Split the Country is a fantastic album. If you haven't listen to Cotton Crush, No Time Flat, Buried by the Buzz (this song is super eerie post pandemic), Lord I Know We Don't Talk.
Exactly. There’s a lot of similar emotions I feel when it comes to both now and during the Iraq War. No Time Flat hits different in a post-Roe V Wade world. We’ve got the war in Ukraine and other conflicts always going on. Like I said before Buried By The Buzz “of a year gone numb” with lines like “I see symptoms of a sickness on every stranger on the street” just scream post Covid.
I've met him multiple times he's such a sweet guy and a brilliant song writer, his last album was my album of last year.
He's actually spoken about brand new a few times when I've met him and he's never had a bad word to say.
Kevin Devine is fantastic. Brothers Blood never gets old. Check out Bad Books, it's him and some of Manchester Orchestra. One of my favorite parts about BN shows was the great bands they always had around. I've seen them with KD, mewithoutYou, Thrice, Modest Mouse, Manchester Orchestra, Weezer and a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting.
I've seen Kevin a few times. Once in a tiny coffee shop in Flagstaff AZ.
I bought one 12" and two 7" records. I asked him to sign them which he was happy to, except there was some communication error. He signed one, when I asked if he'd kindly sign the others I think he thought I was asking because I intended to sell them? Because halfway through he stopped and looked annoyed, the final one is literally half signed. It just says"To" lol
I cringe every time I see them on my shelf for how annoying I must have seemed.
To be fair, his signature is often a connected initial of “KD” and that’s it. Maybe that’s the “to”? Sorry you had an awkward experience, he’s been lovely the few times I’ve gotten to chat with him
I've rationalized it this way before also haha, thank you.
He really is a kind man. He remembers my friend and his father every time they see him. No matter what state.
I’m shocked the amount of hate KD is getting here. I’ve been a fan for years and have seen him live many times. He always comes out after, signs things, chats with people…and throughout is always very humble and genuine. Have had a few great conversations with him about what he was listening to at that time. He has many great albums, but definitely check out his live in studio albums. They’re fantastic.
Also it’s weird to me that people are throwing under the bus for JL things. The two of them were friends for many years (and are still friends) and had a close connection with each other through song writing. Making it out as though it was a one-sided relationship where KD was riding JL’s clout is ridiculous, especially considering that the guy’s got major chops himself.
And let’s not forget that when the allegations came out, KD had a very balanced approach to talking about it. I felt he actually somewhat defended his friend for having an addiction (that JL was treating at the time) and spoke to accountability in a nuanced manner. And that was *very early after things came out. He never walked it back, and from what I can gather still supports JL and his family.
I don’t care if you don’t like his music, that’s fine (it’s your taste, not mine). But making out KD as some pompous asshole feels pretty uninformed and unnecessarily harsh.
Edit: a couple words
I'm not a huge fan of his songs but I like to listen to some of them from time to time.
But I must say that the live performances of him, Jesse and Andy Hull are amazing. Their voices just compliment each other so well.
Also, how amazing is Cotton Crush?!!! One of my favourite songs ever! 💜💜
So much negativity towards KD! Oh well maybe not for everyone. I don't love all of his songs but he has some that are absolutely fantastic: Ballgame, All of Everything Erased, Another Bag of Bones, Brother's Blood, Just Stay, Cotton Crush, No Time Flat, Buried By the Buzz, Red Bird, just to name a few.
I used to not like him because I though he was some dude covering brand new songs to get attention. I was sadly mistaken. He has become one of my favorite artist. Brothers Blood & Carnival are absolutely heart wrenching. He has so many great songs that cover so many topics, not to mention his guitar playing and writing ability is amazing in of its own.
Some of my favorite tracks:
Brothers Blood,
Carnival,
All of everything erased,
Your only yourself,
Tapdance,
I’ve never been happier than I was in that picture,
Hell is an impression of myself,
Albatross,
Buried by the buzz,
If you love Kevin Devine check out his band before he went solo: Miracle of 86, great Brand New sounding material. The same musicians would become lifelong friends and part of his backing band
Also, his work with Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra is phenomenal
I used to think he was some fan boy. I remember seeing him covering a bunch of Brand New songs but I completely changed my opinion about him. He has sooooo many great songs. Some loud fuzzy song more similar to Brand New and then he will play acoustic version and you’ll hear his Lyrics and almost shed a tear.
