Tag Archives: Jack White

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Where Jack White Got His Sound

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Over at the Metro Times, Michael Hurtt tells the story of how Jack White acquired his two pick-up, red-and-white Airline guitar:

There was something special about this garish fiberglass git-box, says the Memphis, Tennessee-based Jack Yarber — otherwise known as Jack Oblivian — who White eventually convinced to sell the guitar. Its gnarled tone was the essence of Yarber’s dual guitar and drums blues punk trio, the Oblivians, a band that influenced White as much as such similarly iconoclastic roots-shredding groups of the era as the Gories, ’68 Comeback and the Flat Duo Jets.

“I found a white three-pickup version with gold trim and a Bigsby whammy bar,” says Yarber, “so I sold Jack my old one for a couple hundred bucks. But the white one just wasn’t the same; it wouldn’t stay in tune.”

Airline

Jack Oblivian: MySpace

MP3s: (courtesy of Crypt)

• Oblivians – “Christina” from Popular Favorites

• Oblivians – “I Don’t Wanna Live Alone” from Play 9 Songs With Mr. Quintron

• Oblivians – “No Reason To Live” from Soul Food

Via MCR.

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Jack White Waxes Poetic on Detroit

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Two years ago Jack White did what millions of people who found their personal priorities and financial situations changed: he left Detroit. Of course, most of those people did not build their careers and their personas on the image of the Motor City and its storied history of rough and tumble rock and roll, but still…who can blame a guy for moving on?

Well, it seems the Detroit music scene can blame him, and blame him they did. It seems to have reached a point where White had to respond. Leave it to Jack White to respond in a rather unconventional way.

In a poem titled “Courageous Dream’s Concern,” given exclusively to the Detroit Free Press, White namedrops some local landmarks and delicacies and tries to conjure up the soul of the city he says he still loves. Why move then, some might ask. White says it was the negativity of the local music scene, which might not come as a surprise to longtime GLONO readers.

“I couldn’t breathe anymore in that scene,” he told Rolling Stone magazine for a story last month about his band the Raconteurs.

White tells the Free Press that “those expressions of mine have never been a representation of my feelings about Detroit the city, a town that I have strong feelings about … nor were they expressions about its citizens.” Well, maybe SOME of its citizens…

Previously: Jack White Talks to the LA Times; Ben Blackwell on the White Stripes’ Nashville Debut; Jack White Sells Out of Detroit; Jack White Beats Up A Von Bondie; White Stripes Marriage License; White Stripes Divorce Certificate

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Jason Von Bondie Speaks Out!

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The Von Bondies are headling Detour‘s Rock City Fest in Detroit this weekend.

Real Detroit Weekly catches up with Jason Stollsteimer and gets the scoop on the whole Jack White ass-whooping incident:

“What happened was I stood up for Jim Diamond [of Ghetto Recorders], he produced Lack of Communication,” Stollsteimer explains. “I didn’t own a computer that had Photoshop. When the artwork got done for the album, [Marcie Bolen] was dating Jack, and did it on his computer. He took it upon himself, from what I heard, to put himself as producer. I’m not an egomaniac looking at the back of my record all night jerking off, I never noticed it until I did an interview in 2001 and they said, ‘What was it like having Jack White producing the record?’ And I was like, ‘What?’ Jack introduced us to Jim Diamond, he was there, but he didn’t help write or change anything on the production. The next day, I got a death threat on my door from him and I gave that to the cops. The next time he saw me, he beat the crap out of me.”

Almost makes you feel bad about those “I Beat Up Jason Von Bondie” T-shirts…

Stollsteimer also talked recently to the Metro Times. Lots of good quotes in there, too. Read some after the jump…

MP3: Von Bondies – “Pale Bride” from We Are Kamikazes Aiming Straight for Your Heart (courtesy of sxsw)

Continue reading Jason Von Bondie Speaks Out! →

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The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely

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The Raconteurs - Consolers of the LonelyThe Raconteurs – Consolers Of The Lonely (Warner Brothers)

One week ago, the Raconteurs announced that they were rush releasing their new album in order to “get this record to fans, the press, radio, etc., all at the EXACT SAME TIME so that no one has an upper hand on anyone else regarding its availability, reception or perception.” Yesterday, in equally democratic fashion, Glorious Noise announced a contest wherein we would publish the first review submitted to us by you, our readers. Kiko Jones earned that honor. Post your own review the comments!

