The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was an American
three-piece rock band from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, formed in 1991. The group consisted of Judah Bauer on guitar,
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...
,
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...
and occasional
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
, Russell Simins on
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
and
Jon Spencer
Jon Spencer (born February 5, 1965) is an American singer, composer and guitarist. He has been involved in multiple musical acts, such as Pussy Galore, Boss Hog, Heavy Trash and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
History
Jon Spencer was bo ...
on
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
, guitar and
theremin
The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
. Their musical style is largely rooted in
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...
although it draws influences from
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
,
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...
,
garage,
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and b ...
,
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...
,
noise rock
Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extre ...
,
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
and
hip hop. They released nine official studio albums, collaborative records with
Dub Narcotic Sound System
Dub Narcotic Sound System (D.N.S.S.) is an Olympia, Washington based indie-funk musical group founded by Calvin Johnson, signed to K Records.
Origins
The band was named after Calvin Johnson's basement recording studio, Dub Narcotic.
The band and ...
and
R.L. Burnside as well as numerous live, singles, out-take albums, compilations, remix albums and, in 2010, a series of expanded reissues. Throughout the course of their career, this experimental sound and occasionally unconventional recording techniques has allowed the band to work with such artists as
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...
,
Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...
,
Solomon Burke
Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1936 or 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been ...
,
Steve Albini
Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal ...
,
Martina Topley-Bird
Martina Gillian Topley-Bird (''née'' Topley; born 7 May 1975) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky's debut album, '' Maxinquaye'' (1995). ...
and
Ad Rock of the
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming) ...
.
History
Formation
Originally from
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of En ...
, United States, Jon Spencer attended Brown University in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...
where he was part of the noise rock band Shithaus, with Tod Ashley (
Cop Shoot Cop
Cop Shoot Cop was a noise rock group founded in New York City in 1987. They disbanded in 1996. The band were frequently classified as industrial rock, but were often quite different from many bands so dubbed: having a distinctive instrumental l ...
,
Firewater) before moving to
Washington, D.C. where he fronted the band
Pussy Galore
Pussy Galore is a fictional character in the 1959 Ian Fleming James Bond novel '' Goldfinger'' and the 1964 film of the same name. In the film, she is played by Honor Blackman. The character returns in the 2015 Bond continuation novel ''Trigg ...
who would quickly relocate to New York. Spencer played and recorded with Gibson Bros.,
Boss Hog
Boss Hog is an American punk blues band including the husband and wife duo of Jon Spencer (guitar) and Cristina Martinez (vocals) along with Jens Jurgensen (bass), Hollis Queens (drums) and Mickey Finn (keyboard).
The band achieved some notori ...
and
The Honeymoon Killers prior to the formation of the Blues Explosion.
Judah Bauer, from
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh)
is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...
, had been in an early line-up of The Spitters, and with Russell Simins, from
Queens, New York
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, recorded as part of Crowbar Massage.
It was with Jerry Teel's Honeymoon Killers that Bauer, Simins and Spencer would all perform and record and from which they would go on to form The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
"Russell and I would rehearse with Honeymoon Killers and the rehearsal would be over and Russell and I would keep playing, eventually inviting Simins' friend Bauer to join in."
The sound of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was informed by previous bands with influence taken from working with the Gibson Bros. which was already evident in the last Pussy Galore album. "That final Pussy Galore album exuded a very Gibson Brothers-bent version of what was to come with Spencer's next, more successful venture the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion."
"...after five years of Pussy Galore I was able to connect to rock ’n’ roll in some way that I wasn't able to before," he remembers those formative days. "I was pissed off about a lot of things...so much shitty rock ’n’ roll that angered me, and Pussy Galore was kicking against that. With the Blues Explosion, there was some of that, but now I was into celebrating it." – Jon Spencer
They were signed to the large
independent label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts.
History
Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apar ...
between 1993 and 2002 in the US,
Crypt Records
Crypt Records is an independent record label founded by American-born Tim Warren in 1983. The label has been headquartered variously in Hamburg, Germany and in several locations in the United States. Crypt is perhaps best known for issuing the ten ...
between 1992 and 1994 in Germany and
Mute Records
Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grin ...
between 1996 and 2005 in the UK although they have released material on a number of different labels including the 2010 reissues on
Shout Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
in the US and Shove Records in the UK.
''A Reverse Willie Horton'' / ''The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion'' / ''Crypt Style'' (1991–1992)
The band had been playing together for six months when they had their first recording session with
Kramer at Noise NY,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
in July 1991 and recorded fourteen songs over the course of three hours, "only doing second takes here and there, we didn't even go to the mixing board". This session was issued in its entirety as the first album by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, ''
A Reverse Willie Horton
''A Reverse Willie Horton'' is either the debut album, or an early bootleg album, by the New York City-based Blues Explosion, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Few copies of the album were produced; many songs appear on the group's next album, 1992's ...
''. This was an unofficial album issued by "Pubic Pop Can", at some point between late 1991 and early 1992, in an edition of 500 or 1000 copies (the figure varies between sources). It has been suggested that the source of the bootleg was a dubbed copy of a cassette that Jon Spencer let somebody copy during a tour with the Gibson Bros. in August 1991.
The front cover image on the album is a negative of
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall and has served since 1 ...
, his wife, and
George Bush at Thomas' swearing in ceremony for the Supreme Court on October 19, 1991, with the title and artist written in a typewriter style font. The rear sleeve features hand-written titles and label information over the top of a photograph of a topless woman. Both front and rear artwork are pasted onto a plain black sleeve. The title refers to the convicted felon
William R. Horton who was used extensively for political advertisements during the 1988 presidential campaign.
The second session was recorded by
Steve Albini
Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal ...
at the Waterfront,
Hoboken, NJ
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...
in November/December 1991. Tracks from both the Kramer and Albini sessions were then officially issued on the Caroline (US) / Hut (UK) release ''The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion''; in larger amounts by
Crypt Records
Crypt Records is an independent record label founded by American-born Tim Warren in 1983. The label has been headquartered variously in Hamburg, Germany and in several locations in the United States. Crypt is perhaps best known for issuing the ten ...
as ''
Crypt Style
''Crypt Style'' is the second official album by the group The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and was first released in 1992 on CD in Japan on the "1+2" label. It was later released with an abbreviated track listing on CD in Germany, and as an LP ...
''; and in an alternate version of ''Crypt Style'' by 1 + 2 Records (Japan), including the track "Colty" which was unavailable elsewhere until the 2010
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
release of ''Year One'' which compiled every released track from both sessions with the exception of an alternate take of "Feeling of Love" (released on ''Dirty Shirt Rock N Roll: The First Ten Years'').
The band made a music video for the song "Rachel" directed by Jim Spring and Jens Jurgensen which was later issued by
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts.
History
Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apar ...
on the 1997 ''Live Promo Video''.
The first album by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was the only one to be issued by
Caroline Records
Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. ...
.
"In 1992, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion inked a deal with Caroline Records and requested a very specific signing bonus-- the then-new 10xCD Jerry Lee Lewis box set. As band lore has it, Caroline never sprang for the set, and the Blues Explosion's tenure there was short-lived and acrimonious."
