Marcellus Hall first made a name for himself as the frontman of Railroad Jerk, which released four albums on Matador between 1990 and 1996 before breaking up. Hall and RJ drummer Dave Varenka went on to form White Hassle the next year, issuing a handful of records until disbanding in 2005. These days, Hall is pursuing a solo career, and he just released his debut album, The First Line, on Isaac Brock’s Glacial Pace label. Aside from the music, the 13-track LP also shows off Hall’s other big talent: illustration. Since moving to New York City in the late ’80s, Hall has seen his artwork appear in the likes of The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and The First Line features a 44-page book showcasing his art. Not only is Hall guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week, he’s also drawing illustrations to accompany everything he writes about. Read our brand new Q&A with him.
Hall: You went to the birthday gathering of a friend in Elita, where finance people and others imagined they were on the cutting edge of cooldom at a new bar called Cinema. You cringed as you imagined the smug satisfaction that the owners felt on coming up with the name. Mixologists tended bar just like bartenders do, and the cattle-chute-shaped room filled up fast. Afterward (three drinks to the wind), you mounted your bike and circumvented potholes enroute to the Lower East Side, where “L.E.S. is more.”
Video after the jump.
