The White Stripes
Biography
Detroit minimalist rock duo (specifically, southwest Detroit minimalist rock duo) the White Stripes -- Jack White, guitar and vocals, Meg White, drums -- formed in 1997 (Bastille Day, to be precise) with the idea of making simple rock & roll music. From the red-and-white peppermint candy motif of their debut singles, self-titled album, and stage show to their on-the-surface rudimentary style, they succeeded wildly and immediately with that mission. Their first recordings were a mix of garage rock, blues, and the occasional show tune. In frontman Jack (a former drummer for Detroit country outfit Goober & the Peas), the White Stripes have a formidable songwriter, guitar player, and vocalist capable of both morphing between styles and changing the musical styles themselves; ranging from the folk blues of Blind Willie McTell to soaring Kinks-esque pop and narrative pop tunes worthy of Cole Porter and into deepest Captain Beefheart territory within the span of 15 minutes is not an uncommon listening experience with either the White Stripes live show or on record. In drummer Meg, the White Stripes have a minimalist percussionist who seems to sense intuitively exactly when to not play. The White Stripes are grounded in punk and blues, but the undercurrent to all of their work has been the aforementioned striving for simplicity, a love of American folk music, and a careful approach to intriguing, emotional, and evocative lyrics not found anywhere else in the modern punk, or garage rock (or among postmodern "blues" practitioners such as Jon Spencer, for that matter).
While they may have sprung from the Detroit rock scene, the White Stripes quickly gained a national following after two successive tours with indie rockers Pavement and Sleater-Kinney in 1999 and 2000. The White Stripes released their second LP, De Stijl, in 2000 and it further spread the group's reputation. They followed its release with successful tours of Japan and Australia and entered the Memphis studio of renowned producer Doug Easley for 2001's White Blood Cells. The album was a critical smash and the White Stripes soon found themselves, along with the Strokes and the Hives, at the forefront of the new wave of rock & roll bands poised to take over the world. The band certainly did their best to achieve world domination, appearing on Late Night with David Lettterman, being written about in Time, The New Yorker, and Entertainment Weekly, playing the MTV Movie Awards, and having their video for "Fell in Love with a Girl" in heavy rotation on MTV. They also made the tough decision to jump to a major label; White Blood Cells was reissued on V2 in January of 2002 and their first two records followed suit in June. The White Stripes truly became big time rock stars when their "Fell in Love with a Girl" clip was nominated for four MTV Video Awards, including Best Video of the Year (alongside Eminem and *NSYNC!), Breakthrough Video, Best Special Effects in a Video, and Best Editing in a Video. That summer the group also played four triumphant shows with the Strokes, two apiece in the bands' respective hometowns. In spring 2003 their fourth full-length, Elephant -- recorded in two weeks at London's Toerag Studio and dedicated to "the death of the sweetheart" -- arrived to nearly unanimous critical acclaim.
In 2005 the Stripes returned with Get Behind Me Satan, a dizzyingly diverse album that spanned disco-metal and light, marimba-driven pop and was written and recorded in two weeks that spring. While touring that year, the band covered Tegan and Sara's "Walking with a Ghost," which they released as a single at the end of 2005. That year, Jack White and his wife, model/singer Karen Elson, moved to Nashville, TN. White also formed the Raconteurs with Brendan Benson and the Greenhornes' Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler, and spent much of 2006 touring in support of the group's debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers. Early in 2007, the White Stripes announced they were working on a new album; Icky Thump, which included the first-ever Stripes songs with bagpipes and mariachi horns, was recorded in three weeks at Nashville's Blackbird Studio and was released that summer. ~ Chris Handyside, All Music Guide
Selected Discography
Also, I love that he is taking music (blues and rock in particular) back to it's roots all while bringing it to the new millenium. As you listen, especially with The Raconteurs (a VERY tight band), you are reminded and think of many influences but never think he's ripping anyone off. Whenever my dad and I have people listen to Elephant without telling them who it is, they almost always guess The Stones when it gets to "Ball and Biscuit." Wrong, but high praise if you ask me.
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What I love is that Mr. F**in A. has nothing better to do than to keep checking a band's page who he claims to hate. 1st off, Jack is a genius and only puts stuff where it needs to be, he's a very controlled (and down right MAD) guitarist live. 2nd: Jack taught Meg how to play drums and writes all of her music. He writes and produces EVERYTHING. It might as well be The Jack White Project or something. Meg just keeps a beat and looks pretty. They're exes, it must be his way of paying alimony.
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to F**kin A:
You are a f**kin dips**t To make music with only two members is much more difficult. I was the vocalist/ backing guitarist for my friends fourpiece. When the other two members left I did vocals, lead guitar, bass and keyboards. With only two people you both need to be extremely good composers. With four people it is much easier to piece together all the instruments. |
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They are a very divisive group, that's for sure. I personally can't stand them, and neither can half of my friends. However, the other half thinks they're the hottest sh*t ever. Go figure.
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They don't need a new drummer, Meg and Jack have such a great chemistry that it doesn't matter.
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okay...i've got it...the white stripes are aliens...exp l a i n s everything
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dude this band rocks.they DON'T need a new drummer if they have gotten this far they are definatly awesome
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Bunnyfu can't even spell it right. It's called spellcheck. When you're done trying to bite your own ear, look into it.
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So simple yet so grand, the best things in life are simple pure and refined.
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How can something so simple, like a few strings (something i can play), sound so amazing? it is wild that Jack White makes the simplist guitar playing, and silly-est lyrics sound so unearthly good. the White Stripes are truly an awesome band that make great music. i hope they re-arrange their tour dates.
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Not really, a two piece is much easier than a full band. I was in a two piece that expanded to a four piece. The two piece was definitely easier; not as many people to coordinate.
It is also probably really easy for them since the drummer plays like she underwent a lobotomy. |
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The Whites are amazing! So creative, and original with only two pieces takes talent and genius to the extreme.
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Love the Stripes, but check out the Raconteurs.. . a little Zepplin-esqu e . Jack and Meg are the sh*t together. They have the same raw quality that the real-deal punk and garage bands capture. Raw, loud and basic; music that just hits you without the filters and "special effects". Two people CAN make beautiful rock music.
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My favorite thing about the white stripes is their singing and guitar riffs...how it can sound amazing and it isnt clean or perfect in any manner...han d s down the best band around today
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I like the White Stripes and I am no f'ing mouth breather!!
AAhahahahaha h a ! ! ! Nice riffs, not so great drumming but Meg White makes me feel like I could learn drums as good as her in a month. Great DIY feel to all their records. And if you don't know what DIY means then YOU are a mouth breather. Shaaaaamone. |
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i have to marry jack... its a must.
my life goal. ;) i listen to the white stripes ALLLLL the time, one of my favorite bands EVER |
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these songs are soooo stupid and jack white sings so badly that i felt compelled to write about it and to prove it i own all their albums. if this makes sense to yee then try breathing with your mouth shut.
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weird people make good music just look at the beatles they smoked so much pot and never got caught even though there is well documented acordings of them smoking pot in front of camras
pot makes u weird so it makes em, beter lol |
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where the f**k do i go with this band i just dont f**kin understand first their lovers then their xs then their brother and sister i dont know how to take this in i guess they are just new age MTV band ohhhhhhhhhh well
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I will never "get" the White Stripes. They are terrible musicians and Jack is a horrible singer.
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not just great music but a dense experience that will blow your mind. once you 'get' the white stripes, its hard for other music to compare.
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Carrying the traditions of american roots music. Long live the White Stripes!
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