe of the demos going into the recording sessions completely changed,” he says. “It became a little heavier, a little darker.”
Both Buffalo and Payne’s previous album Nesting were recorded at Birmingham’s Capture Music Inc., a recording studio, production company and record label run by Mike Creager. Payne says it’s a key partnership.
“I wanted to try and find somebody that fit my style better, and when me and Mike started working together it was obvious,” he says. “I sat down and talked to him before I even said that I wanted to come record there, just to pick his brain about what he thought about music. He talked about ‘the nuances of noise,’ and once he said that, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll sign up with you.’”
Though Buffalo contains much of the soft, mellow warmth of Nesting, it’s occasionally harder-driving, and sometimes changes gear into full brood. In album opener “Take Me” — a lazy Sunday song if I ever heard one, filled with distant horns and plenty of breath — the bridge’s ambient undercurrent conjures images of wasteland, bringing a murky disquiet to the affair.

In contrast, the lighter second half of the album is the live audio from Kettle and Crow, which can by synchronized with the DVD. It has two versions of songs from the first half of the album, and the two best songs from his earlier albums, “Yards of Paint” and “Skeletons.” Although the live version of “Take Me” lacks the glorious horns featured on the studio version, the reimagined tracks are a nice change of pace. The DVD is gorgeously filmed and worth a look on its own right.
In many ways, Buffalo feels like an ending, with Payne resurrecting the best parts of the past for one last encore before he moves on to new things. He says he’s planning another album for next October, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a whole new bird.
Jesse Payne will play at Rogue Tavern’s “Peaches ‘n’ Scream” Halloween party on Saturday, Oct. 29. Buffalo and Kettle and Crow are available locally at the Charlemagne Record Exchange and Renaissance Records and online via downloads.jessepayneonline.com. - Weld - Sam George

Birmingham, Alabama musician Jesse Payne describes his sound as “painting songs on paper canvas and audio waves” and that’s pretty accurate. His songs are like impressionist paintings, using hints and textures to create evocative images that are in some ways more true to their subjects than photographs.
On “Take Me,” Payne observes the promises made by modern society and how seldom those promises ever come close to being fulfilled. “Read it in a magazine,” he sings, “You can live like you want with a pretty face / This culture thinks that they do it all / Just for her. But they don’t.” The more one does to get ahead in the world, the less in possession of their own soul they seem to be, as there will always be someone else lining up to control and manipulate them. Little wonder, then, that Payne sums up his feelings with the repeated lines, “Don’t take me now. Don’t take me.”
Musically, Payne inhabits the same realm of stark Americana as Band of Horses, Calexico, Giant Sand and The National. “Take Me” saunters along on a gently twanging country lope until southwestern horns join in support, imbuing the song with a mournful sadness as Payne paints a picture of a culture whose promises of getting ahead only seem to ever deliver a position further back in all the ways that matter.
“Take Me” is the lead track from Payne’s Buffalo EP, released last October on Birmingham’s Capture Music imprint. - One Track Mind

The Big Takeover issue #69
The Big Takeover Top 40
Review by Jack Rabid

#37: Jesse Payne - Buffalo EP - Capture Music Inc.

Every few years, Birmingham, AL alt.country/Americana folk-pop singer songwriter Payne produces a graceful new record as involving as his last. In a time where too many musicians release every idea they gather, in multiple projects ad infinitum, Payne seems more like a sophisticated painter painstakingly building a canvas, stepping back periodically to access its proximity to his ultimate aims. Like 2010’s Nesting and 2008’s Songs From Beyond The Leaves EP, he’s getting moodier still, sliding ever away from any roots affiliation, into the experimental ambiance of Low, Galaxie 500, Red House Painters, Fleet Foxes, and Talk Talk’s use of silence and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco’s subconscious anxiety-leavened with purring guitar, percussion, and on “Take Me” and “Symphony,” diffident brass. With his Ron Sexsmith-like voice tugging at his notes in tender wrenches, this Buffalo is bound to roam. (jessepayneonline.com)


The top 40 include Vivian Girls, The Rifles, The Dum Dum Girls, The Decemberists, Girls, Fountains Of Wayne - The Big Takeover

The Big Takeover issue #69
The Big Takeover Top 40
Review by Jack Rabid

#37: Jesse Payne - Buffalo EP - Capture Music Inc.