The first single release was "Shirt Jac" on
In The Red Records (1992) also from the second recording session with Steve Albini. This was the first of the ''Explosion Juke Box Series'' singles inspired by "a similar series of
Charlie Feathers
Charles Arthur Feathers (June 12, 1932 – August 29, 1998) was an American musician most associated with the rockabilly scene of the 1950s. Although not initially recognized for his contributions to rockabilly, over time his presence would bec ...
released in the 70s" (the third single in the series, "Get With It", was actually an arrangement of a Feathers single from 1956).
The b-side "Latch On" is a Jon Spencer arrangement of a rockabilly song despite the fact that The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion recording has very little in common with the most well-known recordings of this track (released by Ron Hargrave and The
Cochran Brothers). The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion version is more than likely a cover of the Cochran Brothers version of this song as both tracks feature the words "you are really gone" which do not appear in the lyrics sung by Ron Hargrave.
''Extra Width'' (1993–1994)
When the band signed with Matador Records they "asked for the 9xCD Stax-Volt Complete Singles 1959–1968...Matador made good with Stax, and the band enjoyed a decade-long partnership with the label".
In late 1992 Jon Spencer Blues Explosion embarked on a long tour in the US supporting the
Jesus Lizard.
Frank Kozik
Frank Kozik (born January 9, 1962 in Madrid) is an American graphic artist best known for his posters for alternative rock bands.
History
Kozik has worked with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Me ...
designed posters for shows at Emo's, Austin, Texas and Kennel Club, San Francisco.
Recording sessions for the ''
Extra Width'', The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's second studio album, took place in Memphis at Doug Easleys studio on November 23/24 and December 3, 1992 during the Jesus Lizard tour and at Waterworks Recording in New York with Jim Waters where all further overdubs and mixing was done. The album graphic design copies a package of panty hose purchased in Memphis, Tennessee. The original panty hose packaging can be seen in a band photo used on ''Mo' Width'' and the later reissues of ''Extra Width''.
It is said that during this time Jon Spencer's stage persona evolved and he established what is now synonymous with a Blues Explosion live performance.
"Jon had a breakthrough. It was time and art. He got better at it. The James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...
-style show was an old method, but Jon brought it to another level. Before that, it was punk – he was into it, but he was coy. he finally crossed over and became a full-fledged performer. He wanted to be watched."
"Spencer writhes about, possessed by Presley during the amazing "Vacuum of Loneliness" – his tortured soul dragged over shards o' glass for all to see. The wailin' theremin spits out sound and adds to the cathartic confusion. If this is real and not theatre, I'm disturbed."
''Extra Width'' was released in June 1993. "Afro" was later released as a 7" only single in the UK in 1994 and had a music video directed by Tom Surgal. This was the only single to be released from the album and featured b-side "Relax-Her" which is labelled as "Incidental" on the test pressing and introduced as such on the recording.
On September 11, 1993 The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion appeared at Blast First event The Lost Weekend at London Astoria 2 with
The Afghan Whigs
The Afghan Whigs are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were active from 1986 to 2001 and have since reformed as a band. The group – with core members Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), and John Cu ...
,
God Machine and Hair & Skin Trading Company. The accompanying Lost Weekend compilation album was limited to 3000 copies and included the song "Afro". 2000 copies were given to attendees of the two-day event and the remaining 1000 were sold via (now defunct) UK music weekly ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' for £1.50 each.
Their first TV appearance was on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
UK TV show ''
The Word'' (Season 4, Episode 12) in February 1994, performing "Afro" and "History of Sex". Afterwards presenter
Mark Lamarr
Mark Lamarr (born Mark Jones, 7 January 1967) is an English comedian, writer, radio DJ, and television presenter. He was a team captain on '' Shooting Stars'' from 1995 to 1997, and hosted '' Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' from 1996 to 2005.
Early l ...
said "they're the best live band I've ever seen."
Also in early 1994 In The Red Records released "Train No. 3" and "Train No. 1" as the third installment of the ''Explosion Juke Box Series'' ("Train No. 2" appeared ''Extra Width'').
''Mo' Width'' was issued in July 1994 by
Au Go Go Records
Au Go Go Records is the name of a Melbourne, Australia based independent record label.
It was founded by Bruce Milne and Philip Morland from a house in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy in 1979 and was later operated by Greta Moon.
The label starte ...
and made-up of out-takes from the ''Extra Width''-era featuring covers of "There Stands The Glass" (
Webb Pierce
Michael Webb Pierce (August 8, 1921 – February 24, 1991) was an American honky-tonk vocalist, songwriter and guitarist of the 1950s, one of the most popular of the genre, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the ...
), "Beat of The Traps" (Teri Rodd & MSR Singers) and ''
Ole Man Trouble
"Ole Man Trouble" is a song written by Otis Redding and the first track from his 1965 album Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul. It was released as the B-side to his hit single "Respect", the second track from ''Otis Blue''. The song is a sign of ...
'' (
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
), an alternate mix of "Afro" with a much more prominent organ solo and "Rob K" features Rob Kennedy from The Workdogs and the song was later titled "Rob K is President" on the
Mute Records
Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grin ...
2000 reissue.
During an interview with Dutch magazine ''
Oor
''OOR'' is the oldest currently published music magazine in the Netherlands. ''Oor'' is the Dutch word for ear. Until 1984 it was published as ''Muziekkrant Oor''.
History
The magazine was first published on 1 April 1971, being founded by Bar ...
'' Jon Spencer said that the release of ''Mo' Width'' was delayed until two months before the release as the next studio album.
''Orange'' (1994–1995)
''
Orange'' was recorded at Waterworks, NYC with Jim Waters and released in October 1994. The original vinyl Matador Records was as a silver-coloured picture disc and first issue of the Crypt Records edition had orange-coloured sleeves rather than the usual silver.
"Bellbottoms" opens the album and features a string section arrangement by Kurt Hoffman. The song was also issued by Matador Records as a white vinyl 7" only single in the UK and had a music video directed by Tom Surgal. There were also music videos for "Dang" directed by
Steve Hanft
Steve Hanft is a writer, director, musician, and artist.
Early life
Steven Paul Hanft was born in Ventura, California where he started making films at the age of nine.
He has an MFA in Experimental Narrative Film from CalArts
The Californi ...
, "Flavor"
directed by
Evan Bernard
Evan Bernard is an American director of commercials and music videos who has directed videos for artists such as Moby, the Beastie Boys, Green Day, Lit, Cibo Matto and many others.
Life and career
After studying advertising design at Syracuse ...
and featuring appearances by
Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...
(who also appears on the song) and
Mike D
Michael Louis Diamond (born November 20, 1965), better known as Mike D, is an American rapper, musician, and music producer. He is best known as a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys.
Early life
Diamond was born in New York City ...
of the
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming) ...
.
In August 1994 The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion played a number of tour dates in Australia and New Zealand with Beck and in September 1994 they played in the Netherlands at Vera, Groningen on the 18th and recorded a live set for
VPRO
The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for , ) is a Dutch public broadcaster, which forms a part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Founded in 1926 as a liberal Protestant broadcasting organization, it gradually became more ...
radio on the 25th. The VPRO session was issued as an unofficial 10" bootleg which included otherwise unreleased songs "Curfew Blues" and "Wriggle and Move" and the "Intro" is edited together in the same way as "Tour Diary" on ''
Experimental Remixes'' and at least two segments appear on both releases. "Curfew Blues" was later released on ''Jukebox Explosion Rockin' Mid-90s Punkers'' and the 2010 reissue of ''Orange'' includes two VPRO session tracks "Very Rare" and "Woman Love" (title sometimes given as "Frustrate").
