The Von Bondies - Don Von Bondie
One of the this years ‘buzz’ bands from Detroit. A lot of hype has surrounded them on their recent UK dates, and you may only know of them as ‘their guitarist shagged Jack White' but don’t let the hype put you off, as aside from the hype lurks a bloody good band.
How long have you been together?
The album ‘Lack Of Communication’ is out now and is fab a rooney.
Our current line-up (Jason, Marcie, Carrie, and me) has been together for almost two years. To me, it actually feels more like two hundred years. With all the injuries I've sustained on tour, I feel like Moses. Do you know of Moses in your country? Jason and Marcie actually started the band a few years before that, but were called The Baby Killers. They wouldn't hurt a fly, though, let alone a poor baby...
Are you pleased with how well 'Lack Of Communication' has been received?
What really gratifies me is when a fan comes up and confesses that the album actually made them cry. I take those kinds of reactions as compliments, though.
Which artists are an influence to you and what have you been listening to recently? How diverse are of the band musical tastes within the group?
Jason, who is the musical visionary, if you will, (which is ironic, as he is as blind as a bat and refuses to drive our tour van back in America) likes Otis Redding and the Animals. Each of us has very different tastes in music, and it shows in our arguments over what to listen to when we're all stuck in the same car. I only listen to the music of the spheres. Just kidding. Some bands you should check out: Waxwings, Brenden Bensen, Datsuns, Soledad Brothers, et al
What made you want to be in a band in the first place?
Are you kidding? Who doesn't want to be in a band? I can't speak for the others, but I do it to make my desperate mark on the world. Don't you ever forget me...
What do you think you'd be doing now if you weren't in a band?
Good question. I personally would be married with one son and one daughter. I would also have a beard and possibly a moustache.
If you could have 5 artists/ bands for you own fantasy festival (whether they've split up/ died or not) who would you pick?
The five members of the Jackson 5. Each member (except Tito) would do a solo thing, then they'd all get together at the end of the festival and play all their hits, even the ones from the Victory tour.
What do you think of the current British music scene and why do you think so many American bands have recently managed success over here?
I like it because it's great to be present and involved in a change in pop culture. We'd be playing our kind of music, whatever you want to call it, no matter what, even if we had to murder people to keep them in the audience; but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the wider response we've been getting. Your country, as well as America, is just ready for something different.
What's next for the Von Bondies?
More recording and touring, the never ending cycle of rock and roll that will eventually crush us under its wheels.
And finally what keeps you awake at night?
Mosquitoes. Do you have those in this country?