Jesse Palter Introduces Herself

“We hear, ‘We’ve got an amazing record,’ or, ‘Go check out our MySpace page,’” he said.  “Fine, that’s a good start but do you actually mean anything where you live? You need to go out and physically do the groundwork. Go out and try to book some dates for yourself.”

Which leads us to one of our pet bands, Palter Ego. The duo grabbed some attention from an online version of Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend,” which led to more online attention with subsequent videos. We didn’t have the act in our database, which tracks all musicians with representation, and it turned out, through correspondence with singer Jesse Palter, that she and partner Sam Barsh were going it alone. But that doesn’t mean they can’t book their own shows, gather their own fan base and do their own promotion. Palter was in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for her jazz project, the Jesse Palter Quartet, so we asked her a few questions about doing it on your own.

Ok, so what’s your story. When do you think things started taking off?

To be completely honest, I think it was with MySpace. So vintage! I’ve been singing my whole life and started recording at 13.  I worked with a great songwriter – Andrew Gold, in Nashville, who recently passed. Andrew wrote “Thank You For Being A Friend,” that Golden Girls theme song, and “Lonely Boy” in the ’70s. He was also the head of Linda Ronstadt’s Stone Ponies.

I think I was able to recognize the power of buzz from a very young age. There weren’t that many young, Jewish, white singers singing pop and soul in West Bloomfield Township, Mich.  Once Myspace came out, I put myself on it. I didn’t have to do much work; people started checking in. The great thing about MySpace – and I miss it, even with Facebook – is I was able to interact directly with people who were supporting my music and rooting for me.  So I developed a loyal Internet following way back when. People are sitting at their computers all day long and like to see other people pursue their dreams and succeed. I myself liked following artists to draw inspiration, to get ideas.

Sam and I have been on the hustle for many years as Palter Ego. We believe tremendously in this project. We have each had management at different points in our careers. I have actually been through four managers.

We realized, to build a following, we needed to sing songs people could relate to. I was reluctant because when you’re a songwriter, you don’t want to sing other people’s music. For years I would say, “Meh, everybody’s doing the YouTube thing.”  But there’s a reason for it. And rather than being resistant we capitalized on it. We put videos out and, of course, the power of the Internet reigned supreme.

What were those moments?

Sam and I hired an intern, a college student who was going for set design. We would work on the music and she’d fire off emails. She made a long list of bloggers she thought were relevant and, after we recorded Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend,” she did an email blast. We made sure we had something that would catch people’s attention, and it worked. When “Boyfriend” got on The Daily What, I watched the numbers climb, thinking this was insane.

Then we put out Adele’s “Skyfall.” I have a couple of mutual friends with Perez Hilton, whose mother actually lives in my apartment building. And he lives nearby and I see him out all the time. But from my friends sharing it on Facebook, he put it on his website.

So after you have a popular video on YouTube, how do you gather your fan base?

People are pretty vocal on the Internet, so I think a lot of our fans have reached out to us, asked questions and wanted to hear more. We listened and became more active on our Facebook page. We’ve taken suggestions as to what videos to put out, and opportunities for gigs have come in from the videos. We are still pretty actively looking for representation. We truly believe that an agent and a manager are integral parts of our puzzle but we just need somebody whose brand and vision aligns with ours.

You said you went through four managers. Any advice for artists in the hunt?

First, before you sign any contract, make sure you have a lawyer. That’s a rookie mistake I made.

Also, you want a manager who will have the same hunger, excitement and belief in you that you have in yourself. I will never forget it: I was in a meeting with a gentleman from a record company, with a former manager. I had just done a performance at one of my dream venues in New York, and the representative from the record company was unable to attend but was very interested in my project. So we met up and my manager was a very nice but political guy. He’s not going to get up in your face and make the hard sell. The A&R exec said, “I love your music, you’re fabulous and I want to figure out how to work with you. How’s your live performance?” and I looked to my manager to say something on my behalf. And my manager said, “Oh, she’s gotten so much better.”

I’ll never forget that. I thought, you know, I have gotten a lot better. And for the rest of my life I’ll be a work in progress. But I had years of honing my chops, so that answer totally took me aback. I needed someone to say, “This is the best fucking shit! You’re an idiot to not sign her!”