In October 1994 the Blues Explosion made their first attempt to record a live album at DPC, Tucson, Arizona, US but the performance was plagued with technical problems and was stopped when an audience member threw a
stink bomb
A stink bomb, sometimes called a stinkpot, is a device designed to create an unpleasant smell. They range in effectiveness from being used as simple pranks to military grade malodorants or riot control chemical agents.
History
A stink bomb ...
. Some of the songs were later released on the 2010 reissue of ''Controversial Negro''.
In December 1994 they performed live on The
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted '' The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts '' ...
TV Show at MTV Studios, New York City. "
Get With It" from this show was released on the 1997 ''Live Promo Video'' by Matador Records.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion played UK shows in March 1995 with the Beastie Boys (including Brixton Academy, London where they would headline in April 2002 on the
Plastic Fang
''Plastic Fang'' is the seventh official release by the American punk blues group The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, released on Matador in 2002. "She Said" was released as a single and a music video was filmed for it. In the video, Jon Spencer is ...
tour) and in May they toured the US with
The Roots
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...
and Beastie Boys.
''Experimental Remixes'' EP was released in May 1995 featuring various tracks from ''Orange'' reworked by artists including
UNKLE, Beck,
Mario Caldato Jr., Mike D,
Dub Narcotic Sound System
Dub Narcotic Sound System (D.N.S.S.) is an Olympia, Washington based indie-funk musical group founded by Calvin Johnson, signed to K Records.
Origins
The band was named after Calvin Johnson's basement recording studio, Dub Narcotic.
The band and ...
,
Moby
Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...
and
GZA (featuring
Killah Priest
Walter Reed (born August 16, 1970), better known by his stage name Killah Priest, is an American rapper, member of Sunz of Man and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate who was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville, Brooklyn. He is known for his int ...
).
By September 1996 ''Orange'' had sold 70,000 copies.
In 2000 ''Experimental Remixes'' was reissued with new remixes on CD and double vinyl and ''Orange'' was reissued on CD with an enhanced section featuring "Dang", "Flavor" and "Bellbottoms" music videos and on the vinyl edition was packaged with a poster. The album was reissued again in 2010 by Shout! Factory (US) / Shove Records (UK) as a double CD set this time combining ''Orange'', ''Experimental Remixes'' and several rare, live and previously unreleased tracks.
''Now I Got Worry'' (1996–1997)
On the afternoon of February 6, 1996, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion recorded the album ''
A Ass Pocket of Whiskey'' with
R.L. Burnside and
Kenny Brown at Lunati Farms in Holly Springs, Mississippi. A further two tracks, "Alice Mae" and "Highway 7", also recorded at Lunati Farms in February 1996, would be released on the 1997 R.L. Burnside album ''Mr Wizard''. Both albums featured cover artwork by
Derek Hess
Derek Hess is an American artist based in Cleveland, Ohio. His creative career grew largely out of his ability to express the emotion in the indie, hardcore, and metal scenes of the mid-1990s. From concert posters to politically charged fine art ...
.
The musical arrangements used on the tracks "2 Brothers" and "Tojo Told Hitler" from ''A Ass Pocket of Whiskey'' would evolve into The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion song "Cool Vee" which was released as a b-side to "2Kindsa Love". "Have You Ever Been Lonely?" is a jam based on "Vacuum of Loneliness" originally released on the 1992 self-titled album.
"It was pretty intimidating to go down o Mississippiand record with R.L. since he's such an idol of mine," says Spencer, who toured with the guitarist/singer in 1995. "You definitely get the feeling you're playing for him, rather than with him. It was pretty much the same with Rufus Thomas."
''
Now I Got Worry'' was produced by Jon Spencer and Jim Waters and recorded at Easley Studio, Memphis; G-Son, Los Angeles; and Waterworks West, Tucson. These sessions were mostly between February 5 and 13, 1996 (the same time as the recording with R.L. Burnside). The album was released by Matador Records and
Mute Records
Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grin ...
in October 1996 (reaching number 50 in the UK album chart) and features appearances by Thermos Malling of Doo Rag (credited with "Bang" on "2Kindsa Love"),
Rufus Thomas
Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess R ...
and
Money Mark
Mark Ramos Nishita (born February 10, 1960), known professionally as Money Mark, is an American producer and musician, best known for his collaborations with the Beastie Boys from 1992 until 2011.
Early life
Born in Detroit to a Japanese-Hawai ...
and a cover version of "Fuck Shit Up" originally by
Dub Narcotic Sound System
Dub Narcotic Sound System (D.N.S.S.) is an Olympia, Washington based indie-funk musical group founded by Calvin Johnson, signed to K Records.
Origins
The band was named after Calvin Johnson's basement recording studio, Dub Narcotic.
The band and ...
with Judah Bauer on lead vocals. The Korean edition did not include "Fuck Shit Up" and the Japanese release featured "Get With It" and "Cool Vee" as bonus tracks.
During this time Matador releases were distributed by Capitol in an article about this Marc Burton, buyer for Minneapolis’ Electric Fetus, said "I think with the extra exposure he’ll get through wider distribution, Spencer could hit as big as Beck did."
Capitol / Matador released a promo-only 7” single of five different radio promo spots.
R.L. Burnside would also join The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion for the ''Now I Got Worry'' tour dates in the UK, Europe and the US in October and November 1996. On October 23, 1996 Lola da Musica, VPRO TV filmed both artists in a pre-show jam session at De Melkweg, Amsterdam. "Boogie Chillun" was later released officially on the ''Live Promo Video''.
On October 29 The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion recorded a short live set for
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
Studios, London consisting of ''Now I Got Worry'' songs and "Water Main" and "Vacuum of Loneliness". "Love All of Me" and the band introduction were officially released on the ''Live Promo Video''.
"2Kindsa Love" was the first UK single released from ''Now I Got Worry'' by Mute Records issued on pink vinyl 7" and CD in November 1996 with music video directed by Mike Mills it reached 122 in the UK charts.
"Wail" was released in the UK by Mute Records on May 10, 1997 as a CD and two 7" singles (grey and green vinyl). The incorrectly-spelled "John Spencer Blues Explosion" cover artwork was written in Tipp-Ex on an escalator hand-rail at Tottenham Court Road underground station in London (there was also a second part a bit further down the which just said "Damn"). Each of the covers features a slightly different photo by
William Bankhead
William Brockman Bankhead (April 12, 1874 – September 15, 1940) was an American politician who served as the 42nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940, representing Alabama's 10th and later 7th congressiona ...
of the same text.
The music video for "Wail" was directed by
Weird Al Yankovic
Weird derives from the Anglo-Saxon word Wyrd, meaning fate or destiny. In modern English it has acquired the meaning of “strange or uncanny”. It may also refer to:
Places
* Weird Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S.
People
*"Weird Al" Yankovic ...
, reaching number 66 in the UK singles chart.
