Darren Jessee

Darren Michael Jessee^[1] (born April 8, 1971) is an American musician best known as the drummer of the alternative rock trio Ben Folds Five. He has also worked as an instrumentalist for Sharon Van Etten and Hiss Golden Messenger and released three solo albums and four albums as singer and songwriter for indie band Hotel Lights. His first solo album, The Jane, Room 217, was released on August 24, 2018,^[2] to near-universal acclaim from critics.^[3]

Darren Jessee
Jessee performing in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Darren Michael Jessee
Born	(1971-04-08) April 8, 1971 (age 54) Houston, Texas
Genres	Folk, alternative rock, acoustic
Occupation	Musician
Instrument(s)	Drums, vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Sony, Bar/None
Website	darrenjessee.com

Jessee formed indie band Hotel Lights in 2004, with whom he has recorded four studio albums and an extended play. Ben Folds, on an iTunes Originals compilation, credited the Jessee-penned chorus for "Brick" as the missing element to a song that he had tried to compose for a long time.^[4]

Jessee can also be heard drumming on the song "Strangest Thing" from The War on Drugs' 2017 album A Deeper Understanding, Hiss Golden Messenger's Hallelujah Anyhow (2017), and Josh Rouse's album Under Cold Blue Stars, released in 2002.

Discography

Darren Jessee

• The Jane, Room 217 (2018)
• Remover (2020)
• Central Bridge (2023)

Ben Folds Five

• Ben Folds Five (1995)
• Whatever and Ever Amen (1997)
• Naked Baby Photos (1998)
• The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner (1999)
• The Sound of the Life of the Mind (2012)

Hotel Lights

• Hotel Lights (2004/2006)
• Goodnightgoodmorning (2005)
• Firecracker People (2008)
• Girl Graffiti (2011)
• Get Your Hand in My Hand (2016)

Songwriter

Hotel Lights is the project name for songwriter Darren Jessee. Notable Jessee songwriting contributions for Ben Folds Five include:^[5][6]

• "Magic" (Jessee) – The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
• "Sky High" (Jessee) – The Sound of the Life of the Mind
• "Brick" (Folds / Jessee) – Whatever and Ever Amen
• "Song for the Dumped" (Folds / Jessee) – Whatever and Ever Amen
• "Kate" (Folds / Jessee /Anna Goodman) – Whatever and Ever Amen
• "Amelia Bright" (Jessee) – unreleased track performed live by the band 1999–2000; later featured on the Hotel Lights album Firecracker People. A 2000 studio version of the track by Ben Folds Five was included on Folds' retrospective album The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective (2011)
• "Leather Jacket" (Jessee) – No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees
• "Wandering" (Folds / Jessee) – Speed Graphic (Note: this is a Ben Folds solo EP)
• "Stumblin' Home Winter Blues" (Jessee) – originally released on Hotel Lights' self-titled debut album in 2006; later recorded by Ben Folds Five for The Best Imitation of Myself