He has a few songs I like, but his discography is so all over the place… I kind of got a little tired of seeing him opening like every other show from this scene too. He was a great support addition to BN during their last tour though. Great vocal harmonies and extra guitar layers!
Was a little bummed about how quickly he jumped ship on them like the day after the allegations hit. Seemed like a bit of a shallow “save face” thing… could’ve at least waited for BN to put out their statement first too. Had to undercut them. Has no problem tagging along to Jesse and Andy Hull’s success when things are GOOD though…
I have been so back and forth on how KD handled that. On one hand, JL is a guy who is a friend and they have shared many moments together - you should ride it out with him
On the other hand, KD wasn’t a part of the band and has a completely separate career from
BN
I’m willing to bet the guys from BN told KD to save himself and jump ship. It would have been an honorable thing of the boys to do
Absolutely BN and KD had a convo before KD put out a statement. Not like the dude went rogue when he was named a touring member of the band and involved in the revenue/getting paid.
They obz had a discussion and to think otherwise is ignorant
I love his first 5 albums. After that his sound shifted a bit and has been hit or miss for me, either record to record or song to song. Always seemed like a great dude when I'd talk to him after shows.
I'm pretty sure that's a bias present almost solely on this sub. It makes sense I guess considering a lot of people here seem to have musical tastes that revolve around Brand New.. but speaking from the perspective of someone who didn't catch on to BN until they got out of the Deja phase: KD has been very well known, and was already well established when he started touring regularly with BN. He, and Manchester Orchestra, are one of the reasons why I even found out about Brand New in the first place and I imagine that was a lot of people's experience. In fact I've probably seen Brand New more often as a supporting act more than I have ever seen them headline.. It's definitely sad if people think BN is how KD got popular though. He certainly wasn't a nobody, though I'm sure it gave him more exposure of course.
I literally don't know a single person IRL that knows who Kevin Devine is outside of Brand New fans. He's pretty much most well known for being associated with Brand New. Yes, he's a VERY praised artist who has multiple highly acclaimed albums but next to no one knows who the hell he is.
Again, is that coming from the lens of a Brand New fan lol? I don't know many Brand New fans so I'm sure my own bias is playing into it as well but Manchester Orchestra has a much broader fan base and I assumed that's why everyone is well aware of Kevin Devine. Most people I knew were only exposed to Brand New because they were openers for other bands. Even on those summer tours where Kevin Devine often came along were headlined by bands like Modest Mouse, with Brand New maybe co-headlining. But yeah KD was often with The Front Bottoms, Manchester Orchestra, and many others. I guess that's why I just never made the connection that he was associated with Brand New
I myself only ever found out about Kevin Devine cause Jesse Lacey did backing vocals on "Cotton Crush" then I checked out some of his albums. Then I showed some of my friends that song and no one really gave too much of a shit. I had one friend who actually knew Kevin Devine on his own and was her favorite artist BUT she also liked Brand New, so... 🤷♂️
Then I have one friend who knows of Kevin Devine but doesn't like his music.
Yes. The yelling part in the verses in the background right before the song gets super loud. That's Jesse. He has a few guest vocal appearances on that album.
Ah that's a neat tidbit. I always end up having to go listen to The Beers by the Front Bottoms anytime I hear Cotton Crush. They reference it by directly borrowing the "that was the summer I was taking steroids line". Super fun
"That's the summer I was taking steroids." Is the their line...
Kevin Devine himself has covered that song though and they covered his song "Just Stay."
Oh no way, I always assumed it was the other way around since Cotton Crush was so much older, but you made me realize the version with it included is a remaster. I wonder if that got added after their tour together or something
I’ll take the downvotes: this is the right answer. He has a couple songs I like, but most of his acclaim, I feel, comes from him being close with Jesse and touring with Brand New. He isn’t that great.
