Different strokes

All of a sudden Rock and Roll is fashionable again. With all manner of Strokes, Stripes and Motorcycle Rebels stirring up genuine excitement, it’s a good time to be in a classic guitar band. For New York three-piece The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion however, there is nothing new under the sun. Since their inception at the beginning of the 1990s the JSBE have purveyed their potent, downright nasty brand of primal rock ‘n’ roll to a growing cult audience, while remaining defiantly outside of the mainstream. Their new album Plastic Fang might just change things in that department – not that they’re about to jump on any bandwagon, as Spencer makes clear.

“I don’t feel close to any of those bands making the front covers at the moment,” he drawls down a crystal-clear phone line from his home in the heart of Manhattan. “There’s always been great stuff going on out there and there always will be. We’re not part of any scene and we never have been. One of the Strokes lives in my neighbourhood – I think we share a tailor and we’ve seen The White Stripes playing in small clubs over the years But that’s about as close as we’ve got to them.”

JSBE formed in New York City in 1990 when Spencer, founding guitarist/vocalist with seminal New York outfit Pussy Galore, joined forces with drummer Russell Simins, then of The Honeymoon Killers and guitar ace Judah Bauer. Inspired by the spirits of early rock ‘n’ roll legends such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Howlin’ Wolf and James Brown, the band’s albums to date include Crypt Style, Extra Width, Orange, Now I Got Worry and Acme.

With incendiary numbers such as ‘Shake Rock n Roll’, ‘Down In The Beast’, the current single, ‘She Said’ and the heartfelt ‘Mother Nature’, Plastic Fang is arguably the JSBE’s most focused work to date. Special guests include New Orleans finest Dr John and Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell.

“Credit goes to the producer Steve Jordan for the sound,” Spencer offers. “The performances are much more relaxed than before. We’re in the middle of a transition at the moment. There was about a year where we didn’t do anything at all and once we started writing again we did a bunch of smaller tours just trying out the new songs. It was Steve’s idea to bring Dr John on board and it worked out great.”

Meanwhile, the JSBE are gearing up for yet another European jaunt with Irish dates a strong likelihood. Is world domination now firmly in their sights?

“It would be great if it was a big success but we’ve been around for a while and I can see the impact we’ve had on the young rock and roll scene. So whatever happens we’ll still do what we do.”