Jewogle - Jesse Michaels

Biography:

Jesse Michaels (born April 2, 1969) is a songwriter, guitarist and artist from Berkeley, California's East Bay. He is the son of the late author Leonard Michaels. His lyrics deal with politics, racism, and general social issues.

Musical Overview:

In February 1987 he published his first First Fanzine, "Kill Deal for 50 Cents". Later that year he formed Operation Ivy with guitarist Tim Armstrong, bassist Matt Freeman, and drummer Dave Mello. They quickly became an extremely popular band especially at the Berkeley punk mecca 924 Gilman Street. In 1988 they released their first EP Hectic on which Jesse wrote all the songs. It was followed with an American tour which brought their work all around the country, and made Operation ivy a very well respected group. After their return they recorded their first LP Energy (album) which is considered the first Ska Punk album. In 1989 they broke up. After Operation Ivy broke up, he formed Big Rig in 1994. Big Rig released one EP and played several gigs around 924 Gilman Street before breaking up. In 1999 after a long hiatus he formed Common Rider. They released two albums and toured around the country until breaking up in 2003.

Art Overview:

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, Green Day and Against All Authority.

Trivia:

He is currently not performing; although he has stated that he will continue to make music. Michaels is also an avid painter.
It was rumored that during his hiatus in the early- to mid-90's he became a Buddhist monk. According to a 2004 interview with Michaels by The Roots of Rebellion,a Montreal-based underground radio show, he indeed was a monk for about a six month interim.
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.
In early 2006 Jesse met up with his former band mates to discuss business matters; however, no reunion is planned for the band.
Michaels has a song Titled The Bell Tower on the acoustic compilation album Experiments In Audio Rocketry from 1-2-3-4 Go! Records.
On December 17, 2006 Michaels joined his former band mates from Operation Ivy, Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman to perform "Unity," for the first time since the late 1980's.