White Stripes rock with roots

TAMPA - If the White Stripes are indeed the future of American rock 'n' roll, the punky Detroit blues rock duo has the past to thank. Jack and Meg White - who tease the press that they are a musical brother and sister, but are actually a divorced twentysomething couple - have been on the cover of nearly every hip pop culture magazine in the first half of this year. Now, the guitar-drum duo - yup, no bass - has released the magnificent Elephant, one of 2003's most compelling albums.

On Wednesday, 1,944 enthusiastic fans relished the Whites' minimalist punk approach to roots music. Kicking off with a feisty rendition of Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground from the band's 2001's breakout album White Blood Cells, Jack thrashed on his crimson guitar and squalled in his banshee best. Both Whites were decked out in their trademark red and white ensembles, each with their shiny black hair draping into their eyes. The look was hellcat and hep. The sound was fury, but many fans were surprised at the set's brevity - less than 90 minutes.

But what oomph the duo packed into those minutes. A ferocious - and by now familiar to longtime fans - cover of Dolly Parton's heart-wrecking Jolene. And, no, Jack doesn't change those lyrics.

Jolene, Jolene, please don't take away my man.

Jolene, Jolene, Jack wailed at the song's end.

Please don't take him even though you can.

The song, which began so tenderly, had become a maelstrom, with Jack nearly gouging his guitar, producing the sonic equivalent of sparks. Meg banged on her drum kit, sometimes with one hand, like a spoiled child smashing items around the house, sometimes shaking her head side to side, gleefully. Meg takes a, uh, spartan approach to drumming - okay so she's no John Bonham, but when you've got a bandmate that's equal parts Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, you're still coming out ahead.

The White Stripes have some of that Zeppelin rock sensibility, but it's the blues and country music that inspires songwriter Jack. The duo performed the hillbilly rocker Hotel Yorba, the ferocious I Think I Smell A Rat, screech fest I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman and the ballad In the Cold Cold Night, on which Meg left the drums and made her way to the mike stand to handle lead vocal. The crowd roared for current hit Seven Nation Army, an exercise in the economics of music. Jack pummelled along on the song's verses, banging out low-register riffs on his guitar, sounding every bit like a bass guitar. Then, he switched gears on the song's chorus, kicked on the effects pedals and created swirls of shrill fuzz. It sounded like the spirit of rock 'n' roll, stripped naked, running through the neighborhood, screaming and waking the neighbors. It sounded great.

- To contact Gina Vivinetto, email gina@sptimes.com

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