In the world of punk and alternative rock, few are as revered as Bob Mould. As the leader of the pioneering band Husker Du and later Sugar, Mould has been cited as a major inspiration to artists like Dave Grohl and Billie Joe Armstrong. Since the mid-1990s, Mould has focused on a solo career with his most recent release being the politically charged “Blue Hearts” released a few years ago.
Mould is currently out on a solo electric tour supporting that album and “Distortion” from 2020, a career retrospective box-set that focuses on his solo career as well as the material he recorded with Sugar. Earlier this year Mould released “The Ocean,” a three- song EP that includes acoustic versions of two songs off “Blue Hearts” and one Husker Du song. Mould will bring this tour to Hawks and Reed on Sunday, May 22, at 7 p.m.
Mould, who currently resides in San Francisco, spent some time living in Berlin, Germany, and when he stepped back on U.S. soil in 2018 he was not happy with the political climate that greeted him. He felt like it was similar to what he had endured in the 1980s, living as a closeted gay man and dealing with the marginalization of the LGBTQ community.
“‘Blue Hearts’ was written when the light bulb went off in my head that this is the very same playbook that I experienced during the Reagan years in the 1980s,” Mould said in a recent phone interview. “I felt compelled to draw those parallels and not only in politics.”
During the ‘80s when Husker Du was going strong, Mould did not feel that he could speak his mind, and he is not about to be silenced now. He poured his anger and frustration into the material on “Blue Hearts” and the result is an album built around drums, bass, and some fierce guitar that brings to mind the sound and fury of early Husker Du. “Blue Hearts” is a powerful work from a man with a lot to say.
On the punk tune “American Crisis,” he screams “I never thought I’d see this bull- again/To come of age in the Eighties was bad enough/We were marginalized and demonized/I watched a lot of my generation die.” He takes on the religious right on the melodic “Forecast of Rain.”
“Almighty Spirit, so high upon Your holy throne/I have a question so simple to answer, won’t take long/This love thy neighbor thing, does it apply to all mankind?/Or only those who fit neatly inside Your narrow lines?” he asks.
While the song was inspired by some of the doings of the Trump administration, I pointed out to Mould that his words could apply to what is currently going on in this country, as our conversation occurred only days after the news broke about a possible Roe vs. Wade turnover by the Supreme Court. “Oh yeah,” he said, “this is what freedom looks like when the minority decides to rule.”
On the song “Next Generation,” Mould wonders what gets left for the next generation.” “I am definitely giving away my age by worrying about the youth of America and what they think truth is and what they think information is and what they think privacy is,” said the former Minneapolis musician who is now 61.
“Blue Hearts” was released in September 2020, only months before the presidential election and a time when the pandemic had put a halt to all touring.
“Touring is where the artist connects directly with the audience and without that feedback the artist might be uncertain if the message actually has reached people or if it was the right message,” said Mould. “’Blue Hearts’ was a timely record, and not being able to go out and protest against the government at the time. To add to that I was rolling out the career box set at the same time, so September 2020 was very frustrating for me.
Having worked as a touring musician almost all of his adult life, Mould was anxious to get back on the road and after taking all needed precautions he did a brief tour in 2021. His current solo tour started in March, but Mould was sidelined briefly in April when he tested positive for COVID. As soon as he was able to safely do so he resumed the tour.
“I always knew that I would be the first to lose my job and the last to go back to work, just because of the nature of what I do and where I do it,” said Mould about the impact of COVID on working musicians. “I need to work and people need to go out and see shows. We are learning about this as we go along and the way I see it, it’s a team effort and I’m asking for people to wear their masks at this show.”
Despite the COVID interruption the tour has been going well and Mould looks forward to returning to the Northeast. He has played Northampton many times over the years, but this will be his first visit to Hawks and Reed in Greenfield.
Considering he launched his music career in the late 1970s, the punk legend has a lot of material to draw from and the solo format provides him with a little more flexibility.
“It’s a balance between the recognizable songs that everyone knows mixed in with the current work mixed in with a few deep cuts that I like to play,” said Mould about what listeners can expect to hear at this show. ‘I’ll focus a lot on the new material, but I’ll also I go back to as far as Husker Du and Sugar.”
Advance tickets are available at hawksandreed.com, tickets will be sold at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Given the recent temperatures, I think we can conclude that summer has arrived and with that comes the arrival of the Coop Concerts which are scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 26, from 6-8 p.m. at the Energy Park in Greenfield.
The concerts, which are free, will run every Thursday night until the end of August with each featuring three different performers. You can expect to hear all types of music at these shows, everything from folk to country to rock and more. The season will launch with a night of music from Larry LeBlanc, Jim Eagan, and Orlen, Gabriel, and Avery. So grab the kids, pack a picnic and load the lawn chairs into the car and head to the Energy Park for a relaxing night of music. For the complete schedule visit coopconcerts.org.
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.