I was admittedly nervous to interview Jon Spencer, the proverbial reverend of rock and roll. At 50, the man has seen, heard and done it all in a career that has occupied most of his life. There is no question he has not answered, no cliché he has not heard, and as far as caring about what the sound-du-jour may be, he gives zero fucks. After all, this is the man who formed Pussy Galore, a ‘60s garage punk outfit in the middle of the 1980s Washington DC hardcore scene. This is the man behind the Blues Explosion, the “fierce” blues-punk-garage-soul group formed in the middle of the early ‘90s grunge-storm. This is the man behind rockabilly project Heavy Trash (with guitarist Matt Verta-Ray) and punk blues provocateurs Boss Hog (with wife Cristina Martinez).
After playing phone tag for about 30 minutes, I reach him in the back seat of his van, somewhere in Northern Ohio. Yeah, Jon Spencer, the man who has worked with Elliot Smith and RL Burnside and once made a video with ‘90s-zenith Winona Ryder, still tours in a van.
The Blues Explosion is currently on the road to promote Freedom Tower: No Wave Dance Party 2015, the latest album from Spencer, Judah Bauer and Russell Simins. It is a love letter to New York City, their home for about 30 years.
“It’s pretty much impossible to live in the city and not be impacted by it on a daily level,” says Spencer. “It’s a big, loud, overwhelming place. In some way with this record we sort of claim it as our own.”
The album celebrates a pre-gentrified New York City, a time where “no wave” wasn’t just a hashtag that new bands used to look cool. There are threads of funk, blues, soul and punk woven throughout their gritty rock and roll. Spencer is quick to point out that Freedom Tower is no walk down memory lane: “It’s not meant to be a nostalgic piece, I’m not bitter about anything...Some songs are about an NYC that never did exist, but one that lives in my head or my heart.”
The Blues Explosion has had the same lineup for its entire existence: Spencer, Bauer (who moonlights as a backup musician for Cat Power and Tom Waits), and Simins (who has worked with the likes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yoko Ono and Ween). I ask him how this is possible in an industry that thrives on interpersonal relationship breakdowns.
“We enjoy making music together, and that’s the most important thing, so we keep doing it. I don’t have any secrets or tips or anything. It means a lot to us to keep going,” he says without a flinch. “It’s very much a collaboration. I don’t think that we could survive any substitution of personnel. It is very much a sum of its parts.”
That's an understatement. For anyone who has seen them live will know that they are in their very own category of visceral, primal energy. Bauer and Simins light up the stage like fireworks, illuminating the tall and suited figure of Spencer, the patron saint of rock and roll, with an electric red glow.
“It's no surprise that live music continues to thrive while other parts of the industry wither,” he says. “Going to see a band play is almost like a Church. It satisfies some very deep need in people to do something together and shake it loose for a bit... We’re trying to do right by our elders, or our peers. [We’re] trying to keep this thing alive.”
Maintaining a career as long as Blues Explosion has is no small feat for an independent band, yet steering clear of major labels was very much a conscious decision. Even in the mid-‘90s when celebrities were appearing in their videos (see the video for “Talk About The Blues”), or the early aughts, when a brand new wave of blues-garage revivalists like The White Stripes and The Hives overtook the mainstream seemingly overnight, Blues Explosion kept their heads turned, disinterested in a fleeting moment bloated by media hype.
“We’ve always been fiercely independent, and always a little bit fierce. There were people that had some ideas about a crossover, but they were put off by our… I don’t know…. by the Blues Explosion.” says Spencer. “We’ll always make the records mainly for ourselves.”
Jon Spencer is a classy cat. A true gentlemen in a world of jaded grousers, and awfully generous with his time. The hills of Ohio are calling, so we end with one final question. What is their secret to longevity?
“I’m just a big fan [of music]…The Blues Explosion at heart are just a garage band. We’re nothing but greasy rock and roll.”
Amen, Reverend Spencer.
• Jon Spencer Blues Explosion play The Imperial Theatre on May 13 with special guests We Are Hex.