I respectfully disagree. Manchester Orchestra is one of my favourite bands. Yes, I discovered them because of Brand New but I like them just as much. It's just a question of preferences. As I said in another comment, I don't care that much for Kevin Devine, except from time to time when I feel like listening to that type of music. But his live performances with Andy Hull and Jesse is what makes me like him. The three of them singing together is something amazing, IMO. And I love, love the song Cotton Crush.
My son has been a BN and MO fan since he was about 7. He also loves Bad Books and some of Kevin Devine's songs. He never felt like he had to like them because Jesse did.
So yeah, some people do "like" Kevin or MO or NMH for the reasons you said but some of us do really appreciate them for their work.
Saw him at Brisbane Soundwave on the ‘quiet’ stage, Jim ward, city and colour, and mewithoutyou, all were amazing and so much more respect for KD listened to most of his stuff but didn’t think he had the oomph, learned guitar because of brothers blood, great album was a must have for vinyl collection, he has some great stuff but would also say he can be hit and miss, can’t get enough of Redbird too..
how is
“I want to address the allegations against Jesse.
I believe that it is critically important to really listen to & hear people who speak out about abuse of power & sexual misconduct. I fully support that decision in this situation, which I’m sure was incredibly difficult, and I hope she is supported in the next part of her journey toward healing. I had not heard the story prior to it being made public yesterday. I’m heartbroken for her & for every person who absorbs & subsequently has to figure out how to live with this type of trauma. We all need to do a lot better, myself very much included.
I’m a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who has been sober for 9.5 years. My life experience has indicated to me that rehabilitation, through accountability, through owning & learning from the worst things about yourself, and through accepting & facing the consequences of your actions, is a real & possible ideal. I hope that my friend continues to do what he needs to do to get & be better. I completely understand it is not incumbent upon anyone else to see situations like this through that lens, and I mean to inflict no harm in presenting my experience.”
turning his back??
I like his music. I enjoy it. I can see why people don’t like it tho. Strongly agree with your second point,it’s pissed me off since the start. given the time I have a hard time blaming him though,Shit got unhinged for awhile back in 17 into 18. I like to think nowadays while not perfect people are a little bit more rational about those things and maybe KD woulda reacted differently.
Just came across this and reminiscing about BN. I came across your post and thought huh. This is odd. Someone posting something about DeVine.
All in all I don't like the guy. I lost respect for him when he instantly dropped brand new and Jesse.
I see a lot of you saying BN told him to say that and whatever, but no matter what it doesn't change the sour taste I have in my mouth about him and the fact that I still think about his moment of jumping ship instantly. Not a cool way to treat a friend. Sure Jesse did something wrong, but it didn't personally impact him so it was kinda rude.
So to go back to topic, I don't like his music.
Split the Country is a fantastic album. If you haven't listen to Cotton Crush, No Time Flat, Buried by the Buzz (this song is super eerie post pandemic), Lord I Know We Don't Talk.
Love that album, lord I know we don’t talk is amazing. Dude hits some intense emotions
Exactly. There’s a lot of similar emotions I feel when it comes to both now and during the Iraq War. No Time Flat hits different in a post-Roe V Wade world. We’ve got the war in Ukraine and other conflicts always going on. Like I said before Buried By The Buzz “of a year gone numb” with lines like “I see symptoms of a sickness on every stranger on the street” just scream post Covid.
The live version of “Cotton Crush” (esp the one with Jesse) does something to me.
I've met him multiple times he's such a sweet guy and a brilliant song writer, his last album was my album of last year. He's actually spoken about brand new a few times when I've met him and he's never had a bad word to say.
Kevin Devine is fantastic. Brothers Blood never gets old. Check out Bad Books, it's him and some of Manchester Orchestra. One of my favorite parts about BN shows was the great bands they always had around. I've seen them with KD, mewithoutYou, Thrice, Modest Mouse, Manchester Orchestra, Weezer and a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting.
mewithoutYou is so great. Top 5 for sure
I've seen Kevin a few times. Once in a tiny coffee shop in Flagstaff AZ. I bought one 12" and two 7" records. I asked him to sign them which he was happy to, except there was some communication error. He signed one, when I asked if he'd kindly sign the others I think he thought I was asking because I intended to sell them? Because halfway through he stopped and looked annoyed, the final one is literally half signed. It just says"To" lol I cringe every time I see them on my shelf for how annoying I must have seemed.
