Blog

Minnesota Country Club Festival makes a scorching first impression by Joel Swenson Saturday afternoon belonged to Jesse Welles, who flat-out stole the entire weekend. Armed at first with just an acoustic guitar, harmonica, and a message, the folk singer gave a masterclass in holding a festival crowd’s attention on his own before his four-piece band […]

Jesse was also nominated for Emerging Act of the Year in 2025 and received the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award.

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST: Jesse Welles sings the news. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WAR ISN’T MURDER”) JESSE WELLES: (Singing) War isn’t murder. Good men don’t die. Children don’t starve and all women survive. SCHMITZ: His song “War Isn’t Murder” has millions of views across social media. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WAR ISN’T MURDER”) WELLES: (Singing) Let’s talk about […]

Fayetteville: Why It Matters Well, there’s another tour finished, another chapter ended and in the books. You could say that about every tour that finishes on a high note, I suppose, but this one felt different. This one didn’t feel like “just another tour.” There was something about this one…. Of course, there’s something about a […]

Jesse’s speech during Masks Off on the second night in Minneapolis, Minnesota of the Under the Powerlines Tour. The federal government laid siege to your city. They tried to break you and y’all broke them. You broke them with the room you made in your heart for your neighbor. What does that say about what […]

REVIEW: Jesse Welles turns anxiety into catharsis at Crystal Ballroom in Portland Who knew an extended anxiety attack could be so danceable? For 1 hour and 40 minutes, Arkansas singer-songwriter (and minted TikTok star) Jesse Welles channeled his barbed-wire-ensnared songs about injustice in politics, health care and public welfare like a fork firmly jammed into a light […]

Jesse Welles has a lot to say about this American life — its sorrows, ignorance, and grace — especially over the last couple of years. He is prolific in the best way, releasing eight albums since 2024, both studio and field recordings, and at the time of his FUV Live concert at The Bitter End, Under the […]

Grammy-nominated musician Jesse Welles speaks to the Phil on all things music and his body of work. The Phil is the world’s oldest student society, founded in 1683 and situated in the Graduate Memorial Building in Trinity College Dublin. We’ve hosted some of the world’s finest, both as members and as Honorary Patrons. The 341st […]

Jesse Welles performs “The Poor” at Healing Appalachia 2025!

So while the question that’s often popped up on my social platforms recently — Where are all the protest songs? — does have an answer, beyond the occasional sing-along on Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” it’s actually rare for the outcries of the people to be channeled through a pop song, or in a pop […]

Review: Jesse Welles at Freo.Social Jesse Welles at Freo.SocialWednesday, January 28, 2026 At Freo.Social on Wednesday night, nestled amongst a small entourage of seasoned concert-going veterans, it was difficult to know what a debut Australian tour should feel like. When you see enough gigs, you can’t help but have a certain expectation. For an artist […]