Hotel Lights

By Brian E. King

Photo by Debora Francis

There hasn’t been a band in recent years whose name is as befitting as Hotel Lights. “When you see hotel lights in the distance you feel like, ‘Yeah, I’m almost there,’ but when you stand in the bathroom and turn on the hotel lights, they’re fluorescent and

you see every scar,” says Darren Jessee, the band’s soft-spoken singer/songwriter.

Hotel Lights is minimalist acoustic pop with languid, selfreflecting melodies but without the typically twangy folk side. Jessee, formerly the drummer of the sorely-missed Ben Folds Five, now focuses on songs about more simple and heartfelt subjects on the upcoming full-length Firecracker People, the follow-up to the band’s 2004 self-titled release.

Jessee was born in Houston, moved to North Carolina native, and now is a recent transplant to New York City. He says that a vacation while revisiting his family and friends was the strongest inspiration behind Firecracker People. He adds, “This album is me letting go and not worrying so much. There is so much going on in the world and

so much is happening that words took on a lot of imagery.” Jessee’s lyrics are gracefully straightforward and the homey, low-key production on Firecracker People goes hand in hand with the storytelling imagery in songs such as “Emelia Bright” and

“Wedding Day.” The former, dating back to performances of the Five’s final tour in 1999, is a quirky, piano-based tune with a playful chorus of “Here lies Emelia Bright / In a red ‘50s dress from a thrift shop nearby.” “Wedding Day” is a slow, sparse and dreamy song with the most hauntingly beautiful melody throughout Jessee’s canon, although “Lorena” comes close with it’s driving, up tempo feel but with another refreshingly desperate melody. Firecracker People is one of those rare albums befitting a lazy summer’s day or a somber rainy day companion. Try and listen to

“Lorena” and not want to go for a long drive on a hot afternoon. Honesty is one of those qualities that is oft ascribed to singer/songwriters, but even when Jessee was writing the few songs he had in his Ben Folds Five days (“Magic” and the Bacharach-esque

B-side “Leather Jacket”), they were the most honest and heartfelt of the sarcastic trio’s usual efforts. Jessee says, “Lyrically, the album doesn’t have a thematic concept but more as a mood. Some songs just happen.”

The band’s lineup now consists of Alan Weatherhead (The Comas, Sparklehorse, Camper Van Beethoven), who recorded the band’s first album and the follow-up EP, and Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne) though others have also made sonic contributions. With its low-key feel (sparse keyboards, densely layered guitars, minimal reverb and a noticeable lack of synths compared to their debut), it may come as a surprise to some to find that the album was recorded with famed alt-rock producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Garbage).

As of 2005, the band itself was distributing its albums primarily through indie music retailer CD Baby and at live shows. Eventually Hotel Lights was hand picked by Bar None Records, who are now distributing and supporting the group.

And while Jessee doesn’t drum much anymore, he contemplates whether it was difficult to stop listening for drums in a song and instead just listen to the song itself. His music is as casual and low-key as the person, making it impossible to separate Jessee’s musical incarnation and his personality. Hotel Lights is Jessee and vice versa — a natural extension. It’s obvious through his honest and straightforward approach as the one he takes on Firecracker People and when he describes his newfound status as frontman as “taking courage ... but you’re more vulnerable,” that Jessee’s words couldn’t be truer than the bands aptly-named moniker.

www.hotellights.net