  Jon Spencer and his Blues Explosion are returning from hiatus with new anthology Dirty Shirt Rock 'n' Roll: The First 10 Years. |
Jon Spencer and his Blues Explosion are back with a bang. Or at least
a blast from the past.
After several years on hiatus, the underground indie-rock trio are
testing the comeback waters with the release of the new anthology
Dirty Shirt Rock ’n’ Roll: The First 10 Years.
"The compilation actually leads off a series of reissues," explains
fast-talking, no-nonsense singer-guitarist Spencer from his Manhattan
base of operations. "We're reissuing the first six Blues Explosion
albums because everything is out of print. Well, the main reason
we're really reissuing them is because they're good albums and I want
people to hear them.
"The world still needs a great band that can show people what rock
’n’ roll is and how to do it."
Spencer and his bandmates — drummer Russell Simins and second
guitarist Judah Bauer — never had any problem living up to that
billing. Formed 20 years ago in New York City after the demise of
Spencer's acclaimed punk outfit Pussy Galore, the Blues Explosion
burst onto the scene with a ramshackle collision of juke-joint
hoodoo, noise-punk abandon and garage-rock grit, with dashes of
rockabilly, soul and R&B tossed in for good measure. Front and centre
was Spencer, whose evangelical fervor and Elvis-style bombast fuelled
both their sweaty live shows and their only slightly more restrained
studio albums.
Dirty Shirt Rock ’n’ Roll, true to its subtitle, draws from the
band's first decade of recordings, striking a balance between tried-
and-true fan favourites and lesser-known cuts.
"It was hard," admits Spencer. "I wanted to make a compilation that
would be an introduction for someone who wasn't familiar with the
band, but also had some unusual twists and turns for anyone who knew
us. We did a lot of collaborations with some really great musicians
that I wanted to include — stuff with Rufus Thomas and Andre Williams
and R.L. Burnside and Calvin Johnson. So there's a real variety of
stuff."
Ditto the upcoming reissue series, which will expand the band's
albums with previously unreleased bonus fare — so much so that even
Spencer is pleasantly surprised.
"I knew there was a lot of extra stuff out there, but I was struck by
how much. For each of the albums, we probably recorded a whole second
disc's worth of material. We did a lot of work. We were a very busy
little band for many years."
In recent years? Not so much. After the 2004 Damage album, the band
drifted apart. Spencer went on to tour and record with the rootsier
combo Heavy Trash — their latest album Midnight Soul Serenade came
out late last year — though he and the Blues Explosion have continued
to play the occasional gig.
"The musical spark or whatever is still there," he says. "Playing
with the Blues Explosion is not a drag."
This year, they'll be seeing if they can rekindle the fire with a
series of shows, including potential Canadian dates in July and
August. If all goes well, the band could embark on a full-scale
reunion tour, and might even return to the studio.
Now that would be a blast.
