Jesse Tobias

Jesse Tobias
Born	(1972-04-01) April 1, 1972 Austin, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, record producer, musical arranger
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1990–present

Jesse Tobias (born April 1, 1972) is an American guitarist who is the lead guitarist and co-writer for Morrissey since 2004. Tobias first gained fame during a brief tenure with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1993, although he was replaced by Dave Navarro within a month after joining the band. Before he joined the Chili Peppers, he briefly played with L.A.-based band Mother Tongue. In 1996, Tobias joined the touring band for Alanis Morissette and from 1999–2005 was a member of the musical duo, Splendid.

Life and career

After having their offer turned down by Dave Navarro in 1992 to become the replacement for John Frusciante, the Red Hot Chili Peppers turned to guitarist Arik Marshall to finish out their world tour for their hit album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Once the tour ended in 1993 the band felt that there was no connection in the writing and recording process with Marshall so he was fired. Shortly after, singer Anthony Kiedis spotted Tobias while he was performing with his band, Mother Tongue in a local nightclub. Kiedis felt that Tobias had what the band was looking for and after months of long auditions (in which the band took out an ad in the newspaper), Tobias was on board as the new guitarist for the Chili Peppers. Rolling Stone magazine devoted a full page article to the new guitarist of the Chili Peppers. Jesse and the Peppers began writing for the next record; however, while the band felt Jesse was a great guitarist, the connection just wasn't there between Jesse and the other three, especially bassist Flea. At this time, Dave Navarro suddenly made himself available and the band fired Tobias, Kiedis saying that it would have happened regardless of Navarro becoming available. The band felt bad that they pulled Tobias away from a band he just joined only to fire him a month later.

Tobias would resurface two years later with Alanis Morissette and would be her guitarist on her Jagged Little Pill world tour. While he was on tour with Morissette in 1996, he met Angie Hart, whose band Frente! was Morissette's opening act. The two were married in 1997 and moved to Los Angeles. Tobias continued to work as a session player, touring guitarist and in other non-performing roles in the music industry. The pair formed their own band, Splendid, which released an album in 1999. The album's release was largely received only in Australia; and the band's American exposure was largely due only to their association with Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, including on-camera appearances when Splendid performed at The Bronze, the fictional nightclub featured in the series. Tobias was credited as a producer (with Christophe Beck and Whedon) and with arranging the music (with Beck) for "Once More, with Feeling", the musical episode from Whedon's show's sixth season. Hart and Tobias ended their marriage in divorce in early 2005.

Tobias joined Morrissey's touring band in 2004 after the illness of Alain Whyte and eventually became a permanent member of the group, having appeared on all studio recordings and live gigs since. He has also co-written several top-charting singles for Morrissey which includes You Have Killed Me, In The Future When All's Well, and All You Need Is Me.

Discography

with Alanis Morissette

• Jagged Little Pill, Live (1997)

with Splendid

• "Less Than Zero" (1999)
• Have You Got A Name For It (1999)
• "Come Clean" (1999)
• States of Awake EP (2004)

with Morrissey

• Live at Earls Court (2005)
• Ringleader of the Tormentors (2006)
• Years of Refusal (2009)
• Greatest Hits (2008)
• Swords (2009)
• 25Live (2013)
• World Peace Is None of Your Business (2014)
• Low in High School (2017)
• California Son (2019)
• I Am Not a Dog on a Chain (2020)

other appearances

• "Once More, with Feeling" by Jesse Tobias with Christophe Beck