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Veteran rocker JOAN JETT headlines Vans Warped Tour
from: Mansfield News Journal
nnarvaja@nncogannett.com
CLEVELAND — The Vans Warped Tour rolls into the Tower City Amphitheatre Friday with more than enough to satisfy your (or your kids’) minimum daily requirements of rock and punk rock music.
Among the 87 bands on the lineup is JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS.
Jett, a pioneering figure in popular music, has had a storied career and sound which influenced the sound, if not the looks, of many of the bands on the Warped lineup.
First, there was her groundbreaking work in The RUNAWAYS, which would create the blueprint for today’s all-female rock outfits like The Donnas and Sahara Hotnights.
Then there are the hits with the BLACKHEARTS — "I Love Rock and Roll," "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and a brash cover of A.C.D.C.’s "Dirty Deeds" come to mind.
Which brings Jett to the present as a personality on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Underground Garage as host of "JOAN JETT’s Radio Revolution." She and the BLACKHEARTS are part of the Warped lineup in support of their latest release, "SINNER," replete with Jett’s signature punch-to-the-face sound and attitude.
"I don’t like to change things much when I write music," she said. "I like three-chord rock-and-roll and don’t aim to do anything experimental. But I’m not afraid to experiment if the mood takes me there."
"SINNER" was an album four years in the making and, in the process, Jett decided to take some chances, such as the title track and the scorching opener, "Riddles."
"‘SINNER’ wasn’t even in my head at the time I was going through the songs we recorded," she said. "But then I decided to make a political and spiritual statement through one of my songs. The question was how do you do that without being corny or preachy?"
The targets Jett indicts on "Riddles" don’t take long to figure out, given the news of the world today. But Jett uses the attitude present in her vocals and guitar work to ensure a timeless quality of her message and quickly strip away any expiration dates which plague other songwriters’ "profound" statements.
"‘Change the World’ was a song I wrote with Billy Crooked from The Vacancies," she said. "It’s both political and spiritual. It’s about being the one person who can bring a smile to someone’s face and how powerful that can be. Or it can also be about doing something big to change the world, like running for president."
The new album is only one part of Jett’s equation. There is, of course, the time on the road.
"The entire tour’s been a blast," she said during a phone call from the Warped stop in Cinncinati. "It’s a rolling punk rock circus, a block party taking over your city. There camaraderie among the bands is really awesome. "You have this big festival roaming the country for two months. There are at least 200 buses, 100 trucks and at least 1,000 people moving every day to create this litte punk rock city."
Jett’s status as a veteran of the touring and recording circuits provide a contrast to the new breed of punk rockers like Damone and The Academy Is... "It’s very much the best of both worlds for us," she said. "We get to hear some great music, then get a chance to play."
She said she regarded the Warped audience, often considered a rowdy bunch, very highly. "It’s a little different than what I’m used to, but the kids have been very welcoming to us and have treated us well," she said, adding she knows everyone who listens to her music takes away something different.
"I’ve spoken to so many people and they tell me about what the music does or how it got them through certain times or just how they had fun to it. I just want people to have a good musical experience. If they enjoy it on the record, my job’s done at least halfway.
"From there, I hope they come to see us play, so I can do the other half of my job."
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