Jesse Malin Covers Lou Reed’s ‘Sally Can’t Dance’ for Save Our Stages

Jesse Malin’s regular livestream series The Fine Art of Self Distancing has been a high-motion standout in a sea of mostly cement-shoed virtual concerts. While there’s no actual fans present, the gigs find the New York songwriter playing with his full band in a real live rock club — the Bowery Electric in the East Village — and the energy is palpable. On Thursday, Malin released a video that captures the vibe of his livestreams, a cover of Lou Reed’s “Sally Can’t Dance” at the Bowery Electric that raises awareness for NIVA (National Independent Venue Association) and the Save Our Stages campaign.

“Being locked inside, having nowhere to dance led me to covering Lou,” Malin says in a statement. “I wanted to do a video to remind myself and everyone what it feels like to be out on the floor, getting lost in the groove, with the hope of shaking it up on the floor one day, like we used to.” Xander Strohm directed the clip.

Malin’s latest installment of The Fine Art of Self Distancing — a special free edition — premieres Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET online via Rolling Live Studios. This week’s guests include Pete Yorn, photographer Danny Clinch, and Americana singer Kelley Swindall.

Malin, who released the album Sunset Kids in 2019, recently unveiled a new 7″ single with “Todd Youth” (a tribute to his late guitarist) as the A side and “Sally Can’t Dance” as the flip. They’re out now on Little Steven’s Wicked Cool Records.