In
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metr ...
, on September 6, 1997 The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion performed "2Kindsa Love" / "Flavor" on ABC's national, weekly morning youth program, ''
Recovery''. Jon Spencer can be seen running through the audience, around the set and destroying the "Blues Explosion" back drop. Jon Spencer was asked about this particular performance in a June 2010 issue of the UK music weekly ''NME'':
"Which song were you playing with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion when you trashed a TV studio in Melbourne in '97?"
"We may have started with another song and went into 'Flavour'. It wasn't planned, it just kinda hit me. It may have just been exhaustion. You reach a point on tour and you get a bit punch-drunk. That show is broadcast live in the morning! They were all really nice about it though!"
In 2010 a new version of this album was released by Shout! Factory / Shove! Records expanded to include b-sides, rare tracks and the previously unreleased "Roosevelt Hotel Blues" featuring Beck and
Money Mark
Mark Ramos Nishita (born February 10, 1960), known professionally as Money Mark, is an American producer and musician, best known for his collaborations with the Beastie Boys from 1992 until 2011.
Early life
Born in Detroit to a Japanese-Hawai ...
.
In May 1997 ''Controversial Negro'' was released. This was a promotional only live album issued on vinyl in the US, CD in the UK and it was officially released in Japan on CD with five additional tracks.
The sleeve for this release is referred to in an article titled "Mo' bitter blues" originally published in May 1997:
To the casual observer The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion may seem like little more than surly, self-important nihilists with an all-encompassing persecution complex. Yet their studious reserve in the face of journalistic interrogation is hardly surprising when you consider that the staunch traditionalists of the American rock media have recently branded them as racists, simply because they've dared to treat the blues as something other than a sacred museum piece. A situation soon to be exacerbated by the band's forthcoming promo live album, rather incautiously titled 'Controversial Negro' and garishly illustrated with a day-glo Warhol print of Mick Jagger's iconic countenance. Ultimately, Jon Spencer is playing with fire. He's gleefully taunting the inverse-racists of so-called liberal America with incendiary images. He is, after all, a graduate of semiotics (the brand of linguistics concerned with signs and symbols), so he knows exactly what he's doing.
''Controversial Negro'' works on two distinct levels: firstly it's a timely reminder to the journalistic 'squares' of far simpler times, when Jagger and his Rolling Stones (now untouchable old-guard stalwarts) were similarly decried for 'bastardizing the blues'; secondly, it's a forceful visual communiqué that The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion staunchly refuse to be intimidated into artistic compromise.
The title for this album comes from the
Public Enemy
"Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...
song "
Burn Hollywood Burn" from their 1990 album ''
Fear of a Black Planet
''Fear of a Black Planet'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. It was released on April 10, 1990, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records, and produced by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who expande ...
''. Towards the end of the track someone asks Flava Flav the following question: "Now we're considering you for a part in our new production, how do you feel about playing a controversial negro?"
The artwork used on the promotional version along with the title ''Controversial Negro'' was originally intended for ''
Now I Got Worry''.
In June 1997 they performed at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in New York City and a live version of "Blues X Man" was released on the accompanying triple CD album (which also featured Russell Simins performing with
Cibo Matto
Cibo Matto (, Italian for "crazy food") was an American alternative rock band formed by Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori in New York City in 1994. Initially, the band's lyrics were primarily concerned with food, before expanding into broader subject ...
).
''Acme'' (1997–1999)
In March 1997 the band recorded a track at Dub Narcotic Studios, Olympia track for the
K Records
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent music ...
released the compilation ''Selector Dub Narcotic'' (released May 1998). The song titled "Blues Explosion Attack" name checked
Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson Jr., (born September 29, 1985) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he twice ...
, Doo Rag, Subsonics, Speedball Baby,
Demolition Doll Rods,
R.L. Burnside,
Dub Narcotic Sound System
Dub Narcotic Sound System (D.N.S.S.) is an Olympia, Washington based indie-funk musical group founded by Calvin Johnson, signed to K Records.
Origins
The band was named after Calvin Johnson's basement recording studio, Dub Narcotic.
The band and ...
and
Sleater Kinney
Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member J ...
who had supported the Blues Explosion at their Moore Theatre gig the previous day (The song would later be re-written and re-recorded for the album ''Acme'').
Work on ''
Acme
Acme is Ancient Greek (ακμή; English transliteration: ''akmē'') for "the peak", "zenith" or "prime". It may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Acme'' (album), an album by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
* Acme and Septimius, a fictional ...
'' began in October 1997, when the band entered the studio with
Dan Nakamura
Daniel M. Nakamura better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer from San Francisco, California. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark.
Early life
Nakamura was bo ...
, a.k.a.
Dan the Automator
Daniel M. Nakamura better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer from San Francisco, California. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark.
Early life
Nakamura was bo ...
for "Right Place, Wrong Time", a cover of the
Dr. John
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.
Active as a session musician from ...
hit used on the soundtrack to ''
Scream 2
''Scream 2'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O'Connell, Elise Neal, ...
''.
[''Alternative Press'': Building a Better Explosion (Press, US), November 1998]
Spencer said: "The reason we did that Scream 2 soundtrack was to try working with a producer. We were definitely into the
Dr. Octagon record – it's a great record, and also a bizarre kinda record. So besides 'Right Place.' we recorded some other songs.""
The next stop was
Steve Albini
Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal ...
's studio,
Electrical Audio
Electrical Audio is a recording facility founded in Chicago, Illinois by musician and recording engineer Steve Albini in 1997. Hundreds of independent music projects have been recorded there. Unlike most producers, Albini refuses to take any royal ...
, where the Blues Explosion cut some tracks in the days following their 1998 New Year's Eve Chicago performance. "Steve's we cut everything live, like we always do," he says. "I wanted to use Steve because I knew he would do a good job and the tapes would sound great, and we could send them to anybody because we had a great starting point and couldn't really go wrong"
Whilst in Chicago they also met
Andre Williams who was playing locally. He recorded guest vocals for the track "Lapdance" (which wasn't released until the ''Acme Plus'' / ''
Extra Acme'' albums issued the following year).
The singer explained: "Some of ''Acme'' was done in the old-fashioned Blues Explosion way, me working with the engineer, but we were also casting a wide net. Some songs were mixed and remixed by different producers, which is one reason it got so expensive, and some of them were eventually stitched together from two or three different mixes. We weren't being so precious about these songs, we were letting other people work on it and then we'd shuffle the deck."
''Acme'' was released in October 1998. In the US the first single to be released from the album was "Talk About The Blues". This song was recorded during a session with
Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson Jr., (born September 29, 1985) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he twice ...
at Dub Narcotic, Olympia, Washington. Most of the other tracks recorded at this time would be released in 1999 as the collaborative album ''Sideways Soul: Dub Narcotic Sound System Meets The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in a Dancehall Style!''.
The music video, directed by
Evan Bernard
Evan Bernard is an American director of commercials and music videos who has directed videos for artists such as Moby, the Beastie Boys, Green Day, Lit, Cibo Matto and many others.
Life and career
After studying advertising design at Syracuse ...
, features
Winona Ryder
Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...
