“JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION
Blowing Away The Blues
The live shows are wild. The music is a hybrid of almost every style you can imagine. The line-up is unorthodox. The sounds are overtly sexual. Expect the unexpected because this is the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
It’s getting late in New York City and Jon Spencer apologises. It seems for one reason or another Spencer has had a draining day and he’s not really in interview mode. It’s understandable given the hour and the fact that Spencer, now a first time father, is juggling touring. fatherhood, Blues Explosion and Boss Hog. Back on this side of the world the horrendous squeal of Grand Prix cars and the hovering of helicopters seems to have been going on for hours so this writer really isn’t head straight either. But the noise has its purpose and prompts the question What’s the worst sound in the world?
“We live on the second floor of a building so I suppose street noise. There are big trucks going by and lots of heavy traffic. Also, there’s a shoe repair shop downstairs and that makes a lot of noise,” he says wearily. The Blues Explosion’s latest album enlisted a large cast of producers, mixers and guest musicians in its making, a concept that until now was foreign to Spencer. The band’s previous albums had always been produced by Spencer so this time around, he decided to jump in boots and all and bring in technical wizardry from all walks of life. On Acme at various different (and sometimes concurrent) times were working Steve Albini, Atari Teenage Riot’s Alec Empire, Dr Octagon’s The Automator, Cypress Hill veteran T-Ray, and Andre Williams to name only some of them. This was a new experience for the Blues Explosion. Whereas they had worked with various mixers and producers on the 1996 Experimental Remires EP, this was the first time that Spencer had handed over the reigns, in studio.
“It was a difficult process,” Spencer says of the recording which took place at six different studios. “Before we started making this record we didn’t know what we wanted to make but we knew that we wanted to do something different. The idea of working with one producer was scary. Up unti Acme I had produced all the records myself. So we took the remix idea and decided to use loads of different producers. It was difficult. There was lots of work that was done and I didn’t like. I learned to stay away from the studio. A lot of this stuff was done without me there,” he says.
After an eight year “do it yourself” studio career, Acme was a big undertaking. “It wasn’t like people were calling us up and wanting to work on the record,” says Spencer. “We used Steve Albini because we wanted a great sounding tape, a good starting point. There were people we wanted on this record that weren’t available. Some of the people came from recommendations. It was a real pain in the ass and it took a long time.
“Organising the whole thing was difficult. We had written some great songs and they sounded fresh and we wanted to do something new. The album has a whole lotta things that we’ve never done before,” he adds.
One startling aspect of Acme is that for the first time, you can really understand the vocals “There was a real pressure for me to annunciate on this record. I was really pushed as a singer and the vocals are mixed much louder I think my favourite aspect of the album is that it works as an album given the way it was done.”
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion draws from so many different genres that finding contemporaries is not an easy task. “People tend to lump us in with the Beastie Boys and Beck because all three acts take from many different styles. They’re all influenced by all sorts of different genres. The Blues Explosion is a rock ‘n’ roll band. We are a rock ‘n’ roll band. The thing that motivates me is the idea of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s crazy raw sex music. I’m not talking about the Guns N Roses kind of rock ‘n’ roll but more Elvis kind of rock ‘n’ roll,” he says.
The Blues Explosion are a rock ‘n’ roll band, that’s for sure. One thing this band is not, is a blues band. Strangely enough, the band has received more than their share of criticism for the contradiction that is their name. Although Spencer has said it a million times before, on Acme the track Talk About The Blues leaves no more room for argument. 7 don’t play no blues, I play rock ‘n roll,” articulate Spencer. A point that at this stage of the bands career should really need no clarification. “People are slow to learn,” says Spencer. “You really have to spell it out to them. I play rock ‘n’ roll. There are many different influences with the Blues Explosion but the underlying thing is rock ‘n’ roll. That’s the driving force. We mix it up all the time but it’s still rock ‘n’ roll,” he says emphatically Ironically, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are booked to play the East Coast Blues & Roots Festival during their Australian tour, where they’ll get to see / Got Worry guest RL Burnside.
This four is a mixture of club shows and festival appearances, and whilst Spencer enjoys both, he does have his preference. “The most exciting shows are in the more intimate rooms,” he says.
Although Acme has so much external input, Spencer says the live show hasn’t changed. “We don’t ever worry about trying to sound like the record. We just go out with the three of us. It’s always just two guitars and drums and we go out and make the songs live,” he says.
A recent break has given the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion a new vitality. “I took six to eight months off because we had a baby. That down time was good for the Blues Explosion and it wasn’t just for me. Russell and Judah had that time off too and that break has been really good for the Blues Explosion,” he says.
Being a parent has also influenced Spencer. “The way we tour now is different,” he says. “We don’t go out as much as we used to. The whole experience of being a father has influenced everything in my life. It’s a great influence.” As the Grand Prix cars start up once again and Spencer is rapidly fading on the other end of the line, one final question needs to be asked-What’s the best sound in the world? “My favourite sound? Some sort of fucking sounds I suppose, moans of pleasure, some kind of sexual noise”
– By LB. Bermingham
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion play this Tuesday 30th at the Palais Theatre, Friday 2nd April at the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival in Byron Bay and Sunday 4th April at the Offshore Festival in Torquay.”
