Deep in The Past

Deep in the past, way back in the 1990s, Jim DeRogatis thought and wrote about rock, punk and alternative music as “pop music critic” for the Chicago Sun Times. During that period he wrote an interesting piece for a major slick magazine and, to the best of memory, the article was about a cat named Jon Spencer and a band called Blues Explosion.

What set this group apart, if anything did, was the misdirection provided by the band’s name. You see, Blues Explosion was a rock band, or an alternative band, or an experimental band….not a blues group. Sure, Spencer and another guitarist joined with a drummer to produce music that allegedly had a foundation in “black” music. Spencer was quick to state that he considered Mississippi Fred McDowell and R.L. Burnside among his musical heroes.

But to DeRogatis, who probably experienced more of contemporary music in the last quarter century than anyone else, Spencer and his Blues Explosion was an indie/alternative group that probably didn’t feel the roots of the music it gave lip service to. Some observers of the current music scene might do well to look closely at the hundreds of indie singers and musicians around the globe, if for no other reason than to determine if there might be a few posers in the multitude. What purpose would that serve? Hard to say, but it might be fun! We might even uncover a treasure of sincerity among the boulders.

Tags: deep in the past, music, indie music, independent music, indie