A founding member of the proto-punk act the MC5, guitarist Wayne Kramer worked so assiduously for racial and economic equality during the Vietnam War, he became a target of the FBI's counter-intelligence program. The MC5 left behind a lasting legacy of politically motivated music. Released 50 years ago, its debut, Kick Out the Jams, holds up as one of the great underground albums of all time.
Earlier today, Kramer announced dates for Kick Out the Jams: The 50th Anniversary Tour. In addition to Kramer, the touring band includes guitarist Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), drummer Brendan Canty (Fugazi), bassist Dug Pinnick (King's X) and frontman Marcus Durant (Zen Guerrilla).
The jaunt celebrates the anniversary of the release of Kick Out the Jams and the release of Kramer’s forthcoming memoir, The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities.
The tour comes to House of Blues on Sept. 23.
The band will play the album in its entirety, and the show will include an encore of MC5 material that will change each night.
"This band will rip your head off. It's real, raw, sweaty, total energy rock and roll, like a bunch of 40-to-70-year-old punks on a meth power trip," says Kramer in a press release announcing the dates. "Today, there is a corrupt regime in power, an endless war thousands of miles away, and uncontrollable violence wracking our country. It's becoming less and less clear if we're talking about 1968 or 2018. I'm now compelled to share this music I created with my brothers 50 years ago. My goal is that the audience leaves these concerts fueled by the positive and unifying power of rock music."
Tickets for the Super Fan Pre-Show Experience go on sale at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on Friday.
© 2024 Cleveland Scene
