The Von Bondies w/the Ruby Doe, Midnight Movies

Mon June 14, Showbox, 8 pm, $10.77 adv/$12 DOS (all ages).

As every petulant teenager knows, at some point on the road to adulthood, you have to rebel against your parents. Forsaking the figures who nurtured you in favor of uncharted territory, new friends, and potentially self-destructive behavior is an essential component of adolescent evolution. Much the same can be said for young bands struggling to find their own identity--particularly if they've been mentored by a father figure who is also a hugely popular musician. Such is the case with Detroit's Von Bondies, a four-year-old garage rock quartet that has grown up under the much-publicized gaze of fellow Motor City malcontent Jack White.

The affiliation with the White Stripes frontman began with the inclusion of the Von Bondies on the White-produced Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit compilation. A coveted opening slot on the rapidly rising duo's national tour soon followed, as did a deal to release the Von Bondies' debut, Lack of Communication, on indie label Sympathy for the Record Industry. White's influential shadow grew longer when he assumed production duties for the record, briskly rubbing the 11-song collection with the expected amount of bluesy grit and all but branding the band with a built-in dose of hipster cred. Lack of Communication went on to sell 20,000 copies and it became impossible for journalists to spill ink on the band without mentioning the shepherding role of White or his rumored romantic associations with Von Bondies guitarist Marcie Bolen.

And just like the inevitable rift between parent and teen, the relationship between the band and White started to show cracks shortly before the Von Bondies jumped up to major label Sire in 2003. Whether it was an extension of a literal or metaphorical romance gone sour or the band's choice to have former Talking Heads guitarist and Modern Lover Jerry Harrison produce their second studio record (the band issued a live record, Raw and Rare, in 2003), things got decidedly ugly when White attacked singer and guitarist Jason Stollsteimer at a Detroit rock club, turning Stollsteimer's face into hamburger and landing White in court on assault charges--the kind of stuff the music-industry hype machine thrives on.

But the fervor over the fisticuffs distracted from how fascinating it was that the record actually sounded like a deliberate break away from their Detroit roots and their paternal past. Garage bands usually pride themselves on a restless, unformed sound with rough-hewn edges; the production on Pawn Shoppe Heart is big and shiny, all booming drums and mountain-top-high vocals--traits that could cause them to lose as many fans as they might gain. It's also catchy as hell and succeeds particularly well on many levels, thanks to Stollsteimer's believable bravado and the occasional hypnotic, monotone vocals provided by Bolen and bassist Carrie Smith. While the sing-along single "C'mon, C'mon" is an obvious standout track and a perfect anthem for teen rebellion, Smith's tuneful interlude on "Not That Social" hints at a band that could eventually mature into a more balanced and fortified hard rock unit. "Jason wrote that song for me," explains Smith via phone. "He came up with the lyrics 'I'm not that social, just a good drinker,' and I was like, 'I'm not going to sing that, I don't think of myself as either of those things,'" she says emphatically. "So he [suggested] changing it to 'You're not that social, just a good drinker' and I just think about [someone else] when I sing it. I think Jason still thinks I'm singing about myself, but what does he know?" she laughs, exuding the sort of mocking affection that marks a tightly bonded band.

Smith also sounds like the calm component of the Von Bondies equation, weighing out the troubles of the last year as growing pains