The Von Bondies bring Chicago some of Detroit’s rock city charm

March 30, 2009, at Schubas

By Selena Fragassi
Published: April 2nd, 2009 | 12:55pm

On numerous occasions, Jason Stollsteimer has been praised by journalists as having one of the best voices in rock today, and the Von Bondies singer was not shy about sharing his vocal chops with Chicago on a recent tour stop to support the Detroit band’s latest album, Love, Hate, and Then There’s You (Shout Factory).

Except this time around, Stollsteimer had more than three’s company with new members — guitarist Christy Hunt and bassist Leann Banks — rounding out the lineup with supporting vocals that added vibrant color to what could have been a sharp tonal contrast.

There’s no doubt that Stollsteimer is leader of his pack (completed by founding member, drummer Don Blum) as he led the band in awkward banter and off-kilter jokes during frequent sound checks and equipment delays. But therein lies his strength, the ability to make well informed personnel decisions as evidenced by the wise hires of his latest female inductees, who have stabilized the gender equilibrium after a long string of short-lived cameos and quick departures in the band’s 10-year history.

From early hit “C’mon, C’mon” to mid-range picks like “Lack of Communication” and “It Came from Japan,” the band’s performance capitalized on the newfound chemistry and offered a delivery far more attractive than the original recorded material.

New tracks like “Pale Bride” and “The Chancer” continued the fresh perspective and exhibited the maturity of a band that has clearly moved past the growing pains to higher ground, the peak being the easily skipped-over “She’s Dead to Me,” which uses razor-sharp timing and showcases the girls’ greatest vocal strength, especially Hunt, who proved she’s an apt teacher to give Banks a few lessons in being a convincing frontwoman.

The Von Bondies proved to be masters of flash rock with a menu of super short and sweet songs, quite possibly a workable trick to cram as much material in as possible. While their arrangements are not rocket science and their lyrics not poetry, the Von Bondies have imbibed the abilities of the many garage rockers who have come before them. They are a simple act with a complicated mission of entertaining, and their success is evident in the mere fact that they could fill a club space on a Monday night.

As hardworking as the middle class who risked the call of their alarm clock to come see the band’s late show, the Von Bondies’ Detroit upbringing has implanted the idea that a little elbow grease goes a long way in making a well oiled machine. Case in point: Hunt, who, at one point lost her guitar strap, committed to finishing the song on the floor. She was later joined in the act by Stollsteimer. “She looked lonely down there,” he said before affectionately ripping on Blum for his love of Rush. Although they may not be a family affair like many of Detroit’s other famous acts, the Von Bondies have finally bonded together as the completed quartet it was always meant to be.

For more photos from this show visit Venus Zine’s Flickr page
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Von Bondies feature
Review of the Von Bondies’ Love, Hate, and Then There’s You