Every few years, Birmingham, AL alt.country/Americana folk-pop singer songwriter Payne produces a graceful new record as involving as his last. In a time where too many musicians release every idea they gather, in multiple projects ad infinitum, Payne seems more like a sophisticated painter painstakingly building a canvas, stepping back periodically to access its proximity to his ultimate aims. Like 2010’s Nesting and 2008’s Songs From Beyond The Leaves EP, he’s getting moodier still, sliding ever away from any roots affiliation, into the experimental ambiance of Low, Galaxie 500, Red House Painters, Fleet Foxes, and Talk Talk’s use of silence and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco’s subconscious anxiety-leavened with purring guitar, percussion, and on “Take Me” and “Symphony,” diffident brass. With his Ron Sexsmith-like voice tugging at his notes in tender wrenches, this Buffalo is bound to roam. (jessepayneonline.com)


The top 40 include Vivian Girls, The Rifles, The Dum Dum Girls, The Decemberists, Girls, Fountains Of Wayne - The Big Takeover

Jesse Payne
Nesting

Jesse Payne - Nesting

Coming into a genre full of such established artists as Bright Eyes, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, and Andrew Bird, Jesse Payne certainly had his work cut out for him to make his mark.

And with his album Nesting, Payne definitely delivered. From start to finish, it’s is a solid record in every aspect.

First off, there’s Payne’s voice. It’s moody, sincere, and all-around pleasant to listen to. Payne doesn’t sing with a lot of force, but there’s a subtle power behind his voice that will capture the listener. It doesn’t demand the listener’s attention, but it gets it anyway.

As for the songs themselves, there is nothing bad that can be said about them. They’re mellow without being boring, which makes Nesting a perfect album to listen to if you’re just looking to chill out for a bit.

It’s occasionally a little difficult to understand what is being said in the songs, but for the most part Payne sings clearly enough that it’s easy to tell what he’s singing. However, it’s not entirely necessary to be able to make out the lyrics. Between Payne’s voice and the instrumental backing to the songs, the mood Payne is aiming for gets across to the listener just fine.

Nesting as a whole is a fantastic album, and part of what makes it so is its simplicity. This isn’t an album that’s looking to send the listener into sensory overload, but rather an album that focuses on executing each part well—vocally, lyrically, and instrumentally. The result is an enjoyable, must-listen record that listeners will keep going back to.

Hot Tracks: Yards of Paint, Conversations, Wes Anderson

- Carly Doenges—MuzikReviews.com

It was a performance (and experience) like no other featuring the unique vocal style and mellow alternative music by Jesse Payne. For this reviewer, it was an intimate set in which songs from his current album, Nesting, were vividly and vibrantly brought to life. Compared to the recorded version of this artist's music, Jesse's songs perfectly fit the semi-acoustic feel of the stage while lyrically painting images through his words. The entire set had bursts of energy despite sounding very calming and relaxing ...the music itself was simplistic as its best. SouthSide was pleased that not much was needed to entice the audience's ears - Jesee's sweeping instrumentals and melodic rhythms were the right combination to grab everyone's attention. However, fans should also take notice of Jesse and his vocals which, in this reviewer's opinion, was the highlight and the main focal point of this performance. For example, in new song, Take Me (off upcoming new CD) the melodic sound helped add to the vividness of Jesse's voice while he sang. The words seemed to pop to life ...at times, one could hear the wide range of emotions being expressed. SouthSide also suggests listening to the entire album but pay special notice to her favorites, Conversation and Wes Anderson (the live version of this song was beautifully expressive lyrically and musically). Visit http://www.jessepayneonline.com or http://www.myspace.com/jessepayne for more details and information about his music and tour dates. - Tanya @ Southside On The Town

