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Middle Promoted by Rolling Stone
Jesse Welles, the Viral Protest Singer, Announces New Album ‘Middle’ The songwriter, who has lambasted topics ranging from American healthcare to capitalism, previews the upcoming LP with the “pro-love song” “Horses” Jesse Welles, the gravelly-voiced songwriter who is reviving protest songs through a series of self-shot videos, will release his new studio album, Middle, next month.…
Patchwork, A Favorite Akransas Times Album of 2024
It’s rare to find a storyteller with the potency of the greats — the Springsteens, Dylans and Prines of the world — but when you hear it, it’s something you recognize immediately. Arkansas singer-songwriter Jesse Welles’ “Patchwork” boasts this authority from the first strum. His refined folk styling blends pop culture, current events and autobiographical trimmings…
Jesse Welles – Musical Vessel – The Pitch Media
Jesse Welles: A Musical Vessel Like No Other “I feel like a vessel for the marijuana,” he said. We’d just roasted a few dabs of hash oil and were hanging out on our second-floor balcony at the Hill Place apartments in Fayetteville, Arkansas. For those unfamiliar, hash oil is a highly concentrated form of THC, likened in…
In Rolling Stone Regarding Healthcare
Jesse Welles Eviscerates UnitedHealthcare in New Protest Song The buzzy songwriter tells the story of corporate healthcare in a John Prine-like ballad Songwriter Jesse Welles has been turning heads with his solo acoustic protest songs about the war in Gaza (“War Isn’t Murder”) and capitalism (“Amazon Santa Claus”), earning a devoted following online and at his sold-out…
Pancakes and Whiskey on Welles’ Joe Dirt Cobain
Welle’s ‘Joe Dirt Cobain’ EP is a Heavy, Guitar-Powered Trip The catchy EPs that Welles has been building solo at home and quietly releasing for free (three now since April) have been major bright spots this year. Carefully constructed yet raw, each one explores a different genre, dishing out surprises that seem designed to put a smile under your…
Pancakes and Whiskey on Welles Q2 EP
Welles’ Quarantine EP Series Brings Another Twist with ‘Q2’ Just eighteen days after he cured our isolation blues with a surprise jazz funk EP called Non-Essential Business, Jesse Wells casually unveiled his “second quarantine EP.” His self-described “country folk americana whatever” release, entitled Q2, includes five feel-good songs that have repeatedly made us grin – whether over the…
Pancakes and Whiskey on Welles’ Non-Essential Business
Welles Unveils Groovy Surprise EP ‘Non-Essential Business’ Knowing Jesse Wells, he probably didn’t realize how much he was making our week. Maybe our whole month, whatever month it is. Right when the world really needed a pick-me-up, Welles unveiled a funky new EP on Bandcamp entitled Non-Essential Business. There was seemingly no advance notice aside from a photo on the…
Chicago Tribune on Jesse Wells of Welles
Wells has rock ’n’ roll history behind him For a ride-or-die rocker like Jesse Wells, the prospect of his beloved genre no longer being the dominant one is hardly reason to worry. “I’ve got all of rock and roll history behind me,” the Arkansas-born singer-guitarist said of forces working on his behalf. “All of it.…
Pancakes and Whiskey, Welles and Rock & Roll
Backstage With Welles: ‘Any Kid Can Make Rock & Roll” Jesse Wells is the coolest paradox. The music of Welles is an intense storm of sound and emotion that steals all your attention, and the guy behind it is almost exactly the opposite – quiet, supremely relaxed, always a few words away from a joke,…
Guitar World and Jesse Wells in 2018
Jesse Wells Talks New Welles Album, ‘Red Trees and White Trashes’ “People pretty up the guitar too much.” Jesse Wells opens up about Welles’ superlative debut album. “People pretty up the guitar too much,” says singer-songwriter-guitarist Jesse Wells. “I kind of fight when I play, and I want people to hear that struggle of my…
Pancakes and Whiskey to Welles Fans
I’ve got suitcases and suitcases and suitcases full of notebooks and computer hard drives full of stuff I can’t even access anymore because it’s too old, you know? I’ve got tunes on floppy drives and stuff,” he laughed, having dipped into a whisper that sounded more humble than secretive. Still addressing his fans, in a…
Pancakes and Whiskey on Welles Debut Red Trees and White Trashes
Wells’ Debut Album ‘Red Trees and White Trashes’ Is A Rock Lover’s Dream “Dust me off like a jar of fire, declare me as your friend. It’s been done before, and we’re doing it now, and I’m sure it’s not the end.” It’s a small remark in the song, but out of context, it defines Welles’…
Welles’ First Listen Review on 2018 NPR
On His Debut Album, Welles Pretties Up Dirty Rock And Roll First rule of rock and roll: Make sure the music knows how much you love it. The music is something people make, of course, but it can feel like its own life form when you put your fingers on a guitar or some drums…
Welles Article in Nylon
The Welles era is only just beginning. Welles’ just-dropped, five-song EP sounds like the kind of stuff a kid raised solely on psychedelic rock would make after dipping their feet in experimental college radio. Codeine is rife with dreams, trips, and sober reflections all told through music you just don’t hear anymore. There’s an authenticity…
