Rock Clip of the Week - From the Jam

From the Jam plays Saturday night at NYC's Blender Theater (I'll be there!), so to preview how much fun that show will be, here's a clip from about a year ago when From The Jam were barnstorming small clubs around England - they do "This is the Modern World" and "To Be Someone" - too bad you can't really see singer Russell Hastings in this clip too much; he does a great job with the vocals.



And here's a preview piece story I wrote from my interview with From the Jam's Rick Buckler for possible freelance in one of the dailies here, but sadly, no bites. So I'm reprinting it below.
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From The Jam – preview story for Saturday Feb 9th show at Blender Gramercy Theater

By Dfactor

Rick Buckler remembers the last gig of The Jam back in 1982 very clearly. As he was drumming away, he says he was “…ticking away the thought that ‘I’d never play these songs again’”. Singer-songwriter Paul Weller had already announced the breakup of the band whose sound helped define the next step in British rock, and once 1982 finished, so did The Jam. Until 25 years later.

Bands always seem to revisit bits of one’s life at certain numeric junctures - 10, 15, 20, 25, they’re all worthy of a walk down memory lane. The Sex Pistols first reunited after 20 years, in 1996. The ‘other’ original members of The Jam, drummer Buckler and bassist Bruce Foxton, apparently found their collective reunion mojo 25 years after The Jam’s breakup.

The two are touring the US for the first time in that many years as From the Jam, which hits New York’s Blender Theater Saturday Feb 9th.

“I’ve always felt that our rhythm section was overlooked a little bit in the wake of Paul’s songwriting,” said Buckler. “But we’ve always regarded ourselves as a live act, and Bruce and I were a good part of it.”

From The Jam’s shows in the UK in fall 2007 and now in the US have been very well-received by fans and critics alike, says Buckler.

“It’s just great to play the songs,” he says. “Paul’s absence shouldn’t be the reason not to do it. The audiences love the songs.”

After a musical layoff of 12 years, Buckler starting drumming again in 2005 with The Gift, a Jam tribute act in England. Foxton had been playing at the time with Irish punk legends Stiff Little Fingers, and the bands were booked together one night, and the seeds of From the Jam were sown that night when Foxton was invited to play a few songs with The Gift.

Now, the two original members are joined by guitarist/singer Russell Hastings and guitarist/keyboardist David Moore to bring the electric, energetic songs of The Jam to life for a new generation. The band recorded a show at London’s Forum in December 2007 for an eventual DVD release in 2008, and is already talking about recording new material this year as well.

Tickets for From the Jam are available at Ticketmaster.