Motor City Rocks

I'll be heading off to Michigan in a few hours and my first stop is to visit with Tom Potter for a few days.

He's a bad-ass noise maker you first heard as one-half of the guitar/drums duo Bantam Rooster. Seems like that combination was the start of a trend... from there, Tom went on to be the coolest of the dual bass players of the revolving cast of the Dirtbombs, and then made some noise leading Detroit City Council.

Tom Potter is the most clever, funniest guy I know.

While in Detroit, I'm also going to check out a show by Troy Gregory and the Stepsisters. Troy is another of Detroit's Most Valuable Players. Also manning one of the basses for the Dirtbombs, Troy has also led the Witches, and played guitar for the Volebeats.


Yes...today's theme is bass players and their cigarettes in black & white...

Troy also played with Killing Joke and some metal type bands (he's a speed demon on the bass...ask him about the time Metallica asked him to audition). And yes, contrary to some rumors Troy himself has heard... he is alive.

Detroit is a city where the DIY thing never went away. Its just the way you have to do it there. I think it is rich in creativity, and long after hipsters and trend spotters write off the garage rock/revitalized punk burst of energy, Detroit musicians will still be going strong.

One of my favorite Detroit characters is "punk rock" Timmy Vulgar, late of the Clone Defects and now leader of the Human Eye.


Billy and Timmy of the Human Eye

Of course, Detroit is the place that brought you two of the most influential rockers of all: Iggy and the MC5. Its gonna be a wild week.





While many people (myself included) do tend to think of Wayne Kramer as the godfather of punk rock, not enough people recognize that MC5 bassist, Michael Davis is a real punk at heart and has been totally tuned into everything punk going on throughout the decades while Wayne has turned into one of the busiest serious musicians in LA. Not that Wayne doesn't still kick out the jams, because he certainly does... and the MC5 still does rule.


Michael Davis goofing off