Danko Jones: Loud and Proud

Power trio, the outspoken canadian rocker’s latest, is drenched in the kind of swagger that’s been missing from rock since Mötley Crüe called it a day the first time around

- By Adam Kovac

DANKO JONES DOES a lot of things well, but being quiet is not among those skills. Through a career spanning 25 years with his eponymous band, a podcast, a book, tons of guest appearances on other people’s records, political rants on Twitter and enough old-school, down-and-dirty rock ’n’ roll riffs to make even the ghost of Malcolm Young smile, Jones has made a living off of being loud. So when you ask him about the key to his longevity, you shouldn’t be surprised that false modesty takes a back seat.

“We started the band in ’96 and we’re very proud of it! I heard the average lifespan for a main band is seven years, and the fact we more than tripled that, especially during the age of internet downloading, is something I’m very proud of. It’s a confirmation that the live shows are great, the music is great and we’ve been right all along.

“The one thing I really resent is people going ‘How did you do that?’ Well, we’re a fucking good band. That’s how we fucking did it.”

There’s that expression that one shouldn’t fix that which hasn’t been broken, but even a quarter of a century in, Jones and his compatriots are still refining what it is they do. So with his relatively new axe in hand, Jones joined long-time bassist John “JC” Calabrese and drummer Rich Knox to crank out their 10th album, the aptly named Power Trio. For longtime fans of the band, it’s more of what they’ve come to love; high-octane garage rock, driven by Jones’ aggressive power chords and snarled lyrics.