Pop Music Review : ‘60s Pioneer Produces Fiery Set at the Roxy

When Wayne Kramer and the late Fred (Sonic) Smith put their guitars together in the ‘60s Detroit band the MC5, they sparked a sound that far transcended the group’s short life span. Pioneering raw, brutal aggression, Kramer and Smith combined rock ‘n’ roll basics, free-jazz impulses and a spirit of anarchy, capturing the era’s currents of social turbulence and sounding the radical group’s call to revolution.

Their approach stubbornly survived commercial exile, resurfacing first in heavy metal and then in punk-rock. So Kramer is right at home in today’s alternative/punk universe, which he anticipated by 2 1/2 decades.

Kramer recently released “The Hard Stuff,” his first real solo album after years of diverse collaborations, and at the Roxy on Thursday he laid down the law for a young audience on hand mainly for the headlining Melvins--the Seattle trio that is among Kramer’s disciples and collaborators.

The ‘60s political framework is gone, but Kramer is still drawn to themes of conflict and confrontation. His fiery, physical playing, backed by a tireless two-man rhythm section, was often arresting but his new material is uneven, and his voice doesn’t have enough presence.

He also should have reinterpreted the old MC5 battle cry “kick out the jams.” A little went a long way, and while Kramer is a great sprinter, the focus and intensity tended to dissipate over the long haul of extended instrumentals.