Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

As “Esse Jeisner,” Eisner retakes his states

 Jesse Eisner’s “‘Esse Jeisner” alter-ego “says all the stuff that is hard to think about and all the shit we don’t like to acknowledge.”
Jesse Eisner’s “‘Esse Jeisner” alter-ego “says all the stuff that is hard to think about and all the shit we don’t like to acknowledge.”

“I went crazy writing this and it all came out,” says Jesse Eisner. “‘Esse Jeisner’ says all the stuff that is hard to think about and all the shit we don’t like to acknowledge.”

Shit like leaving an infant brother in a high chair while you hide in the living room because a maniac is running laps on your porch demanding admittance to the homestead.

Eisner spent four months at a creative fever pitch, writing songs and music to try and contain the life story of a young man from a broken home who has raised a grip of kids, watched family members descend into drug addiction, and found God in some strange places. His new musical project, Esse Jeisner Retakes the States, puts all those words in the mouth of a crazy, old, homeless man; the eponymous Esse (which Eisner says “should be pronounced ese, like an L.A. gangster”), who disjointedly chronicles key points in the life of the alter-ego’s alter-ego.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Catching up with Eisner before and after a show, he tries to explain that the project is supposed to be a big rock opera that somehow contains the often-contradictory twists and turns that push a guy’s life in all directions. It’s a mess, but it’s an earnest mess with just enough love to survive.

At his best, Eisner occupies the hypnotic drones of low-fi shoegaze and breaks lyrical repetition to deliver thoughtful lyrics: “I’ll follow you into the woods and we’ll drown out our moms and dads.” The show vacillates between on-the-nose Christianity and artful use of Jesus as metaphor for a loved one. It bounces between uncanny Cat Stevens covers and distorted noise that leads to inexplicable in-jokes and spoken-word poetry.

At his worst, Eisner tries to do too much with a simple show. He struggles with reaching out and trying to wrestle abstruse metaphors into submission. That’s not without a little irony, as the story behind Retakes the States is a Bildungsroman in musical guise, and great opportunities for growth don’t always come out of successes.

States’ biggest novelty (and strength) is that it fights through all its own weirdness and ends up being a regular tale from a regular guy.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Fellini of Clairemont High

When gang showers were standard for gym class
Next Article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
 Jesse Eisner’s “‘Esse Jeisner” alter-ego “says all the stuff that is hard to think about and all the shit we don’t like to acknowledge.”
Jesse Eisner’s “‘Esse Jeisner” alter-ego “says all the stuff that is hard to think about and all the shit we don’t like to acknowledge.”

“I went crazy writing this and it all came out,” says Jesse Eisner. “‘Esse Jeisner’ says all the stuff that is hard to think about and all the shit we don’t like to acknowledge.”

Shit like leaving an infant brother in a high chair while you hide in the living room because a maniac is running laps on your porch demanding admittance to the homestead.

Eisner spent four months at a creative fever pitch, writing songs and music to try and contain the life story of a young man from a broken home who has raised a grip of kids, watched family members descend into drug addiction, and found God in some strange places. His new musical project, Esse Jeisner Retakes the States, puts all those words in the mouth of a crazy, old, homeless man; the eponymous Esse (which Eisner says “should be pronounced ese, like an L.A. gangster”), who disjointedly chronicles key points in the life of the alter-ego’s alter-ego.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Catching up with Eisner before and after a show, he tries to explain that the project is supposed to be a big rock opera that somehow contains the often-contradictory twists and turns that push a guy’s life in all directions. It’s a mess, but it’s an earnest mess with just enough love to survive.

At his best, Eisner occupies the hypnotic drones of low-fi shoegaze and breaks lyrical repetition to deliver thoughtful lyrics: “I’ll follow you into the woods and we’ll drown out our moms and dads.” The show vacillates between on-the-nose Christianity and artful use of Jesus as metaphor for a loved one. It bounces between uncanny Cat Stevens covers and distorted noise that leads to inexplicable in-jokes and spoken-word poetry.

At his worst, Eisner tries to do too much with a simple show. He struggles with reaching out and trying to wrestle abstruse metaphors into submission. That’s not without a little irony, as the story behind Retakes the States is a Bildungsroman in musical guise, and great opportunities for growth don’t always come out of successes.

States’ biggest novelty (and strength) is that it fights through all its own weirdness and ends up being a regular tale from a regular guy.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Temperature inversions bring smoggy weather, "ankle biters" still biting

Near-new moon will lead to a dark Halloween
Next Article

Tijuana sewage infects air in South Bay

By September, Imperial Beach’s beach closure broke 1000 consecutive days
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader