Jesse Thomas Lacey (born July 10, 1978) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who is best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the American alternative rock band Brand New. He is known for his enigmatic and private nature, rarely giving interviews and describing himself as a perfectionist. Lacey was the founding bassist of fellow Long Island rock band

Taking Back Sunday Taking Back Sunday is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. The band was formed by guitarist Eddie Reyes and bassist Jesse Lacey in 1999. The band's members currently are Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), John Nolan (lead guitar, keybo ...

but left the band after a personal incident involving guitarist John Nolan. Along with members of the Rookie Lot, Lacey formed Brand New in 2000. With Brand New, Lacey earned a number-one album in the United States due to the commercial success of 2017's ''Science Fiction''. As well as fronting Brand New, Lacey has performed as a solo artist since 2004, although has not yet released any solo material, and instead performs material by Brand New, as well as covering other bands. Lacey has produced and co-produced a number of records, including those Brand New, as well as Kevin Devine's ''Bubblegum'' and a track by

Cymbals Eat Guitars Cymbals Eat Guitars were an indie rock band from Staten Island, New York,

Early life

Lacey was raised in a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

family on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

and regularly attended church, although Lacey has said Christianity was never forced upon him. His parents listened to bands such as

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from liv ...

Simon and Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of ...

and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

, which Lacey has stated contributed towards both his interest and taste in music, commenting that "there was always a record playing, and good music, too". Albums by

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

, Weird Al and '' The Big Picture'' by Michael W. Smith were amongst some of the first that Lacey owned. Lacey attended General Douglas MacArthur High School in

Levittown, New York Levittown is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York. It is located halfway between the villages of Hempstead and Farmingdale. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a tota ...

along with John Nolan. After Nolan convinced Lacey to learn the

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, the two friends would go on to form a number of bands during their high school years, one of which was named Gudmunder Bjornsen. He also learned how to play the

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

while participating in the church choir. In 1998, Lacey, along with Garrett Tierney, Brian Lane and Brandon Reilly formed the Rookie Lot, who would self-release a split EP as well as a demo tape. In November 1999, Lacey formed

with guitarist Eddie Reyes; after adding Nolan to the band, Lacey moved to bass guitar. He contributed bass guitar and backing vocals to their first EP in 2001, but left the band during the recording sessions after Nolan slept with Lacey's girlfriend. Prior to becoming a full-time musician, Lacey had a number of different jobs, including working for the clothing retailer

Gap Inc. The Gap, Inc., commonly known as Gap Inc. or Gap (stylized as GAP), is an American worldwide clothing and accessories retailer. Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris F. Fisher and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The c ...

, a skate and bike shop, and also spending two days working at

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

, before quitting after being told "

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fr ...

is going to happen, so get used to it".

Musical career

Brand New (2000–2018)

After the Rookie Lot broke up, its former members, with the exception of Reilly (who formed

the Movielife The Movielife is a Long Island punk rock band composed of vocalist Vinnie Caruana, guitarist Brandon Reilly, and drummer Brett Romnes. The band originally formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2003, but announced their official reunion in December 201 ...

), would form Brand New, recruiting Vincent Accardi as an additional guitarist. After recording and releasing a number of demos, the band released their debut album '' Your Favorite Weapon'' in 2001. Lacey provided lead vocals and guitar for the album, as well as writing lyrics for all of the songs. The band toured heavily up until work began on their second album in February 2003. Influenced by his time on the road, Lacey wrote much of the album on acoustic guitar in his bedroom. The album's success led the band to be engulfed in a bidding war between labels. Brand New toured for nearly 300 days to promote the album, causing Lacey to tear his

patellar tendon The patellar tendon is the distal portion of the common tendon of the quadriceps femoris, which is continued from the patella to the tibial tuberosity. It is also sometimes called the patellar ligament as it forms a bone to bone connection when ...

. After finishing the extensive touring and promotional cycle for their album ''Deja Entendu'', Lacey had become unsure as to whether he even wanted to release another record. In an interview, Lacey stated that he had the realization that he no longer wished to be associated with many of the people and bands he'd met over the past years with Brand New, and he also felt as though he had no friends. After writing and recording sessions in late 2004, the band became inactive. In spring 2005, Lacey became sick and subsequently underwent surgery for a number of problems. After the loss of a number of his friends and family members, Lacey and his bandmates purposely immersed themselves in their grief, channeling it into the songwriting with the hope of expelling it. Having previously become disillusioned and uninterested in the bands and people they were previously around, Lacey found friendship in bands such as

Thrice Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school. Early in their career, the band was known ...