,
Giovanni Ribisi and
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer, and writer. After his film debut in '' Casualties of War'' (1989), he gained exposure through his supporting roles in '' Days of Thunder'' (1990), '' ...
as the Blues Explosion with Judah, Russell and Jon acting. The singer told MTV Online: "I think that people are really going to be surprised when they see the acting on the part of the Blues Explosion. When people get a load of some of the heavy, dramatic, really very intense scenes that we pulled out from our souls, I think people are really going to be blown away...".
Throughout the life of the band the use of the word "
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...
" in the band name has caused a great deal of debate. The lyrics of "Talk About The Blues" address this issue referring directly to
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine and features the line "I do not play no blues, I play rock 'n' roll" (which itself was a reference to the
Mississippi Fred McDowell
Fred McDowell (January 12, 1904 – July 3, 1972), known by his stage name Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American hill country blues singer and guitar player.
Career
McDowell was born in Rossville, Tennessee, United States. His parents were ...
album ''I Do Not Play No Rock 'n' Roll'').
"Talk About The Blues" was a reaction a ''Rolling Stone'' review of ''Now I Got Worry'' and Q&A with Jon Spencer.
"I wrote the song right after we did the interview, inspired by that and also some of the criticism we’ve received over the past couple years. If we tried to record some song that was a response to criticism as it happened, that would be too heavy-handed. The lyrics stayed true to the original off-the-cuff feel, what you call a rant. But it's not such a big deal, you know. A lot of that stuff just doesn't merit a response."
"Magical Colors" reached number 92 in the UK singles chart
in November 1998. The
Terry Richardson
Terrence Richardson (born August 14, 1965) is an American fashion and portrait photographer. He has shot advertising campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Aldo, Supreme, Sisley, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent among others, and also done work for ma ...
directed video is a compilation of still photographs.
"Talk About The Blues" reached number 120 in the UK singles chart
in March 1999.
Non-''Acme'' track "New Year (Destroyer)" was released as a split-single with Barry Adamson as the fourth single in the Slut Smalls series.
"Heavy" was the final single to be released from ''Acme'' in August 1999: it reached number 106 in the UK singles chart.
In 1998 they appeared on the
Canal+
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...
show ''Nulle Part Ailleurs'' performing "High Gear" and "Talk About The Blues". During the nine and a half minute performance Jon Spencer made full use of the television studio, running through the audience, standing on the desk and was carried back to the stage by one of the bemused presenters. Whilst on the desk Jon referred to and shook the hand of
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
who was given a copy of the album ''Acme''.
On the morning of July 22, 1999, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion tour van was broken into in the loading dock of The Sheraton in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...
, British Columbia, Canada. The window was smashed and a mess of gear was stolen, including mics, amps, rack equipment, and the original 1962 Vanguard Model Theremin. The theremin was never recovered.
''Sideways Soul'' (1999–2001)
In September 1999 they released the collaborative album ''Sideways Soul'' under the name ''Dub Narcotic Sound System Meets The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in a Dancehall Style''. The nine-track album was recorded at Dub Narcotic Studios, Olympia and featured a line-up of Jon Spencer on guitar, vocals and organ, Judah Bauer on guitar, Russell Simins on drums, Jeff Smith on organ and
Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson Jr., (born September 29, 1985) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he twice ...
on vocals and melodica (''Talk About The Blues'' was also recorded during these sessions).
The ''Acme'' outtakes and remixes were issued as ''Acme +'' (UK), ''
Xtra Acme USA'' (US) and ''Extra Acme'' (CD) / ''Ura Acme'' (LP) / ''Extra Acme'' (Promo Only LP) (Japan), all of which had slightly different track listings. Like ''Acme'' the album features different production, mixing, remixing credits and guest appearances including
Steve Albini
Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal ...
,
Nick Sansano,
Jack Dangers
Jack Dangers (born John Stephen Corrigan, 11 January 1965) is an English electronic musician, DJ, producer, and remixer best known for his work as the primary member of Meat Beat Manifesto. He lives in San Francisco.
Career
Prior to founding ...
,
David Holmes,
Tim Goldsworthy
Tim Goldsworthy is a British record producer, DJ and recording artist.
Career
Originally a musician/producer for Unkle with James Lavelle, he later worked with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and was formerly joint owner of DFA Records. G ...
, Calvin Johnson,
Moby
Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...
,
Andre Williams, Jill Cunniff, Cody Dickinson,
Luther Dickinson
Luther Andrews Dickinson (born January 18, 1973) is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the North Mississippi Allstars and the son of record producer Jim Dickinson. He is also known for being the lead guitarist for The Black Crowes. He hosts ''G ...
and
Jim Dickinson
James Luther Dickinson (November 15, 1941 – August 15, 2009) was an American record producer, pianist, and singer who fronted, among others, the band Mud Boy and the Neutrons, based in Memphis, Tennessee.
Biography
Dickinson was born in Li ...
.
The Shout Factory! / Shove Records 2010 expanded reissue of ''Acme'' included a 22-track version of ''Acme Plus'' as the second disc.
In February 2000 a 12" single, "Andre Williams Blues Explosion", featured remixes of the Andre Williams collaboration Lap Dance by Jim Waters/Scott Benzel and
Jim Thirlwell.
''Plastic Fang'' (2002–2003)
The album ''
Plastic Fang
''Plastic Fang'' is the seventh official release by the American punk blues group The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, released on Matador in 2002. "She Said" was released as a single and a music video was filmed for it. In the video, Jon Spencer is ...
'' was produced by
Steve Jordan Steve, Stephen, or Steven Jordan may refer to:
Music
* Steve Jordan (guitarist) (1919–1993), American jazz guitarist
* Steve Jordan (drummer) (born 1957), American drummer, studio musician
* Steve Jordan (accordionist) (born Esteban Jordan) (193 ...
and recorded at Oorong, the Magic Shop and The Hit Factory. Released in April 2002, it featured art and design by
Chip Kidd
Charles Kidd (born 1964) is an American graphic designer known for book covers.
Early childhood
Born in Shillington in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Kidd grew up being fascinated and heavily inspired by American popular culture. Comic books w ...
with the limited CD and vinyl editions being issued in a 'Fang Pack'. The original artwork for this album was culled from comics.
Various editions of this album featured different track listings but there were guest appearances by
Dr. John
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.
Active as a session musician from ...
,
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...
,
Bernie Worrell
George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Rol ...
,
Willie Weeks
Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also ...
and Bashiri Johnson.
"She Said" was the first single taken from the album, this had a music video directed by
Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi (, born 1965) is an Italian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, music video director, artist, and photographer.
She is best known for writing and directing ''The Runaways'', for directing music videos for performers includin ...
. On February 8, the group filmed a second live performance video at the
100 Club
The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...
on
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
for "She Said" (directed by Barney Clay). This single would be, to date, their highest UK single chart entry at number 58.
In April they appeared on the
BBC TV show
Later with Jools Holland
''Later... with Jools Holland'' (also known as ''Even Later... with Jools Holland'', and previously known as ''Later Live... with Jools Holland'' and ''...Later with Jools Holland'') is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jo ...
featuring Jools playing piano during "Sweet n Sour".
The single "Sweet N Sour" came out in July with a video directed by Stylewar it reached number 66 in the UK singles chart. Another single "Shakin' Rock'n'Roll Tonight" followed in November, reaching number 126.
