The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

History

Jon Spencer originally came from Hanover, New Hampshire, and attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he played in the noise rock band Shithaus with Tod Ashley. After moving to Washington, D.C., in 1985, he formed Pussy Galore with Julia Cafritz; they relocated to New York in May 1986. Prior to the Blues Explosion, Spencer also performed and recorded with Gibson Bros., Boss Hog, and The Honeymoon Killers. Judah Bauer, from Appleton, Wisconsin, had been in an early line-up of The Spitters, and with Russell Simins, from Queens, New York, recorded as part of Crowbar Massage.

The three musicians all performed and recorded with Jerry Teel's Honeymoon Killers, and from that group they went on to form The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Spencer recalled that after Honeymoon Killers rehearsals, he and Simins would keep playing, eventually inviting Bauer to join. The band's sound was informed by previous work with the Gibson Bros., which was already evident in the last Pussy Galore album. Spencer noted that after five years of Pussy Galore he was able to connect to rock and roll in a new way, and with the Blues Explosion he was interested in celebrating it.

The band was signed to Matador Records between 1993 and 2002 in the US, Crypt Records between 1992 and 1994 in Germany, and Mute Records between 1996 and 2005 in the UK, and also released material on other labels including the 2010 reissues on Shout Factory in the US and Shove Records in the UK.

Other work / guest appearances

Judah Bauer was part of The Spitters in their embryonic form and has recorded or performed with Honeymoon Killers, Crowbar Massage, Twenty Miles (also known as Bauer Brothers), Childballads (with Stewart Lupton of Jonathan Fire*eater), Tom Waits, Speedball Baby, and Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues. Under the name 20 Miles, he released with his brother Donovan the albums Ragged Backyard Classics, R.L. Boyce Othar Turner Fife & Drum Spam, Sinful Tunes & Spirituals (a split EP with Doo Rag), I'm a Lucky Guy, Let Every Town Furnish Its Own Women (a split EP with Bob Log III), Keep It Coming, and Life Doesn't Rhyme. Russell Simins has produced, remixed, and performed with numerous bands including Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Honeymoon Killers, Crowbar Massage, Cibo Matto, Grapevine, Ween, Luscious Jackson, Yoko Ono, Money Mark, Fred Schneider, Duran Duran, Asian Dub Foundation, Stereolab, Tom Waits, The Pierces, Tandy, Spalding Rockwell, The Morning Pages, Little Barrie, Jena Malone, Tiny Masters of Today, and Harper Simon. His song I'm Not A Model was featured in the 2002 video game Jet Set Radio Future. As a core band member he released the albums Honeymoon Killers – Hung Far Low, Butter, Crunt, Russell Simins – Public Places, Men Without Pants, and Men Without Pants – Naturally. With the Honeymoon Killers he appears on several recordings and made one complete album as a member with Russell Simins, Jerry Teel, and Lisa Wells: Honeymoon Killers – Hung Far Low.