NEW YORK , April 11, (RTRS):  Sitting at a table in his newest restaurant, a dimly lit East Village joint called Black Market, Jesse Malin is attempting to outline his musical history and explain his trajectory from teenage star to singer-songwriter with a new album, “Love It to Life.’’
Malin got his start at 13 in the hardcore band Heart Attack; after the group split, he went on to front the glam rock D Generation for most of the ‘90s. Reinventing himself again, Malin worked with his friend Ryan Adams to produce a solo album, “The Fine Art of Self-Destruction.’’
“I’ve had a lot of rebirths,’’ Malin says. But after seven years on the road supporting “Self-Destruction’’ and two subsequent solo efforts, he almost threw in the towel. “While I was out on tour, all my friends got domesticated,’’ he says. “I came back and I was living on my sister’s couch on the Upper East Side and I knew I needed a break.’’

Malin kept busy DJ’ing at weddings, doing spoken-word performances, working on a documentary about the band Bad Brains and tending to his small nightlife empire. “I opened (East Village bar) Niagara 12 years ago because I wanted a place to drink for free,’’ he jokes. “I wanted it to be a corner bar that really treated bands well and was a place for touring acts to go.’’
He also had a club, Coney Island High, that closed in the early part of the decade, the result of an anti-dancing ordinance passed by then-mayor Rudy Giuliani. More recently, he’s opened another bar, Bowery Electric, and a speakeasy, Cabin Down Below.

Nerve
But he couldn’t stay away from music for too long, and started work on his new album. “I started rereading (J.D.) Salinger and it hit a nerve,’’ he says. “I was inspired to start writing again and hooked up with a new band.’’
The result of that inspiration might come as a shock to those who know Malin as just a downtown scenester and nightlife impresario. “Love It to Life’’ — out April 27 on Sideonedummy — is a smart, heartfelt rock album that recalls Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and former collaborator Adams. Songs like first single “Burning the Bowery’’ have anthemic choruses and driving drums, while “The Archer’’ is a slow, soft ode to lost love.
“Burning the Bowery’’ is at the center of a campaign to promote the album, according to Sideonedummy co-owner Joe Sib, who adds that the promotion will focus on defining Malin as an artist. “There are no guests on this album; he really wanted to stand on his own this time around,’’ Sib says. “Lots of people think they know who Jesse is, but they’ll see a totally different side of him when they hear the album.’’