Darren Jessee on his J45 Guitar and Living Room Rehearsals

Photo credit: Dustin Condren

Tell us about your tour vehicle.

I guess my Subaru. I don’t have a touring vehicle these days. As a freelance drummer the last 25 years have been buses, planes and sprinter vans.

How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?

It’s pretty easy now with iPhones to find a good coffee and healthy bite to eat. It’s more about managing your time well.

How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?

I rarely break strings. A new pack costs about $5.00. I change strings on my J45 – the same guitar I’ve played on all my records, when it’s sounding a bit dull or not staying in tune as well. Probably three or four times a month.

Where do you rehearse? Any notable experiences there?

My rehearsal space is currently my living room. Everything crazy has happened in there!

What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?

Honestly have no idea. Magic by Ben Folds Five was my first sole songwriter credit for an official release.

Describe your first gig.

Probably a backyard party in high school, or battle of the bands if you can call that a gig.

What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?

I waited tables in 1992 when I left music school and when Ben Folds Five was getting started. I became a professional musician in 1993 and I have continued in music.

How has your music-related income changed over the past 5-10 years? What do you expect it to look like 5-10 years from now?

If I’m playing drums for someone it’s a standard salary type fee. When I’m showing up with courage like right now and putting out my own albums, it’s never about money. I’m a published songwriter as well.

What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?

The one thing/fact I know now that I wished I knew when I was starting is that there is no one thing or fact to know when starting out. It’s all feel and reaction and persistence.

For someone as soft-spoken as North Carolina-based songwriter Darren Jessee, it might come as a surprise to learn that he has a gold record (in storage somewhere), a platinum record (“I never called them to get it”), and was part of a recent Grammy win (“someone told me they would mail me a certificate if I wanted…”). For years, though, he’s managed that almost impossible feat of remaining both ubiquitous and out of the spotlight at once.

Since 2004, he’s released four records under the name Hotel Lights, all while working as a drummer for a series of wildly acclaimed acts. He played drums for Sharon Van Etten in support of her celebrated 2014 release Are We There, and since 2016, he’s been a member of the Durham-based band Hiss Golden Messenger, performing on their 2017 Merge release Hallelujah Anyhow. In 2017 he contributed to The War on Drugs’ A Deeper Understanding, which won the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. Before any of that, Jessee made his name as a member of the band Ben Folds Five, for which he co-wrote their biggest hit, “Brick.”

Jessee recently released Central Bridge, his latest solo album. Connect with Jessee online and on the road.