The beautiful phrase “romantic sounds of depraved youth,” has been used more than once to describe the fiery full-on garage assault of the Von Bondies. It invokes an endearing image of debauched upstarts nursing broken hearts and unfilled crushes. While bands would usually despise any attempt to reduce their oeuvre to a single phrase or a lone characteristic, for the Von Bondies it’s just fine.

“You could say its pretty accurate,” agrees the very pleasant Carrie Smith. “We’re all in our early 20s so I think that sums it up best,” Carrie agrees. “Jason sings all about heartbreak and pain. The whole first record was written about one break up. We’re waiting for him to have another one so he can write another record!”

The boy with the perpetually broken heart is Jason Stollsteimer, who together with Carrie, Marcie Bolen and Don Blum have found themselves at the latest vanguard of Detroit’s rejuvenated music scene. The White Stripes connection is far more than just geographical, as their debut album Lack Of Communication was produced by Jack White. “The White Stripes have really reached out and brought a lot of bands with them,” Carrie opines. “I haven’t heard about The Strokes doing something similar in New York.”

Of course, Detroit’s new found cool isn’t due to all things red and white. “They say that to expect lots of British backpackers this year visiting Detroit to see where The White Stripes played their first show. I find that very strange.”

“There is a sense of pride here,” Carrie continues. “I love the Stooges and the MC5. For me carrying on the torch is a really neat feeling. A lot of people here thrive on that. It makes us want to rock n’ roll!”