“I grew up on Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys. I think Brian Wilson is one of America’s geniuses. Him and Aaron Copeland,” the dark haired and bearded Birmingham songwriter Jesse Payne said about his early listening habits. “I guess I also got into the Lemonheads. They led me down a path to A. A. Bondy and Duquette Johnston.” He also mentioned his current favorites which include, along with Bondy and Johnston, the White Oaks, another Birmingham-based alternative rock outfit. Though he admits his immediate family was not musically inclined, he picked up a love for the art from his cousins in Atlanta and eventually taught himself how to play guitar and piano.
When it comes to songwriting, Payne acknowledges relationships and “the dynamic of humanity” as the major recurring themes in his albums (2004’s Humming.the.tunes.of.luxury, 2006’s Ghosts.in.Mirrors, 2008’s Between the Leaves, and the recently released, Nesting.)
Several Chicago-based acts such as singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird and alternative country legend, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, provide the biggest influences for Payne. “I think those guys led me down a path to make me realize that music is not just a bunch of notes and sound manipulations. It’s gearing the ear towards where you want to go as opposed to letting the lyrics take the listener. I think they’ve been able to encompass not only the lyrical direction but also the color,” he said.
When he played at Eclipse last Thursday, I saw these influences come alive in a full wave of folk/rock Americana (if you want to put a label on it). A vocal range that encompassed Tweedy, Bird, and a dash of Five for Fighting lead singer, John Ondrasik, and a musical palate that echoed both the old and the new melodies of the American music tradition.
Payne played mainly tracks from his new offering, Nesting. He recorded the album at Capture Music, a Birmingham-based label/production company/studio, which is home to several other bands including The White Oaks
“I’ve been working on Nesting since Beyond the Leaves. I came into the studio with Beyond the Leaves,” Payne said. “Beyond the Leaves was supposed to be a sampler of Nesting and when I walked out of the studio, I decided ‘You know what? I’ve recorded these four songs. I’m gonna move on.’ I started late 2007 writing for Nesting. We were in the studio for 6 days but that was after countless demos, countless notebook pages of scratches.”
The album contains a total of 8 tracks, including “Yards of Paint,” “Manhattan Project,” and “Wes Anderson.” The last track mentioned holds a special place in Payne’s mind. He told me of his respect and admiration for the writer and director of such films as The Darjeeling Limited and The Royal Tennebaums. He said the director inspired him to acknowledge the “rough patches in my life” and allow the humor to “override the pain.”
Payne has also toured extensively throughout the Eastern United States and Midwest. He self-financed a two year tour that included shows in Boston, Virginia Beach, Chicago, Atlanta, and Nashville. He’s opened for indie rock acts such as Tilly and the Wall, Gabe Dixon Band, and David Mead. Other successes include being featured on indie magazine, The Big Takeover’s “Top 40 Compilation” alongside Death Cab for Cutie and Band of Horses.
In the last few years, Payne has settled back into his place in the city of Birmingham, recording several demos and albums as well as gigs at Workplay Theatre, Urban Standard, City Stages, Charlemegne Records, and The Nick. “I think Birmingham has a great scene of musicians. There’s a lot of talent in this place. Not having a whole lot of music industry here to kind of pave the way made artists around town rely on their own innovations. I think everybody’s done a really good job,” Payne said.
Payne says his goals for the next year include selling some records and “sustaining the life of a musician,” a goal he feels is difficult if an artist does not discover and build on his own unique sound. “I think a songwriter has to find his specific sound and I think a lot of people will get out and have a hit record right off the bat and they can’t produce that again. I think it’s because they didn’t take the time and the steps to really hone in on who they are and what they’re trying to portray; what sound they want the listener’s ears to pick up on.”
He is slowly beginning to tour the Southeast Region again. Three upcoming Birmingham shows include a gig with Tim Brantley at Workplay on October 23rd, a free-to-the-public Capture Music showcase at Virginia Samford Theatre on October 29th, and a show with Live 100.5 favorite, Oceanship, at the Rogue Tavern on November 7th.
Finally, Payne urges appreciators of art and music to “learn how to listen” and not allow your favorite record or song to become meaningless background noise. “Because radios are always on and muzak is always going through the speakers of restaurants, people have just gotten immune to musi - The Alabamian

