A Conversation with Jesse Wilder

Diane Schnell speaks with multi-instrumentalist Jesse Wilder apart of their exclusive "A Conversation With" series.

“A Conversation With” is an exclusive guest interview series by Diane Schnell. Consider a paid subscription for only $5 a month to receive full access to this series!

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The Wayfarer: 11/1/23

A Family Reunion

I first met Jesse Wilder in 2005. He played guitar and keys for Scott Klopfenstein’s solo project, The Littlest Man Band. That was the only project I knew him from then. He was always very nice to me, and when I discovered he had his own solo project, Forcefield ON, I looked into them.

When I talked to Jesse recently, I asked him if he remembered letting me into a Forcefield ON show for free. It was in 2005 or 2006, they played a show at the Chain Reaction, and he was advertising tickets on MySpace. I sent a DM letting him know I wanted to go to the show, and when I arrived at the venue, there was a ticket waiting for me at the counter. I rarely get things for free, so when the box office cashier handed me the ticket and then turned away, I was confused. I wandered into the Chain Reaction certain I would be thrown out for trying to sneak in.

I felt guilty for years, for taking advantage of a good faith transaction.

Jesse laughed and told me not to worry about it. He used to sneak friends into Old World, another venue in Orange County, to see the ska bands in the 90s all the time. At the Wayfarer on November 1st, Jesse asked me if I had paid to get into the show that night. I laughed because I assumed he was calling back to our conversation, and I told him I did. He told me next time it would be covered.

I’m pretty sure Jesse Wilder thinks I’m a little odd.

Jesse is a musician that has either been in a band you know, or knows someone that is in a band you know. As I prepared for my conversation with him, I looked back over the four bands he sang lead in: Teen Heroes, Pal, Forcefield ON, and Blu Aux, but this is not total number of projects Jesse has been involved with. I wanted to focus on his particular artistic style for this interview, so have largely ignored the other collaborations he’s worked on.

One of my favorite parts about Jesse’s music is the unexpected turns his songs take. There is a definite arc his songwriting has taken from the mid-90s to now. The seeds of it can be seen in Teen Heroes in a song like “Sweet Dreams” or “Intangible Banjo” from Forcefield ON. When I mentioned these songs to him, Jesse pointed out these are instrumentals. Yet, I argued, he uses the same technique in his songs with lyrics. “Graye,” the first track on the Blu Aux album Circle Sentences released earlier this year, begins with a spacey sort of sound that absorbs and intrigues. The Pal album, though unreleased officially, is available to listen to on YouTube. This album was a collaborative effort between Scott and Jesse, and the songs are moody, dark, and rich in experimentation.