, mewithoutYou,

Manchester Orchestra Manchester Orchestra is an American indie rock band from Atlanta formed in 2004. The group is composed of rhythm guitarist-singer-songwriter Andy Hull, lead guitarist Robert McDowell, bassist Andy Prince and drummer Tim Very. Former drummer Je ...

and

Kevin Devine Kevin Devine (born December 19, 1979) is an American songwriter and musician from Staten Island, New York City, who is known for his introspective and political themes. He is a contemporary member of the underground indie rock and indie folk m ...

, remarking that they had "created a small community". In later interviews, Lacey stated that the writing and recording of their third album, the critically acclaimed '' The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me'', saved the band. In 2008, Lacey along with his Brand New bandmates cofounded the record label Procrastinate! Music Traitors.

Solo

One of Lacey's first solo shows was on April 27, 2004, at The Downtown in

Farmingdale, New York Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. The population was 8,189 as of the 2010 Census. The Lenox Hills neighborhood is adjacent to Bethpage State Park and the rest of the ...

, performing a mixture of covers and songs by his band, Brand New. In July 2007, Lacey and

did an acoustic tour in the United States with Grace Read, with Lacey once again performing material from Brand New, as well as performing various tracks with Devine. In 2008 Lacey toured with

and Brooklyn native Brian Bonz, later stating in an interview how at this point he wished only to occasionally tour and perform Brand New material solo, believing that "the songs lack meaning" without his bandmates beside him. After performing solo with Devine on December 12, 2015, Lacey was soon-after revealed to be part of Devine's ''Devinyl splits'' series, with his single, a cover of R.E.M.'s " Bad Day", seeing release early in 2016.

Other projects

Outside of Brand New, Lacey has frequently collaborated with

, both in the studio and live. In 2005, Lacey was featured

's album '' Split the Country, Split the Street'', providing vocals on the songs "Cotton Crush", "Afterparty", and "No One Else's Problem". In 2009, he would again contribute to the album ''

Brother's Blood ''Brother's Blood'' is the fifth studio album by American indie rock musician Kevin Devine, his first album since 2006 and first release on the Favorite Gentlemen record label. Background Throughout the course of 2008, Devine premiered a numbe ...

'', singing on "Tomorrow's Just Too Late". In 2013, Lacey produced the album ''Bubblegum''. Lacey was initially nervous, as it was the first album he had produced outside of Brand New. Along with

, Lacey frequently appeared onstage and on tour with

. Other appearances by Lacey include contributing bass guitar to the track "Rocket" on the Intramural 2007 album ''This Is a Landslide'', as well as providing bass and guitar on Grace Read's song "Cloak and Dagger", from her EP ''Young Guns''. At various Brand New shows in 2014 and 2015, Lacey joined support band

Dinosaur Pile-Up Dinosaur Pile-Up are an English alternative rock band formed in late 2007. Hailing from Leeds, West Yorkshire. Current members are lead singer and guitarist Matt Bigland, drummer Mike Sheils and bassist Jim Cratchley. Their past members include ...

on stage, performing their track "Nature Nurture". Lacey and his wife Andrea released a cover of "In Spite of Ourselves", originally by John Prine in February 2015. In 2015, Lacey, along with Mike Sapone, co-produced the track "Aerobed" for the band

Cymbals Eat Guitars Cymbals Eat Guitars were an indie rock band from Staten Island, New York,Kevin Devine Kevin Devine (born December 19, 1979) is an American songwriter and musician from Staten Island, New York City, who is known for his introspective and political themes. He is a contemporary member of the underground indie rock and indie folk m ...

. American singer Halsey, a publicized Brand New fan, referred to Lacey as "largely responsible for why I write with such detail." Lacey and the rest of the band earned songwriting credits on Halsey's 2020 album ''Manic'' as a result of her sampling the " (Fork and Knife)" demo on her song "Alanis' Interlude". Brand New was thanked in the liner notes of ''Manic''.

Influences

Early on in his career as a musician, Lacey cited bands such as Lifetime, the

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) ...

the Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr ( bass guitar), Elliot Easton ( lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboar ...

and

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, g ...

as influences for himself and Brand New. He later taped the words "Hi Moz", a reference to the Smiths frontman

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since th ...

