Though the Detroit garage rock revival only reached widespread awareness once the White Stripes scored mainstream airplay with “Fell in Love with a Girl” in 2002, the city’s guitar-band underground had already endured long enough to spawn second- and third-generation acts. Among the most prominent is the Fondas, a group whose profile and refinement now surpass many of the scene’s earlier outfits. While much coverage centers on singer Julie Benjamin’s striking screen-idol appearance and commanding live charisma, the band’s guiding force is guitarist Steve Shaw. A former protégé of Alex Chilton who shares the elder musician’s passion for vintage R&B and overlooked early rock singles, Shaw established the Detroit Cobras in the mid-’90s before departing after a handful of recordings. The Fondas occupy similar stylistic terrain, blending punk energy, garage-rock rawness, and a smoldering R&B atmosphere, yet they favor original material over reinterpretations of collector-only B-sides.
Shaw launched the Fondas in 2003, deliberately naming the project after the multi-generational acting family to evoke the transmission of artistic lineage. He recruited Benjamin, previously the drummer in the psych-tinged Slumber Party, to serve as frontwoman in the same manner Rachel Nagy had anchored the Detroit Cobras onstage. The lineup was completed by rhythm guitarist Mark Niemenski and drummer Chip Sercombe, both alumni of the cult ’80s paisley-underground outfit the Hysteric Narcotics, plus bassist Nick Sokolowski. Their debut album, Coming Now!, appeared in 2004 on Sympathy for the Record Industry. Bolstered by constant roadwork and the endorsement of garage-revival figurehead Little Steven—who championed the single “Wanna Be” on his broadcast and added the group to his touring package—the Fondas emerged as one of the movement’s most talked-about acts through 2005. Their sophomore release, the stronger Runaway Bombshell, arrived in summer 2006 and showcased markedly greater songwriting contributions from Niemenski, the composer of “Wanna Be.”