On January 31, 2003 the band performed with
Solomon Burke
Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1936 or 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been ...
at
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I li ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
as "Solomon Burke Meets Jon Spencer Blues Explosion".
''Damage'' (2004–2006)
''
Damage
Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H., ...
'' was the only album to be released on Sanctuary Records and for this release the band were temporarily known as just the ''Blues Explosion''. The shortened name lasted less than two years.
The album was recorded between December 2003 and April 2004 at Empire View Studios,
NYC
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, Globe Studios, NYC and
Elegant Too Studios with production and mixing credits including
Dan The Automator
Daniel M. Nakamura better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer from San Francisco, California. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark.
Early life
Nakamura was bo ...
,
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996.
Biography Early years (1989–1995)
DJ Sha ...
,
Steve Jordan Steve, Stephen, or Steven Jordan may refer to:
Music
* Steve Jordan (guitarist) (1919–1993), American jazz guitarist
* Steve Jordan (drummer) (born 1957), American drummer, studio musician
* Steve Jordan (accordionist) (born Esteban Jordan) (193 ...
, Free Association (
David Holmes), Jay Braun, Alan Moulder, Danny Madorsky, Chris Maxwell and Phil Hernandez (
Elegant Too) as well as the Blues Explosion, Jon Spencer and Russell Simins.
During this time the band also recorded the
Guitar Wolf
Guitar Wolf ( Japanese: ギ タ ー ウ ル フ) is a Japanese garage rock power trio founded in Tokyo in 1987. They coined the phrase "jet rock 'n' roll", which they use to describe their musical style. The band is signed to Sony Music J ...
cover version "Kawasaki ZII750 Rock 'N' Roll" at Empire View Recording Studio with Danny Madorsky for the tribute album ''I Love Guitar Wolf...Very Much''. As a side note, the band Guitar Wolf once recorded an homage to the creator of the power chord, Mr. Link Wray.
''Damage'' was released in September 2004 and features appearances from artists including
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D helped creat ...
("Hot Gossip"),
Martina Topley-Bird
Martina Gillian Topley-Bird (''née'' Topley; born 7 May 1975) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky's debut album, '' Maxinquaye'' (1995). ...
("Spoiled" / "You Been My Baby"),
James Chance
James Chance, also known as James White (born James Siegfried, April 20, 1953), is an American saxophonist, keyboard player, and singer.
A key figure in no wave, Chance has been playing a combination of improvisational jazz-like music and pu ...
and DJ Shadow ("Fed Up and Low Down") and Simon Chardiet, who would later perform with the
Heavy Trash
Heavy Trash is an American rockabilly band based in New York City, formed by Jon Spencer of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Matt Verta-Ray (formerly of New York bands Madder Rose and Speedball Baby). The band's music draws from an eclectic ...
live band ("Rattling").
The single "Burn It Off" was issued with music video directed by Stylewar. It number 77 in the charts.
In November, "Hot Gossip", the second single reached 119 in the official UK charts and had a music video directed by David Raccuglia. Issued as a red vinyl 7" only single featuring
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...
on the B-side "Meet Me in the City" previously released on the tribute album ''Sunday Nights The Songs of Junior Kimbrough''.
"Crunchy" was the third and final single released in April 2005, reaching number 89 in the UK charts.
The sleeves for all the ''Damage''-era released featured photography by
Ashkan Sahihi and design by
Chip Kidd
Charles Kidd (born 1964) is an American graphic designer known for book covers.
Early childhood
Born in Shillington in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Kidd grew up being fascinated and heavily inspired by American popular culture. Comic books w ...
.
In Japan there were two slightly different promotional ''Radio Session'' CDs featuring live recordings of the album tracks "Help These Blues", "Spoiled", "Rattling", "Hot Gossip" and a cover of the
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
song "Rocket USA", which is unavailable elsewhere.
In September (28/29) Russell Simins and Judah Bauer would join
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
and
Larry Taylor
Samuel Lawrence Taylor (June 26, 1942 – August 19, 2019) was an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee L ...
for a performance on the
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...
TV show playing "Make It Rain" from the album ''
Real Gone''.
This particular event caused a furore behind the scenes when
Mike Edison
Mike Edison is a New York-based writer, editor, musician, social critic, and spoken word artist. He was one of many publishers/editors of the marijuana counterculture magazine ''High Times'', and was later named editor-in-chief of ''Screw'', th ...
wrote a "crazed conspiracy rant" about Jon Spencer being replaced with Tom Waits for the Blues Explosion website . This was part of a bigger plan to get the a picture of Tom with Russell and Judah and send it out with a tongue-in-cheek press release ("Tom Waits Blues Explosion") to see if the story would get picked up by the mainstream press but before the event took place a record company publicist took the text direct from the Blues Explosion website and sent it out as a legitimate press release and very nearly led to the show being called off.
Between August 2004 and May 2005 the band toured Europe/the UK, the United States, Japan (eight dates with
The Kills
The Kills are an English-American rock duo formed by American singer Alison "VV" Mosshart and English guitarist Jamie "Hotel" Hince. They are signed to Domino Records. Their first four albums, '' Keep On Your Mean Side'', '' No Wow'', ''Mid ...
), Australia, the UK again (supporting
The Hives
The Hives are a Swedish rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the album '' Veni Vidi Vicious'', containing the single "Hate to Say I Told You So". ...
) and
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
At this time in the UK 'garage rock' and bands such as The Hives,
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio More ...
,
White Stripes
The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums wi ...
were popular and it was often noted that The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion never got the recognition many writers felt they deserved.
"It must rankle a little. Jon Spencer has been wrangling his brand of the blues – extrovert, down-and-dirty, pinched by punk and acknowledging a debt to Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
and Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...
as much as Hasil Adkins and Son House – for around 14 years now. And have he and his band enjoyed even a taste of White Stripes-like acclaim? Have they flick"
Of Crunchy ''NME'' said it was "packing the kind of irresistible groove that would shoot straight to the number one for 14 years in any right-thinking world."
A mock-up newspaper (front page only) titled "The Daily Explosion" and DVD featuring the music videos for "Burn It Off" and "Hot Gossip" was available at US gigs in November 2004.
In 2005 an EP titled ''Snack Cracker'' was released in Japan. This compiled many of the UK single B-sides album with "Hot Gossip" and "Burn It Off" videos, a Jay Braun remix of "Hot Gossip" and a live recording of "Rattling" featuring
Steve Jones of the
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
.
The Blues Explosion recorded the theme tune for
Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Michael Bourdain (; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. Bourdai ...
series
No Reservations broadcast on The
Travel Channel
Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...
in 2005. The track lasts approximately 60 seconds and around 20 seconds of this is used during the programmes intro sequence and the menu screen on the subsequent DVD release.
On September 21, 2005 The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion appeared at Ko Ko, London performing as part of the "Don't Look Back" shows organised by
ATP where artists played albums in their entirety. The band played ''Orange'' followed by a set of non-''Orange'' songs.
During this time there was a message sent out to the Blues Explosion mailing list outlining a number of future projects and releases including news of a ''Live Recordings'' album recorded during the ''Damage'' tour (possibly just the Japanese shows) which has, to date, never been released.