Jesse Payne is a Birmingham, AL based artist coming through town in the first part of February in support of his new album, Nesting. Like many young artists coming through town for the first time, Jesse hit us up to check out his music and maybe do a little write up, etc. We get (literally) get about 20-30 of these requests per day, but unlike most of these, Jesse’s music is REALLY good. It’d fit nicely on a playlist alongside Monsters Of Folk, Bright Eyes, Band Of Horses, Phosphorescent, etc.

But don’t take our word for it. Download “Skeletons” HERE

He’s coming to town Feb 9 for a show at the Elbow Room, so if you like what you hear mark your calendars. - UR Chicago

Jesse Payne is a Birmingham, AL based artist coming through town in the first part of February in support of his new album, Nesting. Like many young artists coming through town for the first time, Jesse hit us up to check out his music and maybe do a little write up, etc. We get (literally) get about 20-30 of these requests per day, but unlike most of these, Jesse’s music is REALLY good. It’d fit nicely on a playlist alongside Monsters Of Folk, Bright Eyes, Band Of Horses, Phosphorescent, etc.

But don’t take our word for it. Download “Skeletons” HERE

He’s coming to town Feb 9 for a show at the Elbow Room, so if you like what you hear mark your calendars. - UR Chicago

dasklienicum.blogspot.com
neue töne (878): jesse payne

von herzen kommend, aber frei von sentimentalität. fahl und belegt zuweilen, aber nie ketzerisch, dunkel und verfärbt. americana in den besten momenten, angetäuscht stilverwandtes, unbändig gelegentlich, frei und offen. beschwingt, wenn es eng wird, auswege suchend. stimmlich eingeengt, zielt die musik von jesse payne auf weite und tugenden. die nicht nur mittelfristig bestand haben. die arbeit des aus birmingham, alabama, stammenden musikers impliziert naturelemente, das ausgesetztsein, die konsequenz täglichen handelns, die unmittelbarkeit des sein. mehr noch. hier sucht jemand die beschreibung all dessen, was uns umtreibt. er tut dies auf eine sehr ergreifende weise. ohne brimborium, ohne discoleuchten. eher leise, aber stet. der flinke rhythmus des shuffle begleitet ihn, ein banjo, am sound klebend wie eine klette, eine parlierende gitarre. dem sänger gegenüberstehend eine in sich ruhende gefolgschaft. man findet an seiner seite immer wieder mason boyd, nick timkovich, mike creager und noel johnson. gemeinsam gestalteten sie dieser tage den album release von "nesting", dem nachfolger der ersten lieder kollektion "humming the tunes of luxury", erschienen in 2004, sowie der beiden eps "ghosts in mirrors" und "songs from beyond the leaves". wer meint, dass hier einfach so mitnehmen zu können, dem sei zunächst nicht unrecht getan. andererseits muss ich konstatieren, dass die mischung aus marschmusik rhythmik, den zum teil wunderbaren harmonien und einem gesang, der gerne mal an michael stipe erinnert, sehr wohl memorables zurücklässt. so liebe ich denn jesses e-gitarre, das jammernde, manchmal zeternde gerät, wie es sich angesichts komplexer instrumentierung dennoch hervorzudrängeln weiß. dazu des meisters wenig einträgliche stimme, inmitten des beatgerüsts aus schwerfälligem bass und flotter schießbude aufgefangen... das funktioniert!
- dasklienicum.blogspot.com

