Jesse Malin will be the first to tell you that he owes much of his worldview, musical and otherwise, to Bad Brains singer H.R Now, with H.R. dealing with his own medical issues, Malin is directing fans toward a benefit concert for the singer while also announcing his own new project: the concert film and live album Chasing the Light.
On Friday, Malin previewed Chasing the Light, directed by Dave Stekert, with the release of a live performance of “I & I Survive” featuring H.R.
“H.R. was a childhood mentor of mine,” Malin says in a statement. “H.R. was spreading the words of Positive Mental Attitude, and teaching us about the musicality and generosity and power that his group Bad Brains had.”
Along with “I & I Survive,” Chasing the Light includes performances by Malin and his band of his own songs, like “Brooklyn,” “Shining Down,” and “Strangers and Thieves.” There are also cameos by Tommy Stinson, Cat Popper, and Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hütz, who sings with Malin on the Pogues’ “If I Should Fall From Grace with God.”
The concert was filmed over two shows in January 2022 at the Sheen Center in New York City, a year before Malin suffered a spinal stroke that affected his ability to walk. He’s currently undergoing physical therapy and stem-cell treatments at a clinic in Buenos Aires, Argentina. “I am getting some strength back in my legs, but it moves a lot slower than I would like. I don’t want to portray it like I’m ready to do the James Brown splits onstage,” he told RS in December. “I definitely have a long way to go, but I’m blessed and so grateful for the amazing fans and friends that I have.”
H.R., meanwhile, continues an ongoing battle with debilitating SUNCT headaches, which manifest as intense stabbing pains. “I don’t want anyone to give up on me,” H.R. told RS last summer. “I want people to remember I was a good man, who was a fighter and remained humble.”
On June 22, artists like Hütz, Murphy’s Law’s Jimmy G, and members of Scream and the Mob, with more to be announced, will perform a tribute to the music of Bad Brains at Bowery Electric in New York as a benefit for H.R. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 3, at 10 a.m., with all proceeds going to H.R.’s medical care.
Malin’s Chasing the Light will be released as both a film and a live album on June 21 via Little Steven’s Wicked Cool Records. “This is a story of how we survived during those years,” Malin says of the pandemic era, “and how we were able to put back into the community that we came out of.”
Chasing the Light film tracklist:
- “State of the Art” (Tommy Stinson, guitar & vocals)
- “Gray Skies Look So Blue”
- “Brooklyn”
- “St. Christopher” (lead vocals by Catherine Popper)
- “Shining Down”
- “Ameri’ka”
- “About You”
- “Strangers and Thieves”
- “Sinner”
- “She Don’t Love Me Now”
- “I & I Survive” (lead vocals by H.R)
- “If I Should Fall from Grace with God” (w/ Eugene Hütz)
- “Greener Pastures”
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