Jesse Hartman
Encyclopedia
Jesse Hartman is an American
musician
, film maker and actor
, living in New York's
East Village
.
As a teenager, Hartman played both guitar
and keyboards on a tour of Japan
with Richard Hell & the Voidoids. He then went on to form Sammy with Luke Wood (where Hartman co-wrote, sang, and played guitar and keyboards), releasing Debut Album (1994), Kings of the Inland Empire (1995) and Tales of Great Neck Glory (1996).
He then went on to form the rock
/electro group Laptop in 1997, releasing an EP
, End Credits, in 1997, followed by the single
, "Gimme The Nite", in 1998. End Credits was well received by the British
music press
(notably NME
), and garnered airplay
on BBC Radio 1
's Evening Session. The song used samples
of Hartman's ex-girlfriend's answering machine
. The Laptop single, "Nothing to Declare", spent one week at #74 in the UK Singles Chart
in June 1999.
Hartman was then signed to a recording contract
by Island Records
and released two singles ("Nothing to Declare" and "I'm So Happy You Failed", both in 1999), before leaving the label due to mounting pressures for him to release his album. He eventually joined Trust Me Records to release the album Opening Credits (2000), The Old Me vs. The New You (2001), and Don't Try This At Home (2003).
As a filmmaker, Hartman has written and directed Happy Hour (1993, Best Short Film Award Berlin Intl. Film Festival), made documentaries for MSNBC
's Edgewise (1997, opening night selection of Rotterdam Intl. Film Festival), co-produced Kelly Reichardt
's indie hit feature River Of Grass, and has co-directed music video
s for Helmet, Christmas, and his own bands. As an actor
, Hartman has been in Larry Fessenden
's vampire film
Habit, his brother Phil Hartman's Eerie and No Picnic, and as the protagonist Severin in Joel Schlemowitz's Venus In Furs. He is now also a consultant and filmmaker for the musician's resource, Musician.com.
A website
also mentioned a film adaptation of the album Don't Try This At Home.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, film maker and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, living in New York's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
.
As a teenager, Hartman played both guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and keyboards on a tour of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with Richard Hell & the Voidoids. He then went on to form Sammy with Luke Wood (where Hartman co-wrote, sang, and played guitar and keyboards), releasing Debut Album (1994), Kings of the Inland Empire (1995) and Tales of Great Neck Glory (1996).
He then went on to form the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
/electro group Laptop in 1997, releasing an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, End Credits, in 1997, followed by the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Gimme The Nite", in 1998. End Credits was well received by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music press
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
(notably NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
), and garnered airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Evening Session. The song used samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of Hartman's ex-girlfriend's answering machine
Answering machine
The answering machine or message machine, also known as the telephone answering machine in the UK and some Commonwealth countries) and previously known as an ansaphone, ansafone, or telephone answering device is a device for answering telephones and recording callers' messages.Unlike voicemail,...
. The Laptop single, "Nothing to Declare", spent one week at #74 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in June 1999.
Hartman was then signed to a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
by Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
and released two singles ("Nothing to Declare" and "I'm So Happy You Failed", both in 1999), before leaving the label due to mounting pressures for him to release his album. He eventually joined Trust Me Records to release the album Opening Credits (2000), The Old Me vs. The New You (2001), and Don't Try This At Home (2003).
As a filmmaker, Hartman has written and directed Happy Hour (1993, Best Short Film Award Berlin Intl. Film Festival), made documentaries for MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
's Edgewise (1997, opening night selection of Rotterdam Intl. Film Festival), co-produced Kelly Reichardt
Kelly Reichardt
Kelly Reichardt is a screenwriter and film director working within American indie cinema. Her debut film River of Grass was released in 1994. It was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards, as well as the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. In 1999, she completed her sophomore...
's indie hit feature River Of Grass, and has co-directed music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s for Helmet, Christmas, and his own bands. As an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, Hartman has been in Larry Fessenden
Larry Fessenden
-Life and career:He is president of Glass Eye Pix, an independent film production company based in New York City. Fessenden produced the Dark Sky film The Inkeepers which is directed by Ti West and the thriller Hypothermia, besides his work as producer he stars in the psychological thriller I Can...
's vampire film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Habit, his brother Phil Hartman's Eerie and No Picnic, and as the protagonist Severin in Joel Schlemowitz's Venus In Furs. He is now also a consultant and filmmaker for the musician's resource, Musician.com.
A website
also mentioned a film adaptation of the album Don't Try This At Home.