After a four-year drought, the Von Bondies kick off their tour in Chicago



Outside the door of Subterranean Thursday night, a deal was made between Chicago's most habitually awkward opening act, Thax Douglas and the lead singer of that night's headliner, Jason Stollsteimer of the Von Bondies. Stollsteimer's request was well-concealed passing from his lips, covered by his straight shoulder-length hair, to Douglas' ear, and at about ten minutes to nine - well after the openers My Were They and Die! Die! Die! had performed and the usual pre-show rituals of guitar tuning and pedal testing were through - Stollsteimer was standing near the merchandise table, behind most of the 20-or-so crowd, staring at his empty place on the stage. The show was running late, but the spotlight was soon filled by Douglas, who smiled as he looked in Stollsteimer's direction. The secret was about to be revealed.

"You don't have to listen to me," Douglas said over crowd chatter and a background jazz groove. "Jason asked me to delay."

And for a few more minutes than normal, Douglas' rambling (about jungle cats and Styrofoam, among other things) passed over the heads of the crowd.

"You ready Jason?" asked Douglas playfully from the stage. Seemingly without confirmation, Douglas dropped the filler and started with his signature numbered recitation "Von Bondies Number Four," and as his notebook closed, Douglas introduced "one of the best bands in the world."

Since the release of Pawn Shoppe Heart on Sire in 2004, the Von Bondies - Stollsteimer on guitars and lead vox, Carrie Smith on bass, Don Blum on drums, and Marcie Bolan on guitar - have all but disappeared along with the handful of other garage-revival bands. And especially with the White Stripes and the Strokes proving that their talent outshined any gimmicky candy-cained or Conversed appearance, the Detroit-based quartet's catchy single "C'Mon C'Mon" was not enough to clench them a spot as a hipster household name.

But four years later, the band is back on the road, kicking off a month-long tour in Chicago for their yet-to-be-released, major-label follow-up Love, Hate and Then There's You, with only a four-song Myspace EP to hold fans over. So the Bondies should be aching to get back on stage - why the 15 minute delay, Jason?

"We advertised that the show was at 9," Stollsteimer said embarrassingly as he grabbed the mic. "Come closer...we do bite." With the half-full venue just inching closer to the stage, the Von Bondies exploded with sludge, Stollsteimer wailing and tossing his hair in circles like a mop in a housewife's wet dream. The girls who bookended Stolletiemer moved like possessed mannequins, channeling their inner robot to echo and respond to his howls, which were consistently on key. They played with an invigorating spunk: Songs from Pawn Shoppe Heart sounded recklessly youthful, and even their new single "Pale Bride," which sounds vacant and formulaic on Myspace was given new life with a high-hat heavy dance beat, and the girls mopey monotone chorus of "I don't care anymore" sounded a lot hotter when shouted into the mic.

If there was anything to prove after a four-year drought, it's that the Von Bondies are a decent band. With a teenage-like energy that flatters their angst-charged songs, which seem to fall flat on recordings, the Von Bondies did just that by introducing character to their past, and an element of the carefree to their grungy newborns. Stollsteimer should know you can't slow down the inevitable. -Kate Puhala