Mick Jones is Still More Punk Than You (or Me)

There's something about hearing Mick Jones' voice that  is reassuring. Whereas Joe Strummer sounded like a man who demanded to be heard, Jones was more cordial about it. When he departed The Clash and started Big Audio Dynamite (II)/B.A.D., Jones started making more experimental music (much of it very good, BTW), but his voice never lost familiarity.  I guess being an integral member of one of the five most important bands in musical history means you never have to prove yourself again.

While that is definitely true, Mick Jones is having too much fun to waste any of the brief time he has left to record music. When he's not producing or scoring films, Jones is spending his days with punk icon Tony James (London SS, Generation X, Sigue Sigue Sputnik) as one half of Carbon/Silicon. Along with ex-BAD bassist Leo Williams and drummer Dominic Greensmith, Jones and James are making music with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach. Like BAD, The Clash and everything else he has ever done, Jones' penchant for technology shines through on much of their work; often employing samplers and keyboards, especially on their earlier releases. Similarly, much of his lyrics are infused with themes of political relevance.

Besides using technology to make music, Carbon/Silicon has utilized it to market it as well. The band frequently serves up free MP3's sans DRM (they are vehemently against it) to download on their official website. They also embrace peer-to-peer file sharing to distribute their music, even to the point of encouraging fans to share it online.

Even as an elder statesman, Mick Jones still has issues with the whole idea of music for profit. Instead, he is too concerned with using his craft as a forum for change.

Download The Crackup Suite EP direct from the band's official website

Carbon/Silicon: "What The Fuck" (from The Last Post), "Really the Blues" (from The Last Post) and "Pier 51" (from The Crackup Suite):

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