Exclaim Magazine Review of Nesting:By Nereida Fernandes

With his fourth release, Birmingham, AL's Jesse Payne is ascending that much closer to the top of the ranks of contemporary bearded folksters. With subtle shifts of rhythm and instrumentation coexisting alongside tufts of modern sounding whirrs, Nesting is the breathtaking result of organic and manufactured nuances melding into a consistent whole. It reveals the work of a dedicated musician who has poured his soul into every detail. Opening track "Manhattan Project" exemplifies the emotional pull of the record. Framed by gentle finger picked notes, softly palpitating drum beats and quiet cymbal taps, haunting "oohs" come in then recede like murky waves breaking over Payne's affecting vocals. The fireside intimacy of "Wes Anderson," the Joseph Arthur-styling of "Ramble We Hang" and Payne's nod to Laurel Canyon on the sprightly "Conversations" are all highlights, while songs like "Scripting Carolina" and "Yards of Paint" will have you humming their choruses for days. Nesting isn't an album you casually visit; it is home to an artist that compels you to stay awhile.
(Capture)
- Exclaim Magazine

Magnet Magazine

This year, November arrived with freezing temperatures and rainy days, forcing us to reluctantly break out our winter coats and dread having to brave the elements. However, as of tomorrow, we’ll have Birmingham, Ala., native Jesse Payne’s new album to keep us warm while winter slowly creeps in. The aptly titled Nesting (Capture Music Inc.) is as comforting as cup of hot tea and wraps you in blankets of hazy, finger-picked electric guitars and down-to-earth vocals, as you’ll hear on “Scripting Carolina,” which premieres today on magnetmagazine.com. - Magnet Magazine

Harmon Drive.com

Jesse Payne- Manhattan Project

Sometime in the last few months I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Jesse Payne via the crew over at Team Clermont. Manhattan Project is a great tune that brings together all the tracks on Nesting. This album is worth the time to soak in all the tracks. - harmondrive.com

Happy Saturday! What better way to cap off what’s turned out to be a gorgeous weekend than with a great all-locals album release show:
Jesse Payne / The White Oaks @ Workplay
Cover: $10 (Buy Tix)
Time: 9PM
Jesse Payne plans to play his new album “Nesting” in it’s entirety during this show, so in preparation for this post I followed his instructions and sat down in a dark spot and listened through it  in it’s entirety. Recorded at local studio Capture Music on vintage gear and tape reel, this wistful disc certainly earns it’s title. Tracks often lead in and out with ambient room noise and crackle that would be axed in most productions, but which evoke the rustle and stirring of a nesting bird. It’s lonely music, with ghostly vocals and arching harmony drifting over meandering instrumentals. Some tracks occasionally stray into more mainstream friendly territory, such as the stand-out track Conversations, but for the most part this is an album in the true sense, not meant to be experienced track by track but as a whole encompassing experience. In the end, my favorite parts are the incidental bits. The clicks and hums, the low organ drone. So, thanks Jesse. I’m glad I sequestered myself and spent an hour brooding in your nest.
It will be interesting to see how the album translates to a live setting, and I know that Jesse and The White Oaks are planning some collaberation and theatrics. Expect props people!
I couldn’t embed this video, so here’s a link to Jesse playing “Conversations” live at City Stages ‘09. - Sam George - Bham.fm

Posted by Mary Colurso -- Birmingham News August 07, 2009 7:45 AM
Categories: City Scene, Columns, Music

(Special / Gwinevere James)
Jesse Payne says the songs on his new CD, "Nesting," were conceived in solitude. "I decided to lock myself in a cave and write," he says.
Jesse Payne has a suggestion. It's not a demand, or heaven forbid, a direct order.
Still, the Birmingham musician would like it very much if people set aside a specific chunk of time, found a dark, quiet spot and put on headphones when they encountered "Nesting."

That's Payne's new recording, set for release Aug. 15 on Silent Crow Records.