Towards the end of 2005 the band went on hiatus and the members worked on numerous different projects with different artists.
Compilations and hiatus (2007–2011)
In October 2008 they released a compilation of rare and unreleased tracks including all tracks from the five Explosion Jukebox Series singles ("Shirt Jac", "Son of Sam", "Train No. 3", "Get with It" and "Ghetto Mom"). The album artwork parodied the original ''
Back from the Grave'' 1983 compilation with drawings of Judah, Russell and Jon replacing the original characters. Both sleeves were created by Mort Todd.
The band also started playing live again in June 2008 with a secret show at Bowery Electric followed by New York City Bicycle Film Festival and a short Jukebox Explosion European tour during August and September 2008.
In 2009 it was announced that The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion would release the 22 track retrospective compilation ''Dirty Shirt Rock 'n' Roll: The First Ten Years'' followed by expanded reissues of the previous albums ''Extra Width'', ''Orange'', ''Acme'', ''Now I Got Worry'', ''Controversial Negro'' and tracks from the early releases (the original Kramer and Steve Albini recordings) ''Year One''.
On April 16, 2010 they played a one-off show at Brooklyn Bowl and announced more shows taking place from July 2010 including Pitchfork Music Festival, Chicago, the
Matador
A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...
@ 21 Festival at The Pearl, Las Vegas and a number of US and Canadian shows.
In an interview with "Get Back", Jon Spencer responded to a question about the possibility of the band releasing new material with "There's totally a chance. We've been playing concerts, touring and playing live because these records are coming out again. It's been very, very enjoyable. We have been talking about the possibility of something new."
The track "Bellbottoms" from the album ''Orange'' was featured at number 180 in a chart titled "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s" published by ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' on August 30, 2010
In October
Yahoo
Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo! Inc. (2017–present), Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds ma ...
! Music interviewed Jon Spencer and the band performed acoustic versions of "Burn It Off", "Wail" and "Blues X Man". On October 15, 2010 videos of the songs and interview were published on the "Maximum Performance" blog along with a short article.
During 2010 the band started playing more regularly in Europe, US and Australia. They made their first UK appearance at London (Heaven) since the Don't Look Back performance of ''Orange'' at Koko in September 2005.
During the live shows the band played some previously unreleased songs including a cover of "My War" by
Black Flag. And the band look set to continue playing live with further European live shows in mid-2011 including Primavera Festival in May.
Whilst touring in Australia, they recorded a cover version of "
Black Betty
"Black Betty" ( Roud 11668) is a 20th-century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations ...
" at
Linear Recording
Linear Recording is a recording studio complex located in Sydney, Australia, which was established by recording engineer Christopher Vallejo and Emren Kara in 2005. Linear Recording is one of Australia's only dedicated all-analogue recording studi ...
for a commercial created by Volkswagen of America's agency Deutsch L.A. Inc. broadcast during Super Bowl Sunday on American television (February 6, 2011).
''Meat + Bone'' (2012)
The band was chosen by
Jeff Mangum
Jeff Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. M ...
of
Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie roc ...
to perform at the
All Tomorrow's Parties
"All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''.
Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...
festival that he curated in March 2012 in Minehead, England.
They released their new album ''
Meat + Bone'' in September. It was very well received by the likes of ''Pitchfork'', ''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
* Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* ' ...
'',
''
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quiet ...
'',
[ '']The Independent on Sunday
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was published ...
''[ and '']The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
''.[
]
''Freedom Tower – No Wave Dance Party 2015'' and split (2015−2018)
After extensive touring to promote ''Meat+Bone'', the band returned to the studio in early 2015 to start work on their next album. The album, titled '' Freedom Tower - No Wave Dance Party 2015'' was released on March 24, 2015. The band toured in support of the record, playing their final show in Nuremberg on March 18, 2016.
In a 2018 interview, Spencer confirmed that the Blues Explosion had split permanently, offering as an explanation:
"...everything got nipped in the bud when Judah auergot sick. He had developed a respiratory problem. He's doing better now, but he can't be going out on a rock and roll tour. Other things happened also. It wasn't just Judah's illness. For multiple reasons, it was, 'OK, this is probably over, this is done.'"
Other work / guest appearances
Judah Bauer
Judah Bauer was part of The Spitters "in their embryonic form" and has recorded or performed with Honeymoon Killers, Crowbar Massage, Twenty Miles aka: Bauer Brothers, Childballads (Stewart Lupton of Jonathan Fire*eater), Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
, Speedball Baby and Cat Power
Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and model. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a ...
& Dirty Delta Blues.
Under the name 20 Miles, Judah has released the following albums and EPs:
* ''Ragged Backyard Classics'' (In The Red, 1996)
* ''R.L. Boyce Othar Turner
Othar "Otha" Turner (June 2, 1907 – February 27, 2003) was one of the last well-known fife players in the vanishing American fife and drum blues tradition. His music was also part of the African-American genre known as Hill country blues.
Earl ...
Fife & Drum Spam'' LP/CD (Fat Possum
In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.
The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple e ...
/Epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
, 1997)
*''Sinful Tunes & Spirituals'' (Au Go-Go, 1998; split EP with Doo Rag)
* ''I'm a Lucky Guy'' (Fat Possum/Epitaph, 1998)
*''Let Every Town Furnish Its Own Women'' (Epitaph/Sony, 2000; split EP with Bob Log III)
* ''Keep It Coming'' (Fat Possum, 2002)
* ''Life Doesn't Rhyme'' (Fat Possum, 2003)
Russell Simins
Russell Simins has produced, remixed and performed with numerous bands including Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complem ...
, Honeymoon Killers, Crowbar Massage, Cibo Matto
Cibo Matto (, Italian for "crazy food") was an American alternative rock band formed by Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori in New York City in 1994. Initially, the band's lyrics were primarily concerned with food, before expanding into broader subject ...
, Grapevine, Ween
Ween is an American rock band from New Hope, Pennsylvania, formed in 1984 by Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene and Dean Ween. Generally categorized as an alternative rock band, the band a ...
, Luscious Jackson
Luscious Jackson is an alternative rock/ rap-rock group formed in 1991. The band's name is a reference to former American basketball player Lucious Jackson.
The original band consisted of Jill Cunniff (vocals, bass), Gabby Glaser (vocals, guit ...
, Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
, Money Mark
Mark Ramos Nishita (born February 10, 1960), known professionally as Money Mark, is an American producer and musician, best known for his collaborations with the Beastie Boys from 1992 until 2011.
Early life
Born in Detroit to a Japanese-Hawai ...
, Fred Schneider, Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...
, Asian Dub Foundation
Asian Dub Foundation (ADF) is an English electronic music band that combines musical styles including rap rock, dub, dancehall, ragga, and South Asian music. The group also includes traditional rock instruments such as electric bass and gui ...
, Stereolab
Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetit ...
, Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
, The Pierces, Tandy, Spalding Rockwell, The Morning Pages, Little Barrie
Little Barrie is an English rock group consisting of Barrie Cadogan (vocals, guitar) and Lewis Wharton (bass, vocals). Virgil Howe contributed drums and vocals from 2007 until his death in 2017. Their sound has drawn from a mixture of influenc ...
