Wayne Kramer Calls New MC5 Album ‘Heavy Lifting’ A “Guitar Extravaganza” In New Interview
MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer has revealed more details about Heavy Lifting, the new studio album his band is preparing for release in spring 2024.
Produced by Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper, Lou Reed), Heavy Lifting is the first fully-fledged studio album from the Detroit garage punk legends since 1971’s High Time. It will feature guest appearances from Slash, Tom Morello, Living Colour’s Vernon Reid, Alice In Chains frontman William DuVall and more.
“Some bands need a little time between records,” Kramer said in a new interview with MOJO magazine. “I needed a lot of time between records!”
Kramer also revealed that he began work on the record during the pandemic, co-writing 15 songs with new MC5 vocalist Brad Brooks.
“I wanted to kind of pick up where we left off with High Time,” the guitarist told MOJO. “Pushing music forward, carrying a message of self-efficacy and empowerment – and just to have fun. It’s all in the MC5. Creativity is the solution for the challenges we face.”
“I put everybody to work. The record is a guitar extravaganza – everyone, and yours truly, all bashin’ away on electric guitars. That’s my goal – to overload the guitar.”
Speaking about how he hopes that the new record – which features original MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson on two songs – will capture the spirit of the iconic band, Kramer told MOJO, “It’s important from the fans’ perspective, and from my personal perspective, to honour the legacy and my partners when I was a young man.”
Wayne Kramer first announced that he was working on Heavy Lifting in the spring of 2022. He initially took to Instagram in March of that year to post a video, featuring old footage of the punk veterans and a snippet of the album’s title track, Heavy Lifting. The song also features Rage Against The Machine‘s Tom Morello.