Eight tracks on his CD, which Payne describes as "American music," are meant to evoke feelings of comfort and safety. (That's where the nesting comes in, as you settle into a secure space to listen.)
"Everything is so chaotic right now, it's hard to clear your head," Payne says. "I want you to feel good about taking 40 or 50 minutes for yourself. I like to think nesting is something we all experience, a homecoming, a seasonal experience. We can embrace it and reflect on it."
 
As those words suggest, Payne is a philosophical guy, and if his thoughts don't follow the mainstream, well, isn't that what art is all about?

Art is his goal, and nothing less, as Payne makes music with like-minded friends such as drummer Mason Boyd, guitarist Noel Johnson, bassist Jonathan Sutton and keyboard player Nick Timkovich.

In fact, Payne thinks of his songs as audio paintings, producing imagery that can be interpreted as light or dark, upbeat or downcast, hopeful or sorrowful, depending on the receiver.

"Nesting," his fourth indie disc, probably will find a home in collections of folk or acoustic rock, although Payne prefers not to categorize tunes such as "Ramble We Hang," "Heavy Cotton Hands" and "Scripting Carolina."

Suffice it to say he takes inspiration from Wilco and Andrew Bird, and his roots run to the Dylanesque.


Payne plucked a few numbers from "Nesting" for a City Stages benefit this year, and he'll play the CD in its entirety during an Aug. 15 concert at the WorkPlay theater. The White Oaks will share the 9 p.m. bill with Payne, and he expects the two bands to collaborate onstage, despite their separate sets. (They already share Johnson's skills as a singer-guitarist.)

"We're trying to put on a theatrical production; we've got some props, got some actors and we're all thinking of a carnival atmosphere," Payne says. "We're going to make a nest on stage and create chaos around us."

Expect some trees, then, and perhaps an owl, among the props at WorkPlay. The nocturnal birds are an important symbol for Payne, and a stylized owl adorns the CD cover for "Nesting."

"I'm definitely a night person," he says. "They've always called me a night owl."

Also, some of Payne's most cherished childhood memories are linked to a small stuffed owl that was a gift from his father. Owls, for him, imply a safe haven, rather like the one Payne has found after settling down with his wife, Amber.

"It's calmed my insides down," he says with a smile. And that's been good for the music.

According to Payne, the material on "Nesting" reflects his intentions more clearly and precisely than any disc in his catalog.

"I've been working to achieve a sound," he says. "It feels good to stand behind something 100 percent. I hope that people are able to grasp it, and enjoy it, and let it be about the music."
- Mary Colurso - Birmingham News

Happy Saturday! What better way to cap off what’s turned out to be a gorgeous weekend than with a great all-locals album release show:
Jesse Payne / The White Oaks @ Workplay
Cover: $10 (Buy Tix)
Time: 9PM
Jesse Payne plans to play his new album “Nesting” in it’s entirety during this show, so in preparation for this post I followed his instructions and sat down in a dark spot and listened through it  in it’s entirety. Recorded at local studio Capture Music on vintage gear and tape reel, this wistful disc certainly earns it’s title. Tracks often lead in and out with ambient room noise and crackle that would be axed in most productions, but which evoke the rustle and stirring of a nesting bird. It’s lonely music, with ghostly vocals and arching harmony drifting over meandering instrumentals. Some tracks occasionally stray into more mainstream friendly territory, such as the stand-out track Conversations, but for the most part this is an album in the true sense, not meant to be experienced track by track but as a whole encompassing experience. In the end, my favorite parts are the incidental bits. The clicks and hums, the low organ drone. So, thanks Jesse. I’m glad I sequestered myself and spent an hour brooding in your nest.
It will be interesting to see how the album translates to a live setting, and I know that Jesse and The White Oaks are planning some collaberation and theatrics. Expect props people!
I couldn’t embed this video, so here’s a link to Jesse playing “Conversations” live at City Stages ‘09. - Sam George - Bham.fm

