Keeping Rock n Roll Alive

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I spend a fair amount of time following the interlaced careers of several musicians that revolve around the Mekons. One of the founders, and certainly one of the most prolific artists around is Jon Langford.

Tonight, he performs a commissioned piece at Alverno College called The Executioner's Last Songs based on two albums released by Chicago's Bloodshot Records to benefit Illinois Artists Against the Death Penalty.

I managed to juggle my schedule and get tickets for the performance. looking forward to it; one of the highlights of a Mekons (or waco Brothers, or any Jon Langford show) is the onstage banter. Langford is witty, acerbic and has a self deprecating dark humor that is warm and appealing.

But beyond that, as a musician he started in the 70's with the original wave of punk; the stole studio time and equipment from Gang of Four, who were also art students. But Langford is intrigued by americana, especially country music, and has incorporated it into his music, albeit from an english perspective. His band the Waco Brothers have been describes as "Cash meets Clash" and while that may not do the band justice (an unbelievable live show) it's too good a description to pass up.

The Mekons invented Alt-country on Honky Tonkin and Fear and Whiskey; they've continually experimented with an ever-evolving sound since then. with Canada's The Sadies, Langford recorded a fine album called Mayors of the Moon, and recently released a solo effort titled ALL THE FAME OF LOFTY DEEDS, a story telling album about the rise and fall of a country musician named Lofty Deeds.

And THAT, my friends, is what I mean by keeping Rock n Roll alive. He writes and records the music he wants to, with little or no regard for commerciality; (as a matter of fact, a brief major label dalliance with the Mekons in the late 80's ended very poorly) It's all about the spirit, the love of the music and the subjects, and enjoying playing for a crowd. he loves it; and he's building success on his own terms this time around, piece by piece.