It was the year 2000 — which somehow still sounds futuristic 20 years later — and the Detroit garage rock scene was about to enjoy a bit of national, even international, attention.
Decades after Motown put Detroit on the music map, in 2000, Detroit was already known for techno music (the Detroit Electronic Music Festival launched that spring) and the city had a monopoly on the era's white rappers with Kid Rock, Eminem and Insane Clown Posse all enjoying much success.
A lo-fi duo called the White Stripes were already local favorites that year, having released their second album "De Stijl" on indie label Sympathy for the Record Industry. It helped set up Jack and Meg White for their breakthrough to the mainstream in the years to follow.
The buzz around the band spread through the city's small clubs and had rock journalists from across the globe sniffing around the Cass Corridor through the early 2000s, trying to capture on paper what it was that made Detroit's blue-collar garage rock scene so special.
Was it that all the band's names started with "the?" Was it the magic of producer Jim Diamond's Ghetto Recorders, a downtown Detroit studio located steps from the Fillmore Detroit, back when it was called the State Theatre? Maybe it was something in the water, or in the cheap, Midwest-brewed beer served at clubs like the Gold Dollar and Kress Lounge, both just memories now.
Looking back on it 20 years later, it was a just a cool, pre-smartphone era when a lot of local rock bands were recording to tape, sharing members, getting some decent national press (without much help from the internet) and some even touring the United States and Europe.
Now, at a time when almost no bands are playing live or touring — pandemics aren't good for rock shows, big or small — let's take a look back. Here are some of the groups that made the early 2000s-era of the Detroit rock story shine.
Garage Rock Revival
The White Stripes: Jack and Meg White released their second album "De Stijl" 20 years ago in June, and the scrappy tour that followed would change the band forever. Infused with punk and blues, the garage rock outfit started to catch fire in the years following, gracing the covers of national magazines and winning Grammy Awards. The band's last show was in 2007. Jack White went on to a successful solo career and the expansion of Third Man Records label, store and pressing plant. Meg has stayed out of the spotlight.
The Go: Blend 1960s psychedelic rock with garage, add leather jackets and sun glasses, and you have an idea of how cool the GO was. Released in 1999 on Seattle's Sub Pop, their album "Whatcha Doin'" (which included Jack White as one of the guitarists and Outrageous Cherry's Matt Smith in the producer's seat) was the first in a string of indie label releases. It's been years since the Go performed live anywhere, but its core and past members are still active musicians.
The Dirtbombs: Heavy hitters on this list and still together, this Mick Collins-led garage band was a centerpiece of the garage scene. Collins was also of the Gories, which influenced many on this list. The band has two bass players and two drummers, which have included Ko Melina (of Ko & the Knockouts and a DJ on Little Steven's Underground Garage), producer and engineer Jim Diamond, Chris Handyside (co-founder of the Hamtramck Blowout music festival), photographer and musician Pat Pantano, Third Man Records' Ben Blackwell and prolific multi-instrumentalist Troy Gregory. The Dirtbombs played the Third Man Records' 10th anniversary show last year in Nashville.
Freddy Fortune & the Four-Gone Conclusions: These fellas paid homage to hip-shaking, 1960s-era garage in both look and sound, down to their vintage instruments. Fronted by Freddy Fortune, formerly of Fortune & Maltese, they put their full-on garage sound to tape for Pittsburgh's Get Hip Records (among other labels) and performed everywhere from the Gold Dollar to the Last Vegas Grind festival at in Nevada.
The Hentchmen: There were reports that this Farfisa organ-infused garage trio broke up after the 1999 Hamtramck Blowout, but there were rumors the White Stripes broke up after that show, too. The Hentchmen carried on, and have seen been known to pop-up for sets here in there, especially near Hamtramck where "Johnny Hentch" is the proprietor of the Outer Limits Lounge.
The Von Bondies: Another Detroit band with some commercial success, this band broke into the mainstream with 2001's "Lack of Communication," produced by Jack White. Founder singer/guitarist Jason Stollsteimer and longtime drummer Don Blum recently reunited with the most current line up — bassist Leann Banks guitarist Christy Costello — for a 20th anniversary tour, which was pushed back to 2021 due to the pandemic.
The Buzzards: One of the cooler, noisier garage rock quartets, the Buzzards were a supergroup featuring Mary Ramirez of the Detroit Cobras, Joe Burdick of the Dirtys and rock and roll twins Nancy Paterra and Leslie Paterra.
Bantam Rooster: Before the White Stripes, the Detroit guitar-and-drums duo to watch was this garage punk band, formed by frontman Tom Potter and drummer Eric Cook in Lansing in the mid-1990s. By 2000, Potter was joined by drummer Mike Alonso, who also hit in the skins in late-90s hard rock Detroit band Speedball (a band that got to see the road while many others stayed home working day jobs). Bantam Rooster pretty much disbanded by 2003.
Detroit Cobras: Unpredictable, fun, wild and oh-so-danceable, the Detroit Cobras are known for covering obscure soul and R&B gems since the late 1990s. Maybe nobody thought they'd last this long, but here they are, and everyone's still stoked about it. The band, led by singer Rachel Nagy and guitarist Mary Ramirez, still tours and headlines clubs around the U.S. and Europe.