03 August 2009 -- mp3hugger.com
Jesse Payne - Yards Of Paint



Jesse Payne’s new album ‘Nesting’ is out in a little under a fortnight and it is quite a treat. For one I love the production values (don’t normally comment on this but it just sounds so lush), which really allows the excellent tunes to fulfil their undoubted ambition. The are quite a few highpoints and I struggled to choose between ‘Heavy Cotton Hands’ and this absolute beaut ‘Yards Of Paint’. The slowly building momentum is expertly drawn with all manner of side attractions. Guess you could call it off kilter, a lolloping piece of audio for those pining for early Willy Mason tuneage. I'd wager the blogosphere will soon be eating out of his hands. KD

 Jesse Payne - Yards Of Paint

Watch The Video To A Thief Among Us

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Jesse Payne
- mp3hugger.com

Written by gregor on August 3, 2009 in announcement, new stuff.

three things i would like to share:
1. twilight singer/gutter twins bassist and all around awesome bloke, scott ford, is illin. sadly, not in the he has a pretty bad cold/cough/flu kind of way, but in a pretty serious fuckin way. he’s is going in for surgery in two days, and of course like a lot of musicians/artists/fellow americans he doesnt have insurance. you can read all about it via his site, and if you can give a bit, no matter how much, i know he would be appreciative.
2. roadside graves are in new orleans on thursday, 8.6, at the blue nile. i am sure its going to be a killer show. i will be there…. here’s a couple tracks off my son’s home in case you arent familiar with the band…
work itself out 
ruby 
3. alabama native jesse payne is releasing nesting on 8.15, and if you are in the market for an artist who is along the lines of bon iver, strand of oaks, unreleased ryan adams stuff, and will oldham you may want to check his stuff out. i’ve only gotten a chance to listen to it 1.5 times, but its pretty damn solid.
ramble we hang  - Captainsdead.com

03 August 2009 -- mp3hugger.com
Jesse Payne - Yards Of Paint



Jesse Payne’s new album ‘Nesting’ is out in a little under a fortnight and it is quite a treat. For one I love the production values (don’t normally comment on this but it just sounds so lush), which really allows the excellent tunes to fulfil their undoubted ambition. The are quite a few highpoints and I struggled to choose between ‘Heavy Cotton Hands’ and this absolute beaut ‘Yards Of Paint’. The slowly building momentum is expertly drawn with all manner of side attractions. Guess you could call it off kilter, a lolloping piece of audio for those pining for early Willy Mason tuneage. I'd wager the blogosphere will soon be eating out of his hands. KD

 Jesse Payne - Yards Of Paint

Watch The Video To A Thief Among Us

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Jesse Payne
- mp3hugger.com

Jesse Payne - Nesting

On Nesting, Jesse Payne and the accompanying musicians create a sonic soundscape. There's so much more going on than the words, with the usual mix of guitars and drums joined by organ and harp, all accompanying layers of vocals. Payne's distinctive phrasing recalls sounds from far away places, and that's precisely where Nesting will transport you to. - Birmingham Magazine - Carla Jean Whitley

Jesse Payne - Nesting

On Nesting, Jesse Payne and the accompanying musicians create a sonic soundscape. There's so much more going on than the words, with the usual mix of guitars and drums joined by organ and harp, all accompanying layers of vocals. Payne's distinctive phrasing recalls sounds from far away places, and that's precisely where Nesting will transport you to. - Birmingham Magazine - Carla Jean Whitley

