Covering Their Bases Blackbox as Joan Jett And The Blackhearts

Cover bands. Say what you will about them, but unlike their more successful and famous counterparts, they’ll always play the hits and won’t be snobby assholes about it. In Covering Their Bases, The A.V. Club asks a cover band to weigh in on a contentious issue regarding the reason for their existence. In this special edition, The A.V. Club caught up with a few of the bands participating in one of the city’s greatest fright night traditions: the Halloween homage. Join these unholy undead, if ye dare, as they rock out as some of music’s greatest—and weirdest—acts all over town this weekend.

Today, Blackbox loves to rock ’n’ roll, hates itself for loving you, and really wants to touch. The band will do an excellent job covering Joan Jett And The Blackhearts on Saturday at the Double Door.

AVC: You’re Double Door Halloween regulars. How did you pick your cover honorees this year?

Damon Ranger, frontman: Every year we try and pick a band that will be tongue-and-cheek, and kind of funny. We’ve done Snoop Dogg, Hole, and some other people you can make fun of and who have a ton of material. I never want to do anything any other bands have done, either.

We also try to go a little outside the box. Blackbox doesn’t sound like Joan Jett at all. If a band does Alice In Chains, but they already sound like Alice In Chains, what’s the point? Plus, Joan Jett rocks.

AVC: It sounds like you guys are taking this pretty seriously.

DR: We go crazy trying to learn the songs. Everyone playing tries to outdo each other. It’s like we’re competing, but not competing. You just want to sound the best and play the best that night.

It’s going to be a fun show. We go all out trying to make it as much of a Joan Jett show as possible. We’re adding members to the band, and we totally go all out. This is why the show sells out every year, I think. People know that they’re going to see a cool show, and that it’s going to be funny. We try and roast our bands every year. If Joan Jett showed up, she’d know she was getting roasted.

AVC: What songs are you doing?

DR: Oh, you can probably guess the set list. There are really only six songs Joan Jett had “hits” with: “Bad Reputation,” “I Love Rock ’N’ Roll,” “Do You Wanna Touch Me,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” “Crimson And Clover,” and “Cherry Bomb.” Anything else we could play would be a deep cut or a B-side.

AVC: Are you dressing up?

DR: I already look like Joan Jett, so I just have to put on a mullet wig and I’m there.

AVC: Do you have a favorite Joan Jett song? What’s the most fun to play?

DR: I love “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” but it’s the hardest one to sing. I didn’t realize how high her voice was until I started having to sing these songs. Joan has a high range. It doesn’t sound like it, but she does.

We’re actually recording a Blackbox cover of that song right now, and we’re going to debut it on Q101’s Local 101 before the show, and then give it away as a download on our website.