Jesse Hall: Chasing Jams, Not Charts

In today’s world of fame and fortune overshadowing the artistry behind music, there seems to be few musicians who pursue their career purely for the love they feel for it. For these few artists, their work isn’t about record deals or streaming charts, but rather the joy of a late-night jam session. Jesse Hall is one such musician who shows that he is in the music business for the love of the craft.

Hall first began playing music at just 11 years old, messing around on his dad’s guitar. While he always kept up with playing, Hall never pursued music professionally or even played in a band until recently.

“If it started to feel like work, I don’t think I’d like it,” he says. “I’m just trying to have a good time.”

Mocking Jupiter, Hall's first and current band, began in 2023, for which Hall writes most of their music. To him, hearing his work played with a full band is the best feeling he’s had so far. When he writes, he draws inspiration from several different folk artists, such as Gregory Alan Isakov and City and Colour. However, once the song makes its way to his fellow band mates, Mocking Jupiter puts an alt-metal spin on it, their sound heavily inspired by Deftones.

The men of Mocking Jupiter met in an unexpected setting: Their children’s school of rock concert. At the time, Hall, along with the other members Jason, Joe, Matt, and Jesse, each had kids in a local music program that also offered an open house for adults. Before they knew it, the group joined forces and played together for a while before making their concert debut, singing covers until eventually writing their own songs.

While Mocking Jupiter frequently plays live and has their music published on most streaming platforms, the band’s main goal is to simply continue making music, as long as they're still having fun. Hall's personal favorite aspect of making music is the rehearsals themselves. He looks forward to each rehearsal, where the friends can mess around and get ideas flowing, their warm-up sessions so vibrant that you could have an entire album of music just from the first 10 minutes.

“We’re all 40,” he says. “It’s just a hobby. But when your hobby isn't satisfying, it’s not worth the time.”

If the band could one day open at The Van Buren, Hall says that it would be their biggest achievement. However, with their families and other life commitments, their band is more of a passion project that they can all pour their creativity into.

“If we can continue to make music and have the support to, whether it's 10 or 10,000 listeners, I'll still be happy.”