These guys are old school. Yeah, how to boil water and all that. But who puts a lead off title track on their album anymore? And a worthy one, too? This one prominently features the lead vocals of Brendan Benson in what seems like a deliberate attempt to once again assert the “we’re a band” concept and not the commonly held “Jack White and co.” perception. Wait—seems? Nah, Jack White chances nothing.

In any event, once revved up, Consolers of the Lonely rocks a bit harder than Broken Boy Soldiers (“Salute Your Solution”; “Hold Up”; “Five on the Five”; the title track) and has a more in-your-face mix than their debut. The band even dabbles in retro R&B balladry—”Many Shades of Black”, complete with the requisite horn section, in this case the legendary Memphis Horns—and pseudo-White Stripes territory on the bluesy, slide guitar-flavored “Top Yourself”—but there’s nothing here to win you over if you weren’t sucked in the first time around. Conversely, if you felt Broken Boy Soldiers answered the question, “what would the White Stripes sound like with a rhythm section carried by a real drummer?” then this record is for you.

Even though we are only a third of the way in, arguably the most anticipated rock record of 2008 is here and it’s pretty good. Which in this era of increasingly diminishing returns is about par for the course. However, don’t let that diminish your enjoyment of Consolers of the Lonely one bit. This ain’t no sophomore slump, not by a long shot.

Kiko Jones is a Glorious Noise reader (and contest winner!) who runs 5, THE music and pop-culture e-newsletter-turned-blog, baby.

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Jack White Talks to the LA Times

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The White Stripes - ConquestJack White — Mr. Productive:

“Maybe working at Beck’s house was something we needed to do to remind ourselves that touring is only one component of what we do,” White says. “Taking a break from shows isn’t going to stop it.

“If it came to a point where Meg said, ‘I don’t want to be in this band anymore, it doesn’t fulfill me in any way,’ then it would be a different story. But she’s not saying that.”

At this point, White can’t predict how long the Stripes’ break will be or whether it will ever end. “I don’t know. It’s a good question,” he says. “I guess it’s up to her. . . . She seems to be lively. She was really invigorating working together on this ‘Conquest’ record. I was wondering if she was interested, and she was completely — very, very involved. And it was nice of Beck to give us that forum, help us re-understand what it is we’re doing.”

Icky Thump has only sold 645,000 so far—Elephant, by contrast, has sold two million. The “Conquest” single, with three newly recorded bonus tracks (“It’s My Fault for Being Famous,” “Cash Grab Complications on the Matter” and “Honey, We Can’t Afford to Look This Cheap”), is due December 18. Merry Christmas.

Previously: New White Stripes video for “Conquest”

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Jack White Sells Out of Detroit

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wsj-jack-white.gifCongrats to Jack White for the sale of his house in Detroit. According to the Wall Street Journal, the house sold “for $590,000, well below its initial $930,000 asking price.” It’s a tough market where houses are cheaper than cars!

Other tidbits from the article:

• Mr. White bought the property in 2003 for $524,000, records show.

• The house has been on the market since “last August.”

• Mr. White recorded his hit 2005 album Get Behind Me Satan in the foyer of the 5,800-square-foot home.

• The buyers are a retired couple from Maryland.

• He paid “about $3.1 million” for his “nearly 20,000-square-foot” house in Nashville in December 2005.

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The Hentchmen… Featuring Jack White

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Italy Records is reissuing a remastered version of the Hentchmen’s 1998 vinyl-only release, Hentch-Forth with four extra 7″ tracks and an alternate take. Why should the non-Detroit garage aficionado care? Because Jack White plays guitar on it.

Interesting that although this release predates the White Stripes debut album, he was already going by “Jack White” and not his real name, John Gillis. He was already married to Meg at that point, and actually, the first two White Stripes singles were released in 1997 before these Hentchman recordings came out. Of course, White was still unknown, and the cover art’s boast of “Featuring Jack White” was clearly just a typical example of a garage rock’s tendency toward ironically inflated self-importance.

MP3s: “Virginia Dare” and “Love” from Form Follows Function. “Polish Lady” and “Two Tone Belair” from Motorvatin’.