- The Von Bondies
The Von Bondies are:
Jason Stollsteimer (vocals, guitar)
Donny Blum (drums)
Leann Banks (bass)
Christy Hunt (guitar)
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With the February 3, 2009 release of “Love, Hate and Then There’s You,” THE VON BONDIES’ third studio album and their debut for Majordomo Records (a division of Shout! Factory), fans will experience a band that’s come a long way since 2004’s smash album “Pawn Shoppe Heart.” Now in their ninth year together, Stollsteimer and drummer Don Blum, the Von Bondies’ other founding member, have taken their music to new places while holding on to the core values they’ve always embodied.
“Love, Hate and Then There’s You” picks up from the tighter, more nuanced sound of the THE VON BONDIES’ huge 2004 hit single “C’mon C’mon,” which subsequently took on a second life as the theme to Denis Leary’s highly acclaimed FX TV series “Rescue Me.” This is a VON BONDIES album with a renewed sense of purpose, as illustrated by the riff-happy tracks like the first single “Pale Bride” and the anthemic leadoff track “This Is Our Perfect Crime,” and they also captivate the listener on pounders like “I Don’t Wanna” and “Chancer,” and on the album-closing “Modern Saints” with its nearly ethereal intro. In a sense, says Stollsteimer, “it’s a new band. You don’t want to avoid your history but it is a new direction. It wasn’t on purpose. It’s just where we were going.”
Stollsteimer’s newest batch of songs, as well as Blum’s co-writes, were penned over the past few years and recorded sporadically during that period. Producers Butch Walker (Hot Hot Heat, The Donnas, All-American Rejects) and Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) fine-tuned the recordings.
The roots of THE VON BONDIES can be traced back to the late ’90s—at one point Jason had a band called the Baby Killers—but things really began in earnest when Blum teamed up with Stollsteimer in 1999. The name VON BONDIES was born in 2000, and the first album, Lack of Communication, came the following year. Raw and Rare, a collection of live BBC recordings, followed in 2003, then “Pawn Shoppe Heart.”
THE VON BONDIES spent 2008 touring in support of their self-released EP “We Are Kamikazes,” which featured selected tracks from the new album. As the band began incorporating the new tunes—many of them based on life-changing personal experiences Jason had undergone since the last album—into their dynamic live show, audiences readily agreed that they were keepers. “We played ‘Accidents Will Happen,’ which is on the new album, once in New York,” he says. “The curtain was down and it was supposed to go up as we started playing the intro, but it didn’t. When it did go up, it went up at the perfect time, when the big chorus came in. Everyone started dancing even though no one had ever heard the song.”
Here are critical quotes the band garnered while on tour in 2008 while testing out the new material:
“…[Stollsteimer]’s written a clutch of terrifyingly cool songs…”
—Jonny Loftus, DETOUR-MAG.COM (Detroit, MI; January 2008)
“…Stollsteimer still has one of the best voices in indie rock.”
—Chris David, THESENTIMENTALIST.COM, (January 2008)
“…the new songs find The Von Bondies picking up in that more melodic and pop mode.”
—Scott Mervis, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE (1/14/2008)
“The new songs show impressive diversity. ‘Pale Bride’ for example, leads off with guitars and Kinks-gone-garage sound, while ‘21st Birthday’ might evoke comparisons to British power pop faves like the Kaiser Chiefs. The soaring sound of ‘Wake Me Up’ could be a classic song from The Who, that basic guitar-rock foundation enhanced with an almost orchestral arrangement. And “I Don’t Wanna” merges New Wave guitar pop with contemporary style.”
—Jay Miller, THE PATRIOT LEDGER (Boston, MA; 1/18/2008)
“A new EP, ‘We Are Kamikazes,’ brims with energetic, garage-style rock.”
—Regis Behe, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW (1/11/2008)
“The band’s gender diversity seems to be an advantage, as opposed to the typical gender-specific rock bands popular today. The mix of male and female provided an upbeat dynamic, which seemed to add to the edgy yet perky sound of the group. They have a relatable appeal to both guys and girls, and the stage presence of the band is improved with the different emotions that separate genres bring to the table.”
—Alexandra Coleman, THE LATERN (Ohio State University; 1/14/2008)
“’Pale Bride,’ ‘21st Birthday,’ ‘Wake Me Up’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna’ all suggest the album will offer fans the raw energy and catchy riffs the band’s previous discs possess.”
—Brian Wong, LONDON FREE PRESS (1/11/2008)
“Detroit’s Von Bondies are scrappy, dirty, exuberant, and spirited. They’re everything you could want from a choppy guitar group that’s so obviously channeling Motor City predecessors like the MC5 and the Stooges.”
—Lizz Kannenberg, CHICAGOIST.COM (1/10/2008)
Signed to Majordomo after a successful showcase at Austin’s legendary South by Southwest music convention, THE VON BONDIES began piecing together the new album. “Love, Hate and Then There’s You” marks a natural progression, and Jason is stoked about the new songs, which he says are the best they’ve ever recorded. “The songs are kind of sinister-sounding but there’s this overall lift feeling to them,” he says. “There’s always going to be bad days but hopefully you’re not going to have a cynical person that only remembers the bad. And you need bad days to realize what’s good in life. I try to put that in lyrics.”
Shortly before the album’s release, THE VON BONDIES will return to the road, for which Stollsteimer and Blum will be joined by bassist Leann Banks, also a Michiganite. All are looking forward to bringing the new songs to the stage.
The full track listing for “Love, Hate And Then There’s You” is:
This Is Our Perfect Crime
Shut Your Mouth
Pale Bride
Only To Haunt You
21st Birthday
She’s Dead To Me
Chancer
Blame Game
I Don’t Wanna
Accidents Will Happen
Earthquake
Modern Saints
All songs and lyrics by J. Stollsteimer, except tracks 2, 8, 11 & 12 by D. Blum/J. Stollsteimer.
www.vonbondies.com
www.myspace.com/vonbondies
THE VON BONDIES’ “Love, Hate and Then There’s You” will be released February 3, 2009 on Majordomo Records.
VON BONDIES RELEASE FIRST SINGLE ON NOVEMBER 18, 2008
The first single “Pale Bride” from the upcoming full length album “Love, Hate, and Then There’s You” will 
be released as a 7″ inch vinyl – CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
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For Von Bondies press inquiries, contact:
MSO 818-380-0400
Alexandra Greenberg x223, agreenberg@msopr.com
Libby Coffey-Henry x224, lhenry@msopr.com
Mitch Schneider x235, mschneider@msopr.com