And you need a plan – your one-year, your five-year plan. We’re looking for somebody who will be that guy, or girl, for us.

So you can handle both projects – Palter Ego and your jazz quartet?

They are separate and interrelated at the same time, and I’ve always believed I could pursue both. I’ve had people ask me which one was my favorite and I’ll say, “Which hand do you need more?”

To keep my pop music writing at the level it’s at I need to work on my jazz project.  Jazz is where I come from; I went to University of Michigan as a jazz major. I grew up performing at all the jazz clubs, which really reared me as a musician and performer in Detroit. I would be denying myself of a great creative outlet if I didn’t keep on top of that.

I also have an incredible band that’s been together for eight years. My bass player, Ben Williams, just won a Grammy for his work with Pat Metheny, and he won the Monk competition for bass. My piano player has played with some of my musical heroes in the past year and is a fantastic musician. The world will be knocked off its ass when it realizes what he’s producing.

We are a tight-knit group and there was a time we were doing 250 gigs a year. We did tour for a while, but I thought I was denying myself of my pop abilities. I took a step back and focused on Palter Ego, but it’s time to get the music recorded and out there.

So what inspired the Kickstarter campaign?

I released my jazz record in 2006 under different management and at a different place in my life. The record was a huge accomplishment and because of it I traveled the world and played some of my dream venues.

But then I parted ways with that manager, and Sam and I were spending a lot of time writing music. My quartet played a great gig at The Blue Whale in Los Angeles about five months ago, and we pinky swore that we needed to get this record together. I knew if grown, macho men were pinky swearing with me, then I had to shut my mouth and learn how to do this. But being a full-time musician on the hustle I don’t have the funds to make it happen myself.

I’ve been in talks with record companies for years. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told they were going to sign me. That would be nice but I’m not sitting around seven more years to put out a record that is completely ready to be recorded. The music is written and we’ve been playing it on the road to rave reviews for years. So I figured the people who have been the most loyal have been my fans. So I’m going to see, as a community, if we can do this record together. It took a while for me to get up the courage to do this. I didn’t want to look like I was begging for money but I realized people have been asking me for years, “When can we buy these songs?” and now I’m giving them the opportunity.

So in your opinion, how is it coming along?

Right now I’m just working on getting the word out. Anybody that shares the page on Facebook is a big help, anybody who pledges a dollar is a big help. I have 25 days left and it’s a full-time job. We’re 16 percent toward our goal five days into the campaign and they say that if you reach 30 percent early on, you have a good chance of meeting your goal. (Note: the Kickstarter campaign reached its goal 24 hours after this interview)

Part of the campaign includes performing?

For $5,000, which is around our performance fee for private events, we’re going to play two hour-long sets with no additional airfare fee. It’s a performance that is high octane and hard-hitting. It honors the history of jazz but is still progressive.

And you’d also write a song?

Yes, for $3,000 I will write a song for someone or something of their choosing. And my collaborator and I will record the song. When we write something together, it’s usually amazing so if it’s the right song, it may even end up on the record. Who knows?

It may seem cheesy, but it would be fun to buy a song for, say, your new bride or something.

Oh, absolutely! And I’m not too proud to sing anywhere at this point in my career. I’ll never forget it: when I was 19, I played the Blue Note, which was a dream come true. I played at a McDonalds the next day. And I love singing at weddings. We’re not your typical wedding band but a lot of our moneymaking gigs come from singing at the cocktail hour of weddings. It would be extremely special to write a piece for their wedding and actually perform it there!

So someday you’ll visit the office. We’re going to poll the office, and we’ll pick a song for you to sing here.

Well, I’m very curious to see what you come up with. That’s what we want – I think from listening to other people’s suggestions is how I’ve gotten to this point in my career. Having a direct dialog builds a loyal following. Send all suggestions to me. I love trying to think of cool, unique ways to spin certain songs. It’s inspiring.

For more information about Jesse Palster and Palter Ego, please visit the band’s website, Myspace page, Facebook home and Twitter feed.