Photo Credit: Vivian Wang
Tapping into the theme of artists supporting artists, a new tribute LP featuring the music of Jesse Malin has been slated for release on Sept. 20. The set, titled Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin, features an all-star cast of contributors, including Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, and more. Proceeds raised through the sale of the LP will go to his Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to help ease the expenses of his recovery.
The benefit LP arrives after a May 2023 incident in which Malin suffered a spinal stroke while dining with friends in the East Village during a commemorative evening to mark the anniversary of former friend and bandmate Howie Pyro. After collapsing on the restaurant floor and experiencing excruciating back pain, Malin was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he received spinal procedures before eventually being transferred to an NYU rehab facility.
Since then, Malin has been undergoing intensive physical therapy and treatment, first in New York and then at a clinic in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Malin’s unwavering optimism, often referred to as his “positive mental attitude” or P.M.A. has long been a defining attribute of the musician throughout his 40-plus-year-long career.
“As always in my songs, the themes are all there— transcendence, positivity and global unity through music,” says Malin. “This is what I love to do, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep doing it.” During his rehabilitation journey, Malin remained determined to embrace his recovery process despite factors that made it difficult for him to maintain his P.M.A., including the financial burdens of his medical expenses and the costs of acclimating. Malin has been generating support to aid his expenses on his road to recovery through his Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, special merch drops, and the benefit new album.
The massive support for Malin during his rehabilitation journey transferred onto the musical landscape of Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin, which features many of the music’s favorite names. The project includes previous collaborators of Malin, such as Springsteen, Williams, and Billie Joe Armstrong, as well as new team-ups, such as Spoon, Agnostic Front, Susanna Hoffs, Bleachers, Dinosaur Jr., The Hold Steady, and many more. The album’s first single, “Prisoners of Paradise,” featuring Bleachers, was released this morning and can be streamed now.
Donate to Malin’s Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.
