About this artist
The Von Bondies were an American alternative rock band active from 1997 to 2011.
The original line-up formed at the 1997 Cramps/Guitar Wolf show by Jason Stollsteimer and Marcie Bolen. They went through a variety of member changes and band names, including The Baby Killers, before settling on The Von Bondies in 2000. Don Blum joined the band around 1999 after attending numerous Baby Killers shows, while Leann Banks was picked via an audition. The Von Bondies got their break by playing a New Year's Eve show in Detroit, Michigan, in 2000. In attendance at the show was Long Gone John, owner of the Sympathy for the Record Industry label. This led to Sympathy releasing the band's debut album Lack of Communication in 2001.
In 2003, the band released the live Raw and Rare through Dim Mak Records, which was followed by their 2004 breakthrough release, Pawn Shoppe Heart, on Sire Records. Pawn Shoppe was produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads and co-produced by Stollsteimer.
The album reached a peak of No. 36 in the UK Albums Chart, and No. 8 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart and stayed in that chart for eight weeks.