Feb 3

Feb 3 Review: Jon Spencer Trio at The Grey Eagle

Well into a full-throttle, sweat-drenched Asheville performance on Jan. 26, Jon Spencer paused to air his frustrations with the state of things. Delivering his thoughts like a sermon, the legendary garage-rock frontman confessed that the world had his mind all messed up. His faithful flock at The Grey Eagle didn’t shout “Amen” or “Hallelujah,” but the sense of collective recognition was unmistakable. I sure as fuck haven’t been able to think straight this year, either, as the shit keeps hitting the fan at an increasingly hostile pace.

Some bands simply hit harder in moments like these, and the Jon Spencer Trio is one of them. Living up to the ferocious reputation Spencer forged with Pussy Galore, Boss Hog, and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the 60-year-old frontman channeled the raw, combustible spirit of James Brown (whose “I Don’t Mind” received an energetic cover) and the MC5. His younger bandmates — Kendall Wind on bass and Macky “Spider” Bowman on drums — matched that intensity beat-for-beat, providing urgent, relentless grooves to accompany his buzzing guitar riffs and emphatic vocal grunts. Bowman’s showmanship only amplified the excitement, consistently spinning drumsticks mid-song without missing a beat across the career-spanning set.

A true power trio, they played loud and heavy, reaffirming Spencer’s status as a progenitor of NYC’s 1980s noise-rock underground. Alongside originals, the band tore through a booming cover of Big Black’s “The Power of Independent Trucking.” Already one of the most punishing audio documents of rage ever recorded, the song felt uniquely tailored to the present moment — a release valve for a time when holding it together feels increasingly impossible.

The Jon Spencer Trio’s performance was a reminder of music’s essential power: to invigorate, to exorcise, and to bring likeminded souls into the same sweaty room instead of leaving them isolated and doomscrolling. Thank you, Jon Spencer for continuing to commit yourself 100% to this very important cause.

(Photos by Jonny Leather)