Jesse Michaels (born April 1, 1969) is an American songwriter, painter, illustrator, musician, singer, and author from

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

. His lyrics deal with politics, racism, and general

social issues A social issue is a problem that affects many people within a society. It is a group of common problems in present-day society that many people strive to solve. It is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's control. Soc ...

. He is most well known as the vocalist for the

ska punk Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music. Ska punk tends to feature brass instruments, especially Horn (instrument), horns such as trumpets, trombones and woodwind instruments like saxophones ...

band Operation Ivy (1987–1989), as well as Classics of Love (2009–approx. 2012). In 2023 Michaels formed the band DOOM Regulator. He is the son of the author Leonard Michaels, and was married to producer Audrey Marrs.

Early life

Jesse Michaels was born in 1969 and he grew up in Berkeley, California, his parents are professor Priscilla Older and professor and writer Leonard Michaels. In Berkeley he became involved with the local punk and hardcore music scene in the eighties. As a very young participant, he attended performances by many formative punk and hardcore bands. The Bay Area was also home to a small but enthusiastic second wave ska scene and Michaels was exposed to much two tone ska music, including performances by Berkeley's The Uptones. Michaels' early musical experimentation involved playing in garage bands including a primitive collaboration with

Jeff Ott Jeff Ott (born June 24, 1970) is an activist, musician, author, and longtime member of the Berkeley punk community, best known for playing guitar and singing in the bands Crimpshrine and Fifteen. Early life Ott was born on June 24, 1970, in Oakla ...

and

Aaron Cometbus Aaron Elliott (born May 20, 1968), better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American musician, author, songwriter, roadie, and magazine editor, best known as the creator of the punk zine ''Cometbus''. Career Born in Berkeley, California, Cometbus ...

who would later go on to form the band

Crimpshrine Crimpshrine was an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bisho ...

. Throughout the eighties he was involved with the publication of fanzines, including 1987's Kill Deal for 50 Cents. He was married to Audrey Marrs.

Music

In 1987 he formed the band Operation Ivy with guitarist

Tim Armstrong Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid (band), Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup T ...

, bassist Matt Freeman, and drummer Dave Mello. They quickly became a popular band especially at the Berkeley punk club 924 Gilman Street. In 1987, the group released its debut extended play '' Hectic'' on which Michaels wrote all of the lyrics. It was followed with an American tour which brought the group's work all around the country, and made Operation Ivy a very well respected band. Operation Ivy recorded and released its only studio album ''

Energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

'' in 1989 and broke up the same year. Michaels also co-wrote the music to the

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

song "2,000 Light Years Away" from their second album '' Kerplunk'' (1992). He later formed Big Rig in 1994. Big Rig released one extended play and played several gigs around 924 Gilman Street before breaking up. In 1999 after a long hiatus he formed Common Rider with Squirtgun bassist and producer Mass Giorgini. They released two albums and toured around the country before breaking up in 2003. In August 2008, Jesse went on a short Southern California tour with long-time friend

, playing new solo songs. In December 2008, he participated in a small Northern California tour with

Mike Park Michael Brian Park is an American musician and progressive activist. His musical ventures include Skankin' Pickle for whom he both played the saxophone and sang, The Chinkees, The Bruce Lee Band, and Ogikubo Station, as well as an acoustic solo p ...

and Kevin Seconds, as well as formed a new band, Classics of Love. Michaels has stated in interviews and biographical material that the reason for his sporadic / intermittent involvement with music is that he does not consider himself a full-time musician, instead preferring to play music as an avocation rather than a career. Michaels collaborated with former Operation Ivy bandmate

for the 2013 original song, "Living In A Dangerous Land" as part of the Tim Timebomb And Friends series. In March 2023, Michaels and Tim Armstrong along with

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag (band), Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetso ...

drummer Joey Castillo and

Trash Talk Trash talk is a form of spoken insult usually found in sports events, although it is not exclusive to sports or similarly characterized events. It is often used to intimidate the opposition and/or make them less confident in their ability to wi ...

bassist Spencer Pollard formed the band Bad Optix and released their first single called "Raid". Armstrong promised tons more songs to come. Less than a week after announcing the formation of the band, the band changed their name to DOOM Regulator due to a band from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

already being called Bad Optics.

Visual artwork

In 1996, Michaels graduated from

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

(UCLA) where he received a BA degree in Literature. He is no longer an active musician, he cites punk music as a formative aesthetic influence and continues to direct his creative energies towards film, literature and visual art. Michaels is also regarded as a talented artist, responsible for designing Operation Ivy's well-known and widely recognized "Ska Man" logo as well as other artwork for the album. In addition to drawing logos, album covers and other assorted art for his own musical projects, his artwork has been used by bands such as Filth,

Neurosis Neurosis (: neuroses) is a term mainly used today by followers of Freudian thinking to describe mental disorders caused by past anxiety, often that has been repressed. In recent history, the term has been used to refer to anxiety-related con ...

(for the band's debut album ''

39/Smooth ''39/Smooth'' is the debut studio album by the American Rock music, rock band Green Day, released on April 13, 1990, by Lookout Records. After finalizing their line-up, the band played frequent shows at the 924 Gilman Street venue, where they st ...

'') and Against All Authority. Michaels has recently been making reprints of sketches and other art available for sale on eBay on a limited basis. As an oil painter, Michaels has exhibited his work around the West Coast. In 2005, Jesse collaborated with Chris Appelgren of Lookout! Records to launch Dynaformer, an art/design collective dedicated to showcasing the artwork of both individuals, as well as offering their artistic talents for hire. Although Dynaformer was short-lived, Michaels and Apelgren continue to collaborate. In 2013 the pair teamed up to produce the cover of Michaels' debut novel as well as creating an EP design for a solo record by Murder City Devils' Spencer Moody. In 2015, Jesse sang on the track "System Fucked" featured on the Leftöver Crack album ''Constructs of the State''.

Publications

* Michaels has expressed an interest in writing. In a 2010 interview, he told

Jewcy ''Jewcy'' is an online magazine of Jewish pop culture and offbeat news. The site was launched on November 15, 2006. ''The Guardian'' has described ''Jewcy'' as "a cultural icon" and "at the forefront of a reinvention of Jewish identity by you ...

magazine, "I have written one book. It's a novella and I'm sort of shopping it around and it might get published this year." The book was originally titled ''What The Dead Have To Say'' but Michaels received interest from Soft Skull Press, an independent imprint which is known for bridging the gap between literary fiction and fringe cultural interests. Soft Skull agreed to publish Michaels' novel but the title was changed to, ''Whispering Bodies: A Roy Belkin Disaster''. The book was released in September 2013. ''Whispering Bodies'' is a comic novel about a recluse who is forced to enter the world at large to clear the name of a woman who he believes has been falsely accused of a crime.

References

External links

Jesse Michaels' personal websiteThe Roots of Rebellion Show Interview with Jesse MichaelsThe official Myspace of Jesse Michaels
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michaels, Jesse 1969 births Living people American male singer-songwriters American punk rock singers American punk rock guitarists American rock songwriters American Buddhists Musicians from Berkeley, California Operation Ivy (band) members Jewish American musicians Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni Jews in punk rock University of California, Los Angeles alumni Guitarists from California American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Hopeless Records artists Asian Man Records artists Singer-songwriters from California