Jon Spencer
Troubadour9081 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles 90069
Jon Spencer brings his current trio to the Troubadour, with Spencer on vocals and guitar, Kendall Wind on bass and vocals, and Macky “Spider” Bowman on drums and vocals. Genre Is Death opens the night. Expect a set drawn from across Spencer’s four-decade career rather than a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion performance, with the trio carrying material described as “New Super Heavy Rock for Hard Times.”
Spencer is known for a “mutant strain of rock & roll” and for the collision of punk, R&B, blues, and garage rock associated with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. He is also associated with Pussy Galore and Boss Hog, has collaborated with blues musician R.L. Burnside, and produced Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton’s Death Wish Blues. Wind and Bowman come from the rhythm section of Woodstock, New York’s The Bobby Lees. Recent work has been called “garage punk for today,” while Ground Control heard “raw energy, weirdness, and catchy hooks” in Sick of Being Sick! and concluded: “The blues is back and STILL number one!”
The Troubadour’s claim to fame is written into pop history: Elton John made his American debut here in 1970, and the musicians who became the Eagles met around the club. It remains an active West Hollywood live-music venue, with current concerts listed at its Santa Monica Boulevard address. Expect a ticketed show in a compact club room, with a bar and a small kitchen serving burgers, sandwiches, chicken tenders, and fries. Seating depends on the event; where it is limited, the venue says it is generally first come, first served, so check your show’s details before arriving. Doors typically open an hour before the performance, and most shows finish between 11 p.m. and midnight, though timing varies. The venue sits near Doheny Drive, on a stretch of West Hollywood with nearby bars and restaurants.