The Gristle & The Dictators’ Handsome Dick Manitoba Take On The MC5’s “Kick Out The Jams”

Swedish duo The Gristle have teamed up with Handsome Dick Manitoba, the longtime voice of New York punk pioneers The Dictators, for a collaborative version of Kick Out the Jams which is now available via Icons Creating Evil Art. The single brings together a band rooted in blues, punk and heavyweight garage rock with a singer whose own history reaches directly into the world of MC5. For Manitoba, the song carries a personal connection. Alongside decades fronting The Dictators, he sang with DKT/MC5, performing with original members Wayne Kramer, Michael Davis and Dennis Thompson. His involvement gives the collaboration a connection to the musicians who first turned Kick Out the Jams into a rallying cry. The Gristle and Manitoba have already crossed paths on the road, with the Swedish duo previously touring alongside the singer. This release brings that live connection into a shared recording, uniting artists from different generations around a song that embodies their appetite for uninhibited rock ‘n’ roll.

“Right in the middle of the tour, in the middle of the party I set up a makeshift studio backstage in a tiny fucking room. In front of all chaos.  That’s where we recorded all the vocals. We wanted it to feel raw close and honest. I just laid a rough guitar track for us to sing along to. Then I took the recordings to my friend Martin Ehrencrona at Cobra Studio in Stockholm. (Viagra Boys, among others.) where I laid one big, fat, dirty guitar track right across the whole song, with Pistolen on drums. (Peter Jansson.) I’m incredibly proud of how it turned out. Massive thanks to Dick Manitoba for an unforgettable tour, Jon Kapetan (Dick’s manager) and Carl-Marcus at Icons for all the support and encouragement!”