“There’s something about just being stripped down to the four musicians — minimal lights, smaller rooms, tight stages — it was reminiscent of 1988, ’89, when we were doing the Hollywood circuit.”
Dave Navarro hung out with Chuck Armstrong on Loudwire Nights on Wednesday to celebrate the return of the original lineup for Jane’s Addiction. Over the summer, the lineup — Navarro, Perry Farrell, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins — played small club shows across Europe.
Navarro said those concerts were special.
“[They] were just magical,” he admitted. “Magical, magical.”
The magic wasn’t just because they were playing smaller venues than they’re used to, but because this was the first time the original lineup had performed onstage together in quite some time.
And for Navarro, that meant playing with the only bassist he thinks can handle Jane’s Addiction songs.
“[Eric Avery] wrote these bass lines,” Navarro said. “The way he digs into the strings with his pick and the energy and the forcefulness behind his playing — I don’t think Stephen Perkins would have a problem with me saying this, but Eric sets the tempo.”
As Navarro put it, he and Perkins follow Avery when they’re on the road.
“When he came back and I played with him for the first time, I was like, ‘Oh, this is how these songs are supposed to sound. It was such a bizarre feeling, you know what I mean?”
Jane’s Addiction Have More New Music to Share
Along with the live shows, Jane’s Addiction are celebrating the fact that they have a new song with the original lineup. “Imminent Redemption” marks their first song together in more than 30 years.
Fortunately, Navarro shared that this is just the beginning of new music from the band.
“I have management that prep us before interviews and say, ‘Say this, don’t say this,’ and nobody said anything to me yet, so I’ll just say, there is new music coming,” he told the Loudwire Nights audience.
“There’s new music recorded that hasn’t been finished. There’s hope of a full album.”
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For fans who catch Jane’s Addiction on the road in the United States this year, Navarro shared a bit of information that might be of interest.
“At the merch booth, we sell vinyl copies of ‘Imminent Redemption,'” he explained.
“But those vinyl copies are backed with another song, so that’s a little Easter egg I’ll throw out there. There’s only so many of them and they’re just like test pressings.”
What Else Did Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro Discuss on Loudwire Nights?
- Why he enjoys recording in the studio, but also why it doesn’t have the same magic as the stage
- Why he loves vinyl and why he pushed for the band to sell “Imminent Redemption” on wax at their shows
- What it is about improvising onstage that gives him energy — and why he likes being on the edge of a trainwreck with his bandmates
Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below
Dave Navarro joined Loudwire Nights on Wednesday, Aug. 28; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.
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Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff