Wayne Kramer is marking the 50th anniversary of the MC5's “Kick Out The Jams” album with a world tour under the banner of “MC50”.
Joining Kramer will be Brendan Canty (Fugazi), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), Doug Pinnick (King's X), and Marcus Durant (ZenGuerrilla). Each night the band will perform “Kick Out The Jams” in full, followed by a rotating encore built from later MC5 material.
Some European festival dates, including Spain’s Azkena Festival ,have been announced but only one US show – September 27 at the Fillmore Detroit - has been released. Watch this space.
Says Kramer:
Today, there is a corrupt regime in power, an endless war thousands of miles away, and uncontrollable violence wracking our country. It’s becoming less and less clear if we’re talking about 1968 or 2018. I’m now compelled to share this music I created with my brothers 50 years ago. My goal is that the audience leaves these concerts fueled by the positive and unifying power of rock music.
According to the Detroit Free Press, drummer Dennis Thompson, the MC5's only other surviving original, will perform on select tour dates. Bassist Mike Davis, who with Kramer and Thompson toured the world as DKT-MC5 in the 2000s – passed away in February, 2012.
Also in the pipeline, for an August release is an autobiography, “The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities” on De Capo Press. You can read a brief extract here.
