The Next Jett Black

Detroit, as of late, has been hard-put to uphold its reputation as Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World. The disco disease is spreading in epidemic proportions at a time when the current breed of bar bands are nothing more than Aerosmith copies. Alas, melancholy strikes Motown.

Flipping through a paper one day , I spied an ad that reajd 'Jett Black — The Next Alice Cooper'. Egad, I thought dispairingly, haven't these promoters learned their lesson yet? It's the fataltomparison gimmick. Yet, it was just that which brought me to Ypsilanti's Sure Thing on March 19.

After ordering, a pitcher of brew and settling into a ringside seat, I inspected the band. Hmmm. No snakes, nooses or mascara. No stage props at all. Nothing outrageous on the surface. Just then, the 'new Coopers' launched into a very tasty rendition of Bowie's 'Queen Bitch'. Holy Moley, I muttered, I ain't NEVER heard a bar band do this one. During the course of the ' evening I heard plenty of tunes I ain't never heard a bar band do.

Jett Black is comprised of Jett Jeffords, lead vocals; Mark Jeffords (Jett's brother) and Andy Savage, guitars: John Carson, bass; and Donald Lindley, drums. Alice Cooper they're not; rather closer to a Mott the Hoople. Jett Black's sound'is a fusion of Motown high energy and the punk arrogance of the 60's New York underground. Their repertoire ranges from Roxy Music to the Stooges. Jeffords' voice has the chameleon-like quality that enables him to warble a decent Bryan Ferry, and yet sneer and groan his way through 'No Fun' like Iggy himself (barring any self-mutilation).

The band does play some of the standard bar fare in the FramptonSweet-Bad Company vein, but they do them with such vibrant energy that it doesn't matter that you've heard the song sixteen times earlier that day. Integrated into Jett Black's act are their own offerings — 'Live Fast, Die Young', 'Kid From Left Field', 'Just Another Pretty Face', 'You Make Everything Dirty' — to name a few. All are out-and-out rockers that fit right into the pattern of the performance.

When was the last time you heard anyone do the Stones' 'Memo from Turner'? Or a set of vintage Mott the Hoople (Jett complete with Ian Hunter shades)? This bunch does a cover of the Velvets' 'White Light/White Heat' that would peel the black nail polish off Lou Reed's needle arm.

'We get weird looks from people around here when we play stuff like the Velvet Underground' Jett commented. 'You don't hear it ordinarily.'

Jett Black had its origins in Phoenix, Arizona, where they bumped shoulders with other local groups, notably the Nazz (who later became Alice Cooper) and the Beans, now masquerading as the Tubes ('I'm glad those guys are making it finally. I didn't think they'd ever get off welfare').

After playing around Phoenix for a few years, the band went east, following the Alice Cooper trail to Connecticut and New York, opening shows for Steppenwolf, Bruce Springsteen and Earth, Wind and Fire. Since their arrival in Detroit, Jett Black has been doing the bar circuit.

'The clubs are salt mines,' remarked drummer Don Lindley, regarding the local rock 'n' roll scene. However, he feels that the concert scene is great.

Earlier that week I had witnessed the performance of Salem Witchcraft, a rather highly-touted area band, and found myself saying 'What?' a whole hell of a lot. Witchcraft's lacklustre act that night was surpassed only by their penchant for extreme eardrum brutality. Jett Black, on the other hand, managed to leave the torture to the Marquis de Sade and, instead, substituted a fine musical display with a tolerable noise level.

I discussed the noise problem with Mark Jeffords. He agreed with me that deafness and rock 'n' roll are on a collision course.

'Sometimes it's worse on the stage. I come off with my ears ringing all the time. I just hope we make it soon, so I can afford a hearing aid when I'm thirty.' x

Kevin Knapp