It is not uncommon these days that old rock legends decide to revive their bands and go on tours which usually turn into ‘a trip down the memory lane.’
Detroit legends MC5 and its leader Wayne Kramer already went down that road in 2018, and they will do so now too. Yet, there is a big twist to this story this time around. Kramer and the band have decided to record a new album too.
As a number of sources report, a full 51 years after the release of the band’s last album, Kramer has announced that a new album of original MC5 songs will be released in October via Ear Music. He’s shared a preview of a new song called “Heavy Lifting” — a collaboration with Tom Morello, Don Was, singer Brad Brooks, and Abe Laboriel Jr.
The lineup for the upcoming tour will include Kramer, Brooks, drummer Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), bassist Vicki Randle (Mavis Staples), and guitarist Stevie Salas (David Bowie). The album features percussion from original MC5 drummer Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson on two songs. It will be produced by Bob Ezrin, whose production credits include Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Lou Reed’s Berlin.
“We’ve just barely survived four catastrophic years of a failed presidency and a devastating pandemic,” Kramer said in a statement. “Brad and I started writing new music with the express purpose of pushing back against the cruelty of it all.” The album is also set to feature contributions from Kesha, Morello, Alejandro Escovedo, Jill Sobule, and Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath.
