July has not been a kind month to New York bands. Just three weeks after Sonic Youth's equipment was stolen out of a Ryder Truck in Orange County, Calif., the same bum luck has struck the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. According to Matador Records, at approximately 1:30 a.m. on July 22, the band's van was broken into at the loading dock of the Sheraton Suites le Soleil Hotel in Vancouver.

Included amongst the stolen gear was a 1962 Vintage Moog Theremin, three compressors, several microphones, portable DAT machine, phantom power supply and a Ludwig 16" floor tom. The thieves also got away with a tool kit, a personal Sony CD player, Sony Minidisc player and a number of CDs.

The whole break-in apparently occurred under the unblinking gaze of a video surveillance camera, but no arrests have been made yet. Any information can be given to Dick Meredith, the band's tour manager, at Dicky_Bo@msn.com. Despite the loss, the band intends to continue their West Coast shows.

JAAN UHELSZKI
(July 22, 1999)