, to his guitar during their performance of "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' in 2003. Towards the release of ''The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me'', Lacey expressed his fandom of

the Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, ...

and Ride. During the ''Daisy'' era, Lacey cited Polvo, Archers of Loaf,

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their sty ...

and

Modest Mouse Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members are lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influence ...

as influences. He named

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of t ...

and My Bloody Valentine as the influences for the album's guitar sound. Religious imagery and themes such as faith, the afterlife, the supernatural as well as moral issues are often explored in Lacey's songwriting. Lacey, however, has made it clear his songs are not, and never will be about Christianity, remarking that the band Brand New do not share the same beliefs, so to try to label the band with any one religion would be "absolutely ridiculous". Film, television and literature have also influenced his songwriting. In Brand New, Lacey and his bandmates compose material separately from one another, rarely rehearsing or practicing together. Instead Lacey will often write material on an acoustic guitar, before bringing it to the rest of the band. During the writing and recording of the 2006 album ''The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me'', Lacey was particularly influenced by bands such as U2 and

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass ...

to try writing using instruments other than the guitar. During the sessions, Lacey and Devine's friendship would play a major influence on his songwriting, with him looking to write more about current events.

Image

Lacey has been described by the media as being both enigmatic and reserved. He has no public social media accounts and only occasionally gives interviews, stating in one interview that although he enjoys talking to people, he and his Brand New bandmates feel more comfortable not having to worry about interviews, photo shoots and music videos, and that "those peripheral things had nothing to do with the project we were working on". His discomfort with interviews stems from American media outlets' tendency to misrepresent facts. "Most people don’t want you to look how you want to look. They want you to look how they want you to look," he said. "Writers have to make it interesting. The headline would end up being something stupid like 'We hate

My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist ...

.''" Following the success of '' Deja Entendu'', Lacey was described by ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication '' Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a on ...

'' as a "heartthrob", an image which he disliked. "I don't want anyone listening to our music because they think I'm cute," he said. "We're hoping for things to go in a Radiohead way instead of a

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

way. We want to be known for our music."

Personal life

Lacey is the second oldest of seven siblings, one of whom is a teacher. Another one of his siblings, Cody Lacey, is in the United States Navy. His brother, Jamey Lacey plays in the band Coasta. His father is a nurse. Prior to forming Brand New, Lacey attended

Nassau Community College Nassau Community College (NCC) is a public community college in Uniondale, New York, using the Garden City, New York ZIP Code. It was founded in 1959 and is part of the State University of New York. History Nassau Community College was crea ...

on Long Island for three years, studying child psychology and elementary education. Attending school with fellow musician John Nolan, the two friends had a brief, highly publicized falling out. This would lead Lacey to write "Seventy Times 7", which appeared on Brand New's 2001 album ''Your Favorite Weapon'', while Nolan would later write about the dispute from his perspective in the Taking Back Sunday track "There's No I in Team". Later, Lacey and his Brand New bandmates stated that the "situation cleaned itself up a lot sooner than most people thought it did", and that the situation had been blown out of proportion by fans and the media. Lacey has described fellow musician

as one of his best friends, as well as citing him as a musical influence. Lacey has an interest in photography and graphic design, and has had a part in designing and composing artwork for a number of releases by Brand New.Alt URL
/ref> Lacey is married to Andrea King. They have one child, Bowie Charles Lacey. In late 2017, Lacey was accused of sexual misconduct by two women, who alleged the events occurred 15 years prior while they were underage and Lacey was in his early 20s. Lacey apologized publicly on Brand New's Facebook page and admitted to having a sex addiction in his past, which he had sought treatment for over a decade before the allegations were brought public.

Discography

With Brand New *'' Your Favorite Weapon'' (2001) *'' Deja Entendu'' (2003) *'' The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me'' (2006) *''

Daisy Daisy, Daisies or DAISY may refer to: Plants * ''Bellis perennis'', the common daisy, lawn daisy or English daisy, a European species Other plants known as daisy * Asteraceae, daisy family ** '' Euryops chrysanthemoides'', African bush daisy ** ' ...

'' (2009) *''

Science Fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

'' (2017) With the Rookie Lot * five-track demo tape (1998) * The Rookie Lot/Yearly split 7-inch (1999) Appearances Production discography

References

External links

Official Brand New website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lacey, Jesse Brand New (band) Living people People from Nassau County, New York American rock singers American rock guitarists American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American rock songwriters Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Guitarists from New York (state) 1978 births 21st-century American singers Rhythm guitarists