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Von Bondies

Romance and fuzz-distortion.Both of the old-fashioned kind. That's what keeps the rock 'n' roll spirit in The Von Bondies. And they don't even have to store their guitars in glass cases for that.

Tekst: Martÿn ter Haar

Publicatiedatum: 23 mei 2002

Where does the name Von Bondies come from?
Jason (Stollsteimer, guitar & vocals): "It's a multifaceted name. It refers and pays tribute to the man who invented radar, the man who invented the switchblade, and the woman who stole my car last week. It has a German ring to it, but most German names do..."

'Lack Of Communication' was produced by Jack White of The White Stripes and engineered by Jim Diamond of The Dirtbombs. The whole Detroit garage scene seems a bit incestous. What's your opinion on that?
Don (Plum, drums): "Well, incest is a sin, right? It's like you're suggesting that something bad and unnatural is going on. Jim runs a recording studio. Jack understood what we were trying to do. We didn't have some master plan to work with them." Jason: "We spent our first six months as a band practicing in a flooded basement completely unaware that there were great bands like the White Stripes and the Dirtbombs in Detroit."

Is it a good idea to have your album produced by a friend/colleague?
Jason: "As long as you both have common goals. We like our music raw and unharnessed, and we knew Jack and Jim felt the same, so it was only natural to work with them. They're both great to work with."

One thing you have in common with The White Stripes is that you both are old-fashioned romantics. Any explanation for that?
Jason: "Heartache at a young age. Minimum wage jobs. The common interest in slow love songs. Preferably, personally, Otis Redding."

The White Stripes also brought you along on their European tour. It must have been a bit different to suddenly play up to several thousand people and sell them WS shirts at the merchandising booth afterwards.
Don: "It just made us want to play harder. It was great having a capacity audience to play to every night. We did well, and it was an honor to be on that tour."

Most of the lyrics on Lack Of Communication are pretty straigthforward, with the notable exception of It Came From Japan. What came from the land of the rising sun? The demise of Detroit? And what is the meaning of "We all hail, hail from rock 'n' roll / From behind the glass case"?
Jason: "Ever heard of the Japanese band Guitar Wolf? Those motherfuckers keep their guitars and leather jackets in glass cases when they're not on stage so the rock n roll spirit can't escape. Detroit, like Memphis and Japan, is very passionate about Rock and Roll....not KISS-type long guitar solos over a fog machine, just real, raw emotion backed by, of course, a strong rhythm section."

No Sugar Mama is a bit different from the other songs, being a sort of Tin Pan Alley call-and-response "How do you like your eggs in the morning" type song. How did that come about?
Jason: "It actually is a song from another band that Don and I are in called the Done Wrongs. Most of the songs that band does are very duet style, call and answer."

The mix of male and female vocals is one of the Von Bondies' strong points. What was there first? The idea to form a mixed rock band by a closet Mamas & Papas fan or did you find out it sounded good while singing along to California Dreaming in the tour bus?
Jason: "Number one: we don't have a tour bus; we hitched a ride in the White Stripes'. The band originally started as 2 boys 2 girls, because we were all good friends...I sang primarly. There was no preconceived conception to be like the Mamas & Papas. Mixing male and female vocals was just what was needed for some songs."

http://www.kindamuzik.net/interview/the-von-bondies/von-bondies/1570/
Meer The Von Bondies op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/the-von-bondies