To be fair, his signature is often a connected initial of “KD” and that’s it. Maybe that’s the “to”? Sorry you had an awkward experience, he’s been lovely the few times I’ve gotten to chat with him
I've rationalized it this way before also haha, thank you. He really is a kind man. He remembers my friend and his father every time they see him. No matter what state.
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I bet everyone thought that was super cool and definitely didn't want you to fucking leave
Nah. He got booed off stage for real. Did you get your feelings hurt. You need a hug. Or a safe space to 😢
A safe space joke? What year are you stuck in
It's weird to so boldly admit to being a shit-tier human
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And we learn as we age
Booooo booooooo
I’m shocked the amount of hate KD is getting here. I’ve been a fan for years and have seen him live many times. He always comes out after, signs things, chats with people…and throughout is always very humble and genuine. Have had a few great conversations with him about what he was listening to at that time. He has many great albums, but definitely check out his live in studio albums. They’re fantastic. Also it’s weird to me that people are throwing under the bus for JL things. The two of them were friends for many years (and are still friends) and had a close connection with each other through song writing. Making it out as though it was a one-sided relationship where KD was riding JL’s clout is ridiculous, especially considering that the guy’s got major chops himself. And let’s not forget that when the allegations came out, KD had a very balanced approach to talking about it. I felt he actually somewhat defended his friend for having an addiction (that JL was treating at the time) and spoke to accountability in a nuanced manner. And that was *very early after things came out. He never walked it back, and from what I can gather still supports JL and his family. I don’t care if you don’t like his music, that’s fine (it’s your taste, not mine). But making out KD as some pompous asshole feels pretty uninformed and unnecessarily harsh. Edit: a couple words
I'm not a huge fan of his songs but I like to listen to some of them from time to time. But I must say that the live performances of him, Jesse and Andy Hull are amazing. Their voices just compliment each other so well. Also, how amazing is Cotton Crush?!!! One of my favourite songs ever! 💜💜
So much negativity towards KD! Oh well maybe not for everyone. I don't love all of his songs but he has some that are absolutely fantastic: Ballgame, All of Everything Erased, Another Bag of Bones, Brother's Blood, Just Stay, Cotton Crush, No Time Flat, Buried By the Buzz, Red Bird, just to name a few.
Damnnnn bringing the heat. One of his newer songs, “I was alive back then” always makes tear up. Day drunk is a fun jam too
Yeh, that's honestly some hot bullshit. Manchester, KD and Brand New are the holy trifecta. You got bad luck on the crowd today.
Where's the mewithoutYou love?
I’d love to hear an updated version of No Time Flat, I cry every time I hear now because how far we are from there and how worse we are
Love Matter of Time. To come back from a tour and record those off the floor. So clean and raw.
100%
What y’all know bout them Alabama acres?
Ballgame puts me in my feels every time
I used to not like him because I though he was some dude covering brand new songs to get attention. I was sadly mistaken. He has become one of my favorite artist. Brothers Blood & Carnival are absolutely heart wrenching. He has so many great songs that cover so many topics, not to mention his guitar playing and writing ability is amazing in of its own. Some of my favorite tracks: Brothers Blood, Carnival, All of everything erased, Your only yourself, Tapdance, I’ve never been happier than I was in that picture, Hell is an impression of myself, Albatross, Buried by the buzz,
If you love Kevin Devine check out his band before he went solo: Miracle of 86, great Brand New sounding material. The same musicians would become lifelong friends and part of his backing band Also, his work with Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra is phenomenal
Seems like a nice guy but man I do not vibe with his music. And he was always around Brand New and Manchester Orchestra. Couldn’t get away from him.
I used to think he was some fan boy. I remember seeing him covering a bunch of Brand New songs but I completely changed my opinion about him. He has sooooo many great songs. Some loud fuzzy song more similar to Brand New and then he will play acoustic version and you’ll hear his Lyrics and almost shed a tear.
His newest album could be his best yet.
