The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

After fronting Pussy Galore through an extended if only modestly rewarded run, Jon Spencer redirected his anti-rock approach by teaming with guitarist Judah Bauer and drummer Russell Simins to launch the scuzz-blues trio the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. The group’s name carried built-in irony, since little of their output aligned with conventional blues forms; yet a blues-derived sensibility surfaced repeatedly as they lifted and reworked blues components inside their chaotic, noise-driven framework. Spencer never delivered straight blues, yet a genuine though splintered grasp of blues and R&B remained audible beneath the turbulent roar of guitars and drums. Initially outside alt-rock’s commercial mainstream, he also polarized reviewers who viewed him alternately as a visionary performer or a deliberate fraud. Momentum and critical regard nevertheless grew throughout the ’90s, driven chiefly by the Blues Explosion’s intense stage presence.

Like Royal Trux—the other outfit to surface after Pussy Galore dissolved—the Blues Explosion’s first recordings bordered on the unlistenable. Without bass, the tracks swam in distorted guitars, minimal backbeat, and shouted vocals. What they offered was an exhilarating, spur-of-the-moment energy; what they lacked was coherence, often sounding careless and unable to withstand repeated plays. Coherent songwriting arrived with the 1992 self-titled album and the quickly following Crypt Style, as Spencer assumed a stylized blues singing manner while the band generated wild riffs and crashed around him in blues-inflected fashion.

The Blues Explosion achieved wider recognition, much as Royal Trux did, once they integrated ’70s rock and funk ingredients into their fractured punk-blues hybrid. Extra Width, issued in 1993, earned MTV exposure on 120 Minutes via the clip for “Afro,” introducing tighter structures, funk-inflected grooves, and abundant hooks. Spencer now vocalized in the manner of a manic Elvis impersonator, shedding some of his earlier ironic detachment. Onstage the trio generated sweat-soaked excitement that stood in contrast to prevailing punk and post-punk restraint.

Even more approachable, Orange appeared in 1994 with a guest appearance by Beck, drawing additional listeners and better conveying the band’s live atmosphere. Now I Got Worry followed in 1996 and Acme in 1998, both commercially viable; the latter ambitiously folded in hip-hop and electronica elements. Spencer and his bandmates further reinforced their blues credentials by backing R.L. Burnside on the 1996 release A Ass Pocket of Whiskey. A lengthy break ensued before Plastic Fang surfaced in 2002 and Damage in 2004—their first Sanctuary effort after years with Matador—both relatively refined productions helmed by Steve Jordan.

A 2007 anthology of the “Jukebox Series” singles for In the Red Records preceded another extended pause. The Blues Explosion regrouped for select performances when their catalog received deluxe reissues in 2010 through Shout! Factory’s Major Domo imprint, which also yielded the career retrospective Dirty Shirt Rock ’n’ Roll. The “Black Betty” single emerged on Amphetamine Reptile in 2011. September 2012 brought the full-length Meat + Bone. In 2015 the band saluted New York with Freedom Tower: No Wave Dance Party 2015, tracked at Daptone House of Soul in Brooklyn and mixed with assistance from hip-hop punk producer Alap Momin.