Demolition Doll Rods: Known for R&B and T&A, the Doll Rods are also very wild and very much active. The sultry glam-garage trio features Margaret Dollrod and Dan Kroha, who is a member of the aforementioned Gories. With current drummer Shelby Murphy, the band played some shows just last fall supporting Jon Spencer.
The Paybacks: More straightforward rock and roll than punk or garage, the Paybacks had one thing no other bands in the early 2000s had: front woman Wendy Case. Her signature tough vocals and visceral songwriting made their live shows around town raucous sing-alongs, with audiences made up of local musicians as well as fans. She not only was a respected musician, but she also penned a music column covering this very scene in The Detroit News around the same years. The original incarnation of the Paybacks saw John and Mike Hentch of the Hentchmen as the rhythm section and Marco Delcato (Rocket 455, the Go) on scorching lead guitar.
The Sights: In 2000, two members of this pop trio were just 18-years-old, and not old enough to get into the clubs they played when they weren't on the bill. Frontman Eddie Baranek has steered the Sights ship through several lineup changes, critically acclaimed albums and national tours supporting Tenacious D and Robert Plant.
The Wildbunch: A little garage, a little disco and a lot of rock and roll, these Gold Dollar favorites became the Electric Six in 2002. Around the time of the name change the band's single "Danger! High Voltage" reached No. 2 on the U.K. singles chart.
Soledad Brothers: Yeah, they were from Ohio, but they, like Cincinnati's Greenhornes, were very much a part of Detroit's garage clique around this time. The blues rock trio was also intertwined with the White Stripes, and drummer Ben Swank is co-founder of Third Man Records.
The Come Ons: This polished and well-dressed band brought some soul and cigarette swagger to the garage rock scene around 1999. They took more cues from Motown than the Stooges, but bassist/singer Deanne Iovan, guitarist Jim Johnson and drummer Pat Pantano were garage scene fixtures just the same, having recorded for Sympathy for the Record Industry and worked with Jim Diamond.
More: Locals feel a connection with Gold Dollar even years after closing
More: Revisiting the first Gathering of the Juggalos, 20 years later
Beyond the garage
Here are some memorable local outfits that circled the garage scene around the turn of the century, but were decidedly more rooted in pop, punk or elsewhere.
Slumber Party: One of a small handful of all-girl bands performing in Detroit in 2000, this lo-fi, psych-pop outfit released their self-titled debut that same year. Like many in their class, Slumber toured a bit in the U.S. and Europe, but also released music for Kill Rock Stars record label. Founder Aliccia Berg is a co-owner of Corktown music venue UFO Factory. The 2001 album "Psychedelicate" included Von Bondies guitarist Marcie Bolen.
The Fletcher Pratt: This well-dressed foursome, which was more than a little influenced by the Beatles, brought some serious pop chops to the scene. They were led by two guitar/singer/songwriters George Dubber and Stephen Palmer, the latter who is now in the High Strung with "Bird Box" author Josh Malerman. Drummer Joe Leone is a founder of the Rock & Roll Prep School.
The Witches: A longstanding band that plays moody, 1960s-influenced pop. The core of the Witches are two names mentioned earlier: Troy Gregory and Eugene Strobe. Started on Halloween 1996, the band is still around, with new-school players Craig Adams and Stefan Carr.
The Nice Device: Polished-sounding and good-looking, this quartet had one foot in the local clubs with with an eye on bigger things. Founded in 2000 by songwriter Alicia Gbur the band's power pop sound slid easily in rotation with national acts like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Hot Hot Heat. We'd trade our favorite denim jacket for a Nice Device reunion in 2021.
The Waxwings: Bright, jangly guitars and pop songwriting made this four piece stand out and get noticed by members of the national music press when they released "Low to the Ground" on Chicago's Bobsled Records in 2000. The band was fronted by Dean Fertita, who is now a member of Queens of the Stone Age and and Dead Weather with Jack White and Jack Lawrence of the Greenhornes (more dots to connect).
Moods for Moderns: They weren't around very long, but the garage/indie/pop tunes they put to tape circa 2000 is a quintessential sound for the time. If you find their 2001 Doghouse Records release "Loud & Clear" in a used CD bin somewhere, buy it.
Outrageous Cherry: Psychedelic pop flowed out of Matt Smith and his band from the early 1990s up until recently, recording for many indie labels including Alive and Burger Records. Longtime guitarist Larry Ray died in 2017 at age 63.
Clone Defects: This wild, surf-ish punk band was in the mix of garage rockers, mods and power pop kids. Led by artist (and 2010 Kresge fellow) Timmy Vulgar, their live shows were not to be missed.
The Atomic Numbers: Possibly the keystone of the power pop scene at the time, the Atomic Numbers seemed to be everywhere in 1999-2001 from opening for the B-52's at Pine Knob to headlining the Metro Times' 20th anniversary party at legendary music landmark the Roostertail in Detroit, and they were able to pack larger clubs like Ferndale's Magic Bag.
esQuire: The other, other white rapper at the time, esQuire blended Valley of the Dolls aesthetics with deadpan rhymes and groovy electro-pop. He and his bevy of go-go dancers were regular additions to rock shows in the early aughts.
mbaetens@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @melodybaetens
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August 22, 2020 at 08:00PM
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25 bands we miss from the early 2000s Detroit garage rock scene - The Detroit News
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