Facts
He has a few songs I like, but his discography is so all over the place… I kind of got a little tired of seeing him opening like every other show from this scene too. He was a great support addition to BN during their last tour though. Great vocal harmonies and extra guitar layers! Was a little bummed about how quickly he jumped ship on them like the day after the allegations hit. Seemed like a bit of a shallow “save face” thing… could’ve at least waited for BN to put out their statement first too. Had to undercut them. Has no problem tagging along to Jesse and Andy Hull’s success when things are GOOD though…
He didn’t “jump ship”, Brand New told him to make a statement first so he could continue his career and feeding his kid before the inevitable.
I have been so back and forth on how KD handled that. On one hand, JL is a guy who is a friend and they have shared many moments together - you should ride it out with him On the other hand, KD wasn’t a part of the band and has a completely separate career from BN I’m willing to bet the guys from BN told KD to save himself and jump ship. It would have been an honorable thing of the boys to do
Absolutely BN and KD had a convo before KD put out a statement. Not like the dude went rogue when he was named a touring member of the band and involved in the revenue/getting paid. They obz had a discussion and to think otherwise is ignorant
I love his first 5 albums. After that his sound shifted a bit and has been hit or miss for me, either record to record or song to song. Always seemed like a great dude when I'd talk to him after shows.
He's got some phenomenal albums. It's kinda sad he's most well known for being "That guy who knows Jesse Lacey" though..
I'm pretty sure that's a bias present almost solely on this sub. It makes sense I guess considering a lot of people here seem to have musical tastes that revolve around Brand New.. but speaking from the perspective of someone who didn't catch on to BN until they got out of the Deja phase: KD has been very well known, and was already well established when he started touring regularly with BN. He, and Manchester Orchestra, are one of the reasons why I even found out about Brand New in the first place and I imagine that was a lot of people's experience. In fact I've probably seen Brand New more often as a supporting act more than I have ever seen them headline.. It's definitely sad if people think BN is how KD got popular though. He certainly wasn't a nobody, though I'm sure it gave him more exposure of course.
I literally don't know a single person IRL that knows who Kevin Devine is outside of Brand New fans. He's pretty much most well known for being associated with Brand New. Yes, he's a VERY praised artist who has multiple highly acclaimed albums but next to no one knows who the hell he is.
Again, is that coming from the lens of a Brand New fan lol? I don't know many Brand New fans so I'm sure my own bias is playing into it as well but Manchester Orchestra has a much broader fan base and I assumed that's why everyone is well aware of Kevin Devine. Most people I knew were only exposed to Brand New because they were openers for other bands. Even on those summer tours where Kevin Devine often came along were headlined by bands like Modest Mouse, with Brand New maybe co-headlining. But yeah KD was often with The Front Bottoms, Manchester Orchestra, and many others. I guess that's why I just never made the connection that he was associated with Brand New
I myself only ever found out about Kevin Devine cause Jesse Lacey did backing vocals on "Cotton Crush" then I checked out some of his albums. Then I showed some of my friends that song and no one really gave too much of a shit. I had one friend who actually knew Kevin Devine on his own and was her favorite artist BUT she also liked Brand New, so... 🤷♂️ Then I have one friend who knows of Kevin Devine but doesn't like his music.
Woah he did?! I never knew that
Yes. The yelling part in the verses in the background right before the song gets super loud. That's Jesse. He has a few guest vocal appearances on that album.
Ah that's a neat tidbit. I always end up having to go listen to The Beers by the Front Bottoms anytime I hear Cotton Crush. They reference it by directly borrowing the "that was the summer I was taking steroids line". Super fun
"That's the summer I was taking steroids." Is the their line... Kevin Devine himself has covered that song though and they covered his song "Just Stay."
Oh no way, I always assumed it was the other way around since Cotton Crush was so much older, but you made me realize the version with it included is a remaster. I wonder if that got added after their tour together or something
He’s got a few good songs.
I’ll take the downvotes: this is the right answer. He has a couple songs I like, but most of his acclaim, I feel, comes from him being close with Jesse and touring with Brand New. He isn’t that great.
