Jon Spencer & the HITmakers, 10 September 2024

Jon Spencer & the HITmakers are a 21st century vehicle for the talents of an elder statesman of noise rock and punk blues. Formed after the breakup of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Jon Spencer & the HITmakers made their debut with 2022's Spencer Gets It Lit, where they delivered a cooler and more experimental variation on Spencer's traditional themes. The LP's 13 songs balanced surreal lyrics and high-powered vocals along with music that incorporated the hard rhythms of R&B, the scrappy minimalism of garage punk, and amelodic electronic accents to give the tracks texture.

Born in 1965, Jon Spencer's musical career began while he was attending Brown University, where he played with an industrial noise group called Shithaus, which also included future Cop Shoot Cop singer Tod Ashley. Spencer first achieved widespread recognition with his next band, Pussy Galore, formed in 1985 in Washington, D.C. With Spencer on guitar and vocals, they attracted a sizable underground following after relocating to New York, where there was a receptive audience for their raw, abrasive music and willfully confrontational lyrics. They would release four albums and tour extensively before they broke up in 1990. Guitarist Neil Hagerty later formed Royal Trux, drummer Bob Bert played in Sonic Youth for a spell, and singer and multi-instrumentalist Cristina Martinez joined Spencer in Boss Hog, as well as becoming his spouse.

Shortly after the breakup of Pussy Galore, Spencer formed the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion with guitarist Judah Bauer and drummer Russell Simins. It would become Spencer's most popular group; they dialed back on the cacophony of Pussy Galore in favor of a more accessible and energetic approach inspired by R&B, blues, and rockabilly, propelled by Spencer's hyperactive vocals. The trio released their self-titled debut album in 1992, and thanks to heavy touring, enthusiastic word of mouth, and scattered MTV airplay, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion developed an international fan base that dwarfed that of any of Spencer's other projects. While early releases such as Crypt Style (1992) and Extra Width (1993) documented their bold live sound, JSBX began exploring the possibilities of the recording studio on Now I Got Worry (1996) and Acme (1998). They also shored up their credibility with blues fans when they backed up Mississippi juke joint legend R.L. Burnside on his 1996 set A Ass Pocket of Whiskey. After 2004's Damage, the group took a break, but they returned to duty in 2012 with Meat + Bone, followed by 2015's excellent Freedom Tower: No Wave Dance Party 2015.

The Blues Explosion went on hiatus after the touring cycle behind Freedom Tower, and Spencer revealed in 2022 that the band had quietly broken up, in part due to Judah Bauer's health issues that made touring difficult for him. In 2018, Spencer stepped out on his own with his first solo album, Spencer Sings the Hits, with Sam Coomes of Quasi on keyboards and M. Sord of Boss Hog on percussion. As Spencer moved forward to record his next album, he decided to form a band to work with him in the studio and on-stage. The result was Jon Spencer & the HITmakers, which brought back Coomes and Sord from the Spencer Sings the Hits session and added his former Pussy Galore bandmate Bob Bert on trash (with Bert literally using junk to make percussive noise). This lineup cut the album Spencer Gets It Lit, which appeared in April 2022. It was soon followed by a concert tour; for those dates, Janet Weiss of Quasi and Sleater-Kinney took over from Sord on drums.