ANCIENT HISTORY

Our story begins with Jean as a percolated percussionist, drumming The Urge, an aptly named all girl band. It was 1978, the "Summer of Hate", in San Francisco, the city of peace and love.

N.Y. Nights

Pulsallama
In 1980, this damsel moved to New York to become a fabulous nightclub D.J. and stumbled upon Club 57, church basement which was a clubhouse to Downtown celebrities such as the late, John Sex, Keith Haring and Wendy Wild where the Ladies Auxiliary of the Lower East Side (founded by Ann Magnuson - star of stage, screen and Bongwater) were banging on percussion instruments and hanging up meat bones in preparation for their "Rites of Spring Bacchanal". Jean joined on drums and Pulsallama was born.

Pulsallama toured the East Coast as well as England and opened several shows for the Clash. They released a controversial, yet comical ditty, "The Devil Lives in my Husband's Body", for London's Y Records which was a hit on alternative and college stations. Pulsallama was beloved for their rhythmic cacophony, theatrical stage antics, props and costumes, and their primal, yet glamourous absurdity. They had lots of fun, got their picture in Interview magazine and had 15 minutes of fame.

Pulsallama All good things must come to an end, as did Pulsallama, when their record company ran out of funds during the last stages of recording their Mark Kamins produced/Butch Jones engineered album. Jean formed a group, Clambake, with some Austin expatriates, Cathy Crane , Liz Gall, and Holly George (now Holly George-Warren, of Rolling Stone and Option fame). The prerequisite for being in Pulsallama was knowing how to play Johnny Cash's, "I Walk the Line", and the Zero's, "Wimp" in addition to original songs by all four songwriters. Another band ahead of its times, yet a beat behind, Clambake fell by the wayside, leaving it's Alex Chilton-mixed E.P. collecting dust.

Sensing that Austin would be a better place for her rural rock, our heroine moved to Texas where she found happiness in swimming holes and watering holes, playing "electrified porch music and garage country" for 6 years in honkytonks, beer joints, back porches and alternative lounges as Jean Caffeine's All Night Truckstop. As a post punk rock wannabe-country gal - she put her Yankee Jewish spin on a brand of country more akin to the Stones "Faraway Eyes" or Rod Stewart's , "What Made Milwaukee Famous" than Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man".

Jean Caffeine Caffeine's All-Nite Truckstop

Caffeine's All-Nite Truckstop consisted of mainstays Mick Buck and Dennis Ku, and included at times Seth and Amy Tiven (Dumptruck), Mark Rubin (Bad Livers), Charlie Llewellin (ex-Gourds), and a veritable cast of thousands.

The Truckstop covered a lot of ground, playing the SXSW 4 times, N MS, BID in Berlin, Harbourfront in Canada, High Sierra Music Fest in Calif as well as East Coast Stints, and Southwest club dates and radio performances. Her epynonomous CD came out on the German Blue Million Miles label. Her second cassette only venture, "Hard Work and a Lot of Hairspray" included Austin tracks produced by Gurf Morlix and other tracks backed by Dumptruck, recorded at Studio Red in Philly. The title track, was a Diesel Only/SOL 45 and the B side, "Hoedown in the Sky" was featured on the Diesel Only Truck Stop CD. Jean appeared as "Roadkill" in the movie, Slacker. Furthermore if you listen carefully, you can hear the strains of "Jesus is Coming Soon...'' in the movie.


NORTH OF THE 49TH PARALLEL

Jean with Alejandro Escovedo Jean spent the past few years north of the 49th in Ontario, Canada. She had a prolific time art making, writing songs, and gigging as a folksy duo with Hamilton homeboy, Mike Trebilcock (formerly of the Killjoys) in and around Hamilton and the GTA. Miss Jean played at NXNE 2007 and 2009 and at legendary watering holes the Communist's Daughter and the Cameron House with locals, Rae Billing and John Borra and Screamin' Sam Ferrara and with touring acts like Peter Case and Baskery.

Jean Caffeine is also a visual artist doing printmaking and mixed media. She worked as an animator in Richard Linklater's, "Walking Life" also made a cameo in the movie Slacker. (You must look very carefully.) She has had solo art exhibitions in the States and Canada. In July of '09 Jean moved back to Austin and is teaching art and woodshedding new music.


(A Captive Audience - Toronto 09: Jean Caffeine strums one about back in the day after Alejandro Escovedo's concert. Photo by Steffen Paulus.)


ON TRACK

Jean with Chuck Prophet
Brick by brick, Jean has been slowly laying down a foundation for a new release, tentatively titled, "Love Letters from Laos", her first in many moons. Jean recorded tracks in Hamilton, ON at Chatham Garden Studios, with the two Mikes (Birthelmer and Trebilock) which are currently being augmented and remixed in Austin, TX with Lars Gorannsen.

Jean also recorded some fab tracks at Decilbelle Studios in San Francisco California with Chuck Prophet producing and J.J. Weisler producing. (Chuck was in the band Green on Red in the 80's has a long standing solo career. Recently, he co-wrote all the songs on Alejandro Escovedo's Real Animal album.) Check out the tracks on Myspace and Facebook.

(Jean at Decibelle Recordings Studios in S.F. with Penelope Houston and Chuck Prophet. Photo by Oliver Diaz Espinosa.)


ADIOS WINTER, HELLO ENDLESS SCORCHING SUMMER

Although she moved to Canada kicking and screaming, our heroine seemed to leave the same way. Now there are lots of new friends to miss.

Jean is currently residing back Austin, picking up where she left off joyously reconnecting with friends, mixing and gigging a bit and and putting in a lot of hours at the day job and stuck in traffic. Jean loves her Austin but is wondering why it is starting to look so much like California? Where is the Smart Growth, baby?

Jean has also been spending quality time in Durham, N.C. a funky little spot with a lively local art scene, a great music store, Piedmont blues, a seemingly endless supply of mandolin players, an excellent coffee house, a great fresh market and real Mexican restaurants. Add some cuddles and a cat. What more could you want? Well a gig, maybe.


THANKS!

Thanks to the folks who have helped out along the way including the photographers - see creds below. Thanks to StylinDESIGN for the site.

PHOTO CREDITS
Home Page Main Image: Sabrina Armani

Home Page Photo Strip:
1. Shannon McIntyre
2. (montage) Jane Levine/Brian Alesi
3. Jane Levine
4. Sabrina Armani
5. Photo booth pic archived by Andrew Dyken

Photo page:
1.2.3. Sabrina Armani
4. Dave Hirsch
5. (Truckstop in Memphis, probably by long lost band member or Misty or Kristy White
6. (Jean and John Lydon) by Joe Stevens published in the New Musical Express

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