Three years passed since I reviewed Birmingham, AL’s talented Payne’s Humming the Tunes of Luxury, and boy has he come a ways! His older power-pop with new wave accents has given way to gorgeous, rustic alt-country/Americana folk-pop for the ‘00’s that more snugly fits his Southern surroundings. These four immediately splendid rounded selections--prefacing an LP in progress--are better produced, and the full band treatments sparkle as brightly as his wonderful self-harmonies--like on the standout “Skeletons.” Additionally, Payne’s pipes have thickened with lovely molasses, one-sixth each Tim Hardin, Harry Nilsson, Leon Redbone, Roger Miller, Ron Sexsmith, and Nashville Skyline Bob Dylan. Elsewhere, the forlorn, piano-quieted “Thief Among Us” and road-weary “Comfort There” dabble at the shudder-factor in Big Star’s Third, from nearby Memphis. Finally, these are countered by the countrified dandy skip of “Until The Roots Surface.” Bring on that album! (jessepayneonline.com) - The Big Takeover--Jack Rabid

Three years passed since I reviewed Birmingham, AL’s talented Payne’s Humming the Tunes of Luxury, and boy has he come a ways! His older power-pop with new wave accents has given way to gorgeous, rustic alt-country/Americana folk-pop for the ‘00’s that more snugly fits his Southern surroundings. These four immediately splendid rounded selections--prefacing an LP in progress--are better produced, and the full band treatments sparkle as brightly as his wonderful self-harmonies--like on the standout “Skeletons.” Additionally, Payne’s pipes have thickened with lovely molasses, one-sixth each Tim Hardin, Harry Nilsson, Leon Redbone, Roger Miller, Ron Sexsmith, and Nashville Skyline Bob Dylan. Elsewhere, the forlorn, piano-quieted “Thief Among Us” and road-weary “Comfort There” dabble at the shudder-factor in Big Star’s Third, from nearby Memphis. Finally, these are countered by the countrified dandy skip of “Until The Roots Surface.” Bring on that album! (jessepayneonline.com) - The Big Takeover--Jack Rabid

Video: Matthew Mayfield and Jesse Payne at City Stages Sound Check benefit
by Matt Cuthbert, al.com
Friday June 19, 2009, 8:39 AM

*



Photo by Matt Cuthbert, al.com
Jesse Payne performs during the 2009 City Stages Sound Check benefit party.


Last night's City Stages Sound Check party brought out some of the festival's most die-hard supporters for a little music appetizer before the big event. As they ate, drank, and socialized atop the Miller Lite Stage facing Linn Park, guests enjoyed the music of local artists Jesse Payne and Matthew Mayfield.
One thing was clear at the fundraiser: City Stages President George McMillan is revered by much of the crowd who showed up to support the festival, as he received numerous congratulatory hand-shakes and pats on the back from music fans of all ages. It was a much different tone than found in the comments section of yesterday's "facing the music" story from The Birmingham News.
Performance videos follow... - Birmingham News

Jesse Payne's new album Nesting will be released on August 15th. Jesse's music is as much sculpted as it is written, weaving song from Polaroids in his mind and scenery from his eyes. He has assembled an excellent group of musicians that together produce "haunting melodies breathed across nontraditional instrumentation and military rhythm of a mathematical mind". Simply excellent...headphones required for proper reception.

by nickagainst1- local vertical - Nick - Local Vertical

Jesse Payne set to play at Underground Original Music Series
Posted by Mary Colurso -- Birmingham News June 05, 2009 8:15 AM
Categories: City Scene, Music
Birmingham's Jesse Payne will perform at 9:30 p.m. June 20 at the Underground Room, 2012 Magnolia Ave South. That's the nightclub below Cosmo's Pizza, in the Highland Conference Center at Pickwick Plaza.


Special
Jesse Payne
It's a City Stages after-party with Jon Vogel and the Southside Community Band, and part of a concert series that seeks to bring more attention to local musicians. Doors open at 8:30 p.m.; admission is $6.

In the past few months, the Underground Original Music Series has featured acts such as VASA, 8Box, the White Oaks and the Jon Poor Band.

Payne, a rock and Americana singer-songwriter, has a new recording in the works and plans a release date later this year. Four tracks from a previous EP, "Songs From Beyond the Leaves," can be heard streaming on his MySpace page: "Skeletons," "Thief Among Us," "Comfort There" and "Until the Roots Surface." - Birmingham News