Jesse Leach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jesse Leach | |
---|---|
Birth name | Jesse David Leach |
Genre(s) | Metalcore |
Occupation(s) | Singer, producer |
Instrument(s) | vocals,guitar, bass, drums, piano |
Years active | 1993–present |
Label(s) | Roadrunner Records |
Associated acts | Seemless, Killswitch Engage, One Of You, Corrin, Nothing Stays Gold |
Jesse David Leach is an American musician born (July 3, 1978) he is from Yonkers, New York, and is best known as being the former lead vocalist of Killswitch Engage and later for being the vocalist for the hard rock/groove metal band Seemless.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] History
Leach's first band, Corrin, formed in the early-90s. Corrin, which included guitarist Joe Cantrell who currently plays for The Radio Speaks, recorded four songs in 1996 which were eventually released as a CD by Propaganda Machine in 1998 after the band's breakup. Exact details of the songs are unknown, however it is believed that some of the titles were "Violated", "Pariah", and "Winter Souls." A song called "Seed of Cain" can be found on a music sampler available on the iTunes store online as well.
Leach's second band formed in the mid-90s and was called Nothing Stays Gold. Leach was the vocalist, and Joe Cantrell returned as the guitarist. An MP3 of their song "Lethal" can be found on Devil's Head Records's website [1]. Other than that, there is very little information on the other band members or any of the band's material.
Meanwhile, some remaining members of Overcast and Aftershock were forming a new band in the Massachusetts area and were seeking a vocalist. In 1999, Leach joined bassist Mike D'Antonio, drummer Adam Dutkiewicz, and guitarist Joel Stroetzel to form Killswitch Engage. Their self-titled debut was released on July 11th, 2000.
Killswitch Engage's next effort, Alive or Just Breathing, was released on May 21st, 2002, putting Killswitch Engage at the forefront of the metalcore scene. Two weeks prior to going on tour, however, Leach married his fiancée. When he wasn't contacting his wife, Leach would sit alone in the tour bus for hours after shows and simply wait for the remaining band members to return. Leach's passion for his music combined with his emotional struggles of the time made him unable to exercise control over his screaming. He would blow his voice out after a few shows and struggled with the rest of the tour. Leach also began suffering from a mild depression which grew worse as the tour continued. According to Mike D'Antonio in an interview for Killswitch's "(Set This) World Ablaze" DVD, "It seemed like there was always this dark cloud over Jesse's head." His depression led him to resign from the band & drop out of the public eye for some time. Leach wrote an email to the band explaining why he left. Quoting Leach from his interview in the DVD, "I didn't have the mental energy to face them, or even call them on the phone rather. I was at a point in my life where I just didn't want to face any of them so I wrote them a long email explaining, like, I'm just done. Explaining what every song meant to me, explaining what the whole experience was to me, and I said 'Bye. Ya know? You're not going to be able to find me, I'm going on my honeymoon finally. And, uh, don't try and call me don't try and contact me, I'm done. Done with music, period.'"
In 2003 Jesse joined a blues rock band called Seemless. Seemless toured the US many times with bands like Fu-Manchu, The Sword, Trivium, and In Flames. Seemless is known for explosive, emotive live shows and showcases Leache's new-found soulful blues-y vocals. Touring with Seemless also showed the music world Jesse was back and able to complete tours. He showed the world that he was back on his game. Seemless has released two albums so far and has had multiple videos featured on MTV's Headbangers ball. In 2006 their video for the single "Cast No Shadow" made MTV's Top Ten new videos. Seemless is currently writing new songs and playing out occasionally. Due to drummer Derek Kerswill's involvement with the MA metal band Unearth, among other projects, Seemless has taken a hiatus from the touring life.
According to his Myspace page www.myspace.com/therealjesseleach
[edit] Personal life
Leach is a committed Christian; this is reflected in certain parts of the lyrics he wrote for Killswitch Engage. He was brought up this way, as his father is a minister. Killswitch Engage guitarist Joel Stroetzel states that Leach is "very religious" and "a very strong Christian", and Adam Dutkiewicz described him as having a "righteous" outlook on life along with his personality in general. He is also a vegetarian. [1]
[edit] Discography
- Corrin - N/A (Demo) (1998)
- Killswitch Engage - "Killswitch Engage" (2000)
- Killswitch Engage - "Alive or Just Breathing" (2002)
- Seemless - "Seemless" (2005)
- Seemless - "What Have We Become"(2006)
- One Of You - N/A (Demo) (2007)
[edit] Guest appearances
- Killswitch Engage - "Take This Oath"
- Killswitch Engage - "Irreversal" (The End of Heartache Special Edition)
- Roadrunner United - "Blood And Flames" (Leach, Heafy, Rand, D'Antonio, Kelly) (Roadrunner Records 25th Anniversary)
- Thy Will Be Done - "Preserving The Sacred"
[edit] Acting
Leach played a small role in the 1999 film "Outside Providence", directed by Michael Corrente. The film is an adaptation of Peter Farrelly's 1988 novel of the same name. Leach played a boy named Decenz.
[edit] References
- ^ MySpace.com - <<<JESSE LEACH>>> - 29 - Garçon - Just outside the greatest city in the world!, New York - www.myspace.com/therealjesseleach
- Killswitch Engage - (Set This) World Ablaze DVD (2006). Leach is featured and provides commentary.
- KILLSWITCH ENGAGE | Rock Detector Last updated 14 April 2007
- Brian Hull.net - Providence, RI - Music Information on Corrin.
|