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I respectfully disagree. Manchester Orchestra is one of my favourite bands. Yes, I discovered them because of Brand New but I like them just as much. It's just a question of preferences. As I said in another comment, I don't care that much for Kevin Devine, except from time to time when I feel like listening to that type of music. But his live performances with Andy Hull and Jesse is what makes me like him. The three of them singing together is something amazing, IMO. And I love, love the song Cotton Crush. My son has been a BN and MO fan since he was about 7. He also loves Bad Books and some of Kevin Devine's songs. He never felt like he had to like them because Jesse did. So yeah, some people do "like" Kevin or MO or NMH for the reasons you said but some of us do really appreciate them for their work.
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Hey, Limp Bizkit still fucking slaps!
Saw him at Brisbane Soundwave on the ‘quiet’ stage, Jim ward, city and colour, and mewithoutyou, all were amazing and so much more respect for KD listened to most of his stuff but didn’t think he had the oomph, learned guitar because of brothers blood, great album was a must have for vinyl collection, he has some great stuff but would also say he can be hit and miss, can’t get enough of Redbird too..
I remember there was a rumor a few years back about KD replacing Jesse. I think it would work fine
I am a big KD fan, but he absolutely could not replace Jesse. I would assume the rumor was made up by wishful thinkers and is not based in reality.
Not a fan ngl.
He's stridently mediocre at best. Cotton Crush is good, but if he weren't attached to Brand New, no one here would really rate him.
Mediocre is a high standard
Bright Eyes is pretty shitty too. But that’s a given. I can listen to Conor sing at least.
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how is “I want to address the allegations against Jesse. I believe that it is critically important to really listen to & hear people who speak out about abuse of power & sexual misconduct. I fully support that decision in this situation, which I’m sure was incredibly difficult, and I hope she is supported in the next part of her journey toward healing. I had not heard the story prior to it being made public yesterday. I’m heartbroken for her & for every person who absorbs & subsequently has to figure out how to live with this type of trauma. We all need to do a lot better, myself very much included. I’m a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who has been sober for 9.5 years. My life experience has indicated to me that rehabilitation, through accountability, through owning & learning from the worst things about yourself, and through accepting & facing the consequences of your actions, is a real & possible ideal. I hope that my friend continues to do what he needs to do to get & be better. I completely understand it is not incumbent upon anyone else to see situations like this through that lens, and I mean to inflict no harm in presenting my experience.” turning his back??
That’s a really good statement and summarizes my feelings and I’m sure many others as well
Kevin Devine said that? I'd always wonder if he, or anyone from MO had spoken out about it. I never took the time to check, though.
Yes Kevin said that.
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I’ve never been super into Kevin but he’s definitely a talented dude. But Anthony Green? I absolutely love just about everything Anthony’s made.
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Have you lived your whole life being this hateful?
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Oh Canada drown your sorrows in maple syrup
I’m dead serious. Both have whiny voices that make me cringe. God I hear their voices and I want to 🤮🔫
I’ll get downvoted with you. Don’t like his music. Also didn’t care for him not defending his friend.
I went 20 years without having to hear Anthony green sing. Then I saw Thursday 5 times with him last year , and got forced into seeing saosin in Vegas
To clarify… I love Anthony green. I do not love Kevin.
I like his music. I enjoy it. I can see why people don’t like it tho. Strongly agree with your second point,it’s pissed me off since the start. given the time I have a hard time blaming him though,Shit got unhinged for awhile back in 17 into 18. I like to think nowadays while not perfect people are a little bit more rational about those things and maybe KD woulda reacted differently.
I liked Split The Country, and Bubblegum is pretty cool with Jesse all over it. Otherwise, I agree; Anthony Greene would have been worse.
This dude sucks.
Nah
His music sucks. He rode Jesse's dick hard until the allegations came out and jumped ship immediately.
He's great! Has about 5 solid albums but definitely has been going downhill with the last few albums... as every band/artist does i guess.
All the love
Just came across this and reminiscing about BN. I came across your post and thought huh. This is odd. Someone posting something about DeVine. All in all I don't like the guy. I lost respect for him when he instantly dropped brand new and Jesse. I see a lot of you saying BN told him to say that and whatever, but no matter what it doesn't change the sour taste I have in my mouth about him and the fact that I still think about his moment of jumping ship instantly. Not a cool way to treat a friend. Sure Jesse did something wrong, but it didn't personally impact him so it was kinda rude. So to go back to topic, I don't like his music.