Cargo Records

• FOCUS ON: The Von Bondies

• Official Website >>
• Label: Sweet Nothing >>
• Genre: Garage Rock

The four members of The Von Bondies have been friends since childhood. "Were a tight little family," explains frontman, songwriter and guitarist Jason Stollsteimer. "We all left home when we were around eighteen and moved to the city.

Home, in this case, was the kind of quasi-romantic squalor indispensable to all dues-paying musicians, financed by various day jobs. Time between shows was spent in a crash course on soul searching. "I needed to know what my roots were," Jason explains, "but the honest truth is that I didnt really have any musical roots. Most of my inspiration comes from other sources. If Id had a bad day, Id write an aggressive song. If I had a good day, Id write something a bit more melodic. That may be strange but its the truth."

The truth is, Stollsteimer did discover such key influences as Screamin Jay Hawkins, Otis Redding and Little Richard. "I also liked Eric Burdon and The Animals, those early records are great. As a vocalist, Ive always admired Burdons ability to capture emotion with real power and soul, but Im still not sure that Id call any of these influences. My goal has always been to find our own sound, not necessarily blues-based or garage-based but something different that was new and natural to us."

Drummer Don Blum calls Jasons songwriting skills "an anomaly. He has the ability to hear something in his head and create it in a way thats purely instinctual."