, Jena Malone
Jena Laine Malone (; born November 21, 1984) is an American actress, musician, and photographer. Known for her roles in both independent films and mainstream blockbuster features, she has received numerous accolades, including nominations for a ...
, Tiny Masters of Today
Tiny Masters of Today are an American indie punk rock band, consisting of siblings Ivan (born February 21, 1994) and Ada Wolin (born March 4, 1996) and their friend Jackson Pollis. All members are from Brooklyn, New York.
History
The Early ...
and Harper Simon
Harper James Simon (born September 7, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He is the son of Paul Simon and his first wife Peggy Harper. Simon's talents have appeared on several studio albums, and has been featured in ...
. Russell Simins' song "I'm Not A Model" was also featured in the 2002 video game ''Jet Set Radio Future
is a 2002 action game developed by Smilebit and published by Sega for the Xbox; it is a sequel to the Dreamcast game ''Jet Set Radio'' (2000). As a re-imagining of the original game, it features improved gameplay mechanics, updated graphics, larg ...
''.
And as a core band member he has released the following albums:
*''Honeymoon Killers'' – ''Hung Far Low'' LP/CD (Fist Puppet, 1991)
*''Butter 08'' (Grand Royal, 1996)
*''Crunt'' (Trance Syndicate, 1994)
*Russell Simins – ''Public Places'' LP/CD (Grand Royal
Grand Royal was the Los Angeles, California-based vanity record label set up in 1992 by rap group Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records after the group left Def Jam Recordings.
''Grand Royal'' was also the name of a magazine written ...
, 2000)
*''Men Without Pants'' (Victor, 2006)
*''Men Without Pants'' – Naturally (Expansion Team (US)/Vicious Circle (FR), 2009)
Jon Spencer
Jon Spencer has released some solo material in addition to being a core member of Shithaus, Pussy Galore
Pussy Galore is a fictional character in the 1959 Ian Fleming James Bond novel '' Goldfinger'' and the 1964 film of the same name. In the film, she is played by Honor Blackman. The character returns in the 2015 Bond continuation novel ''Trigg ...
, Boss Hog
Boss Hog is an American punk blues band including the husband and wife duo of Jon Spencer (guitar) and Cristina Martinez (vocals) along with Jens Jurgensen (bass), Hollis Queens (drums) and Mickey Finn (keyboard).
The band achieved some notori ...
, Spencer Dickinson, Solex vs Cristina Martinez + Jon Spencer and in Heavy Trash
Heavy Trash is an American rockabilly band based in New York City, formed by Jon Spencer of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Matt Verta-Ray (formerly of New York bands Madder Rose and Speedball Baby). The band's music draws from an eclectic ...
with Matt Verta-Ray released the following albums:
*''Heavy Trash'' LP/CD (Yep Roc (US)/Crunchy Frog (DK)/Victor/JVC (JP), 2005)
*''Heavy Trash'' – ''Going Way Out With Heavy Trash'' LP/CD (Yep Roc (US)/Crunchy Frog (DK)/Victor/JVC (JP), 2007)
*''Heavy Trash'' – ''Mightnight Soul Serenade'' LP/CD (Big Legal Mess (US)/Crunchy Frog (DK)/Bronzerat (UK), 2009)
With the Honeymoon Killers he appears on several recordings and made one complete album as a member of the band with Russell Simins, Jerry Teel and Lisa Wells:
*''Honeymoon Killers'' – ''Hung Far Low'' LP/CD (Fist Puppet, 1991)
He has also performed with, recorded, remixed and produced a huge number of artists including: Gibson Bros., Workdogs, Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'.
Nancy Sinatra ...
, Moby
Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...
, Cheater Slicks
Cheater Slicks is a three-man garage punk band formed in Boston in 1987. The members are Tom Shannon (guitar, vocals), Dave Shannon (guitar), and Dana Hatch (drums, vocals). They toured with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in 1995.
Cheater Slicksat ...
, Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...
, Demolition Doll Rods, Edison Rocket Train/Mike Edison
Mike Edison is a New York-based writer, editor, musician, social critic, and spoken word artist. He was one of many publishers/editors of the marijuana counterculture magazine ''High Times'', and was later named editor-in-chief of ''Screw'', th ...
, Einstürzende Neubauten
(, 'Collapsing New Buildings') is a German experimental music group, formed in West Berlin in 1980. The group is currently composed of founding members Blixa Bargeld (lead vocals; guitar; keyboard) and N.U. Unruh ( custom-made instruments; p ...
, Coldcut
Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...
, Powersolo, Puffy AmiYumi
is a Japanese pop rock duo formed in Tokyo in 1995, consisting of singers Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura. In the United States, they adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs, who also performed under the name ...
, Eros Ramazzotti, The Sadies
The Sadies are a Canadian rock and roll / country and western band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Dallas Good, Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky. Dallas and Travis are the sons of Margaret and Bruce Good, and nephews of Bria ...
, Add N to (X)
Add N to (X) were an English electronic music band formed in London in 1994. The original members were Andrew Aveling, Barry Smith (aka Barry 7) and Ann Shenton. Steven Claydon replaced Aveling in 1997.
After several releases on small labels, ...
, Rob K, Haze XXL, Lost Crusaders, David Holmes, Khan, Los Straitjackets
Los Straitjackets is an American instrumental rock band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, in 1988. Originally comprising guitarists Danny Amis (formerly of the Raybeats), Eddie Angel and drummer L. J. "Jimmy" Lester under the na ...
, Bomb the Bass, Princess Superstar
Concetta Kirschner (born February 25, 1971), better known as Princess Superstar, is an American rapper and DJ. She has had two chart hits in the UK, "Bad Babysitter", which reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart in 2002, and "Perfect (Exceed ...
, Speedball Baby, Five Dollar Priest, The King Brothers, The Tremolo Beer Gut, Bikini Machine, Phenomenal Handclap Band, The Micragirls, Cobra Killer
The Cobra Killer duo of Gina V. D'Orio and Annika Trost began as part of Alec Empire's Digital hardcore movement. Both were part of other bands signed to Empire's Digital Hardcore Recordings label—D'Orio was in EC8OR, and Trost was in Shizuo. ...
, The Japanese Popstars
The Japanese Popstars are an Irish electronic group from Northern Ireland consisting of Gary Curran and Gareth Donoghue (with former founding member and keyboardist Declan McLaughlin). Each member has his own alias. The act was nominated for " ...
, The Slew
The Slew is a multinational rock-influenced electronic music project consisting of Canadian turntablist Kid Koala, American producer Dynomite D, and Australian rock musicians Chris Ross and Myles Heskett, formerly of the band Wolfmother.
Hi ...
and Perrosky.
Discography
Studio albums
Other albums and EPs
Singles
Music videos
References
External links
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
at Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts.
History
Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apar ...
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Discography/Website: Pop-Catastrophe.co.uk
* "The Spencer Report", a complete list o
an
these appear on, 1991–95.
*
{{Authority control
Matador Records artists
Alternative rock groups from New York (state)
American blues rock musical groups
Garage rock groups from New York (state)
Indie rock musical groups from New York (state)
Musical groups established in 1990
Mute Records artists
Punk blues musical groups
In the Red artists
Mom + Pop Music artists
Au Go Go Records artists
Sanctuary Records artists