Courtesy of MC 5 Com

“I wanna hear some revolution out there! Kick out the jams mother….” They were among the most incendiary forces in American rock ‘n’ roll. Before bands became brands, these five outcast visionaries from Michigan harnessed the anti-establishment fervor of the industrial heartland. 

With the stinging libretto of front-man Rob Tyner (originally a bassist), fortified by the blazing two-guitar attack of Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith – the MC5 blasted blue collar counter culture blooze into adolescent bedrooms throughout Nixon’s fractured America.

At the center of the storm were bassist Michael Davis and drummer Dennis Thompson who anchored the MC5 with an unforgiving back-beat. Davis’ bass playing was unswerving – quoting time tested motifs as the guitarists waged war. Associated with John Sinclair, participants in the anti-war movement (Chicago 1968), and inspired by the Black Panther Party; not even The Stooges, Velvet Underground, nor The Doors – three pariahs of the same era who were eventually accepted by the establishment – approached the perilous stance of the MC5.  

Michael Davis Sound & Vision

Dig Michael on this live clip of “Ramblin’ Rose, Kick Out The Jams, Looking At You” medley from 1970 https://youtu.be/74jS3dW0DtE