With a name like the Jesus Chainsaw Massacre, this Plymouth trio had to be worth checking out and our instincts proved to be as reliable as ever. Blending garage rock ‘n’ roll with minimalist electronica, the gruesome threesome have played close to 100 shows since their recent formation and each one enhances their reputation as a unique live band.
Grabbing every opportunity to dress up in bizarre costume, audiences have no idea what to expect at a JCM show. Saturday they play the Painted Lady in Hamtramck and while vocalist Bryan Metro and guitarist Johnny Retro (the band is completed by bass man Vinnie Rawsonville) wouldn’t give much away, they did reveal they have something very different up their collective sleeves. One can only wonder…
How'd you guys get together?
Johnny Retro: We started a year or so. We all met through our jobs, and it all happened after that. We all pretty much listened to the same stuff. At our first show, I had a few songs recorded but it wasn’t long before we all came together as a band.
You say that you all listen to the same stuff. Can you elaborate?
JR: We listen to a lot of garage rock and dance music, both old and new.
Why the name Jesus Chainsaw Massacre? Where does that come from?
JR: We got that just because we thought it sounded cool. After a while, we found out that was how critics were referring to “The Passion of the Christ.” It had a good ring to it.
Your band’s sound is very cold and dark, like a combination of the Velvet Underground and Kraftwerk…
Bryan Metro: Sonically, it’s like a combination of garage rock, surf rock bands (like the Ventures and the Sonics), the Velvet Underground, and ‘80s dance rock. Each song sounds different, so we can’t be pigeon-holed into one genre. The lyrics go everywhere, including outer space.
Do you think the band fits in with the Detroit scene?
BM: I don’t think so because I think we fit in a bit more within a European scene. The Detroit scene right now is either garage rock, or the singer/songwriter thing, then we come out with half garage rock, half dance pop. Some of the audience likes half of our stuff, others like the other half. I think we’d be huge in New York.
During your numerous gigs, have you heard any local bands that you like?
BM: We’ve recently discovered a band from Ann Arbor called Tokyo Sex Whale. They’re more of a straight up, jam surf rock band. They play a mixture of original material and covers, and they’re really cool. We also dig Cetan Clawson.
You guys just put out a record, right?
BM: Yes, we’ve just had a duel CD release show over the past few weeks. It’s called “The 70s Times Ten” and it’s available through our Web site. We’ve also just finished mixing a live recording from one of our gigs that we’re going to put out later in the year.
Describe the Jesus Chainsaw Massacre live experience…
BM: That’s actually what we pride ourselves on. We’ve played close to 70-100 shows, and we’ve never used the same set list. For those that want to laugh and have a good time, we’ll keep you entertained. We like to dress up as pop culture icons; anything from ‘The Wizard of Oz” to the “Airplane” movies.
I don’t want to say that it’s Halloween at every show, but the word around town is “what are they gonna do next?” For the CD release show, we dressed up as the cast from the Stephen King movie “Carrie.” We like to keep people guessing.
Do you have anything special planned for the Painted Lady show this weekend?
BM: Of course we do, but we don’t like to give it away beforehand. We’ll be doing the outfit gimmick again, but it’ll be more Detroit-orientated. It won’t be to do with music or movies; it’ll be to do with Detroit sports. That’s all I can say right now.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
BM: We’ll be gigging through the summer then we have a huge show in September. It’s the Checkered Records birthday bash. It’s kind of an annual thing that we do. We get a load of bands together, and that’s where we’ll record a live DVD. After that, we’re going to go back into the studio and record the follow up to “The 70s Times Ten.” That should be released early in 2009.
