Common Rider
Location
Bay Area, CA
Website
Bio
When it comes down to it, true legends in punk rock are truly few and far between. Ponder those that rightfully deserve such status, due to their weighty contributions in the scene over and you'll notice yourself drafting a rather short, succinct list. And just in case you haven't already noted, the Bay Area's Jesse Michaels is undoubtedly one heavy-weight, significant contributor who ought to hold a permanent position on anyone�s list.
Michaels developed his noteworthy career back in the late 1980s with the Bay Area ska/punk outfit OPERATION IVY. Though the act -- which included current RANCID members Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman -- was short-lived and only spawned a handful of releases, every creation from Michaels and company was an instant classic --particularly their 1989 full-length Energy, which is held in high praise by many in the punk community and is still the widely lauded primer for thousands of acts that are currently in existence. While other "socially conscious" bands sung directly about political events through specific references and attributions, Michaels' powerful vocals transmitted a deeper, underlying philosophical message about change and awareness, which not only helped shape a new sound of punk rock at the time, but also developed introspective thoughts and ideas with his provocative, penetrating lyrics reflective of society.
After OPERATION IVY disbanded, Michaels took a significant amount of time -- several years -- and departed the punk scene all together. He took up odd jobs, went back to school, discovered Buddhism, studied film and martial arts, dabbled in various facets of life � nearly everything but music.
Yet, throughout his absence, no matter what path or route Michaels selected for his life, everything he engaged in kept reverting back to his original calling. So in 1999, nearly a decade after Operation Ivy called it quits, he thrust himself back into the limelight under a new moniker, COMMONRIDER, and re-entered the fold with the release of Last Wave Rockers on Panic Button/Lookout. Enlisting punk veterans Mass Giorgini (bass) and Dan Lumley (drums) of SCREECHING WEASEL and SQUIRTGUN fame to back him on his latest project, Michaels finally constructed the outlet he had been searching for. Utilizing the same core members of his band � the aforementioned duo of Giorgini and Lumley -- plus some additional help from some friends (including Phillip Hill of Teen Idols and Bratmobile's AudreyMarrs), the new installment of common rider was thrust full speed ahead. The end result is a batch of material that's bleeds a pure Michaels signature -- the heavy philosophical angle to every lyric, the raw, exact delivery from his trademark vocal approach, plus the infusion of a variety of punk, rock steady reggae and other styles -- which all converge to make This Is Unity Music quite possibly the most relevant and most creative release Michaels has ever crafted. There's an added intensity and urgency; the delivery is sharper and more direct than ever before -- a not so distant cousin to the Energy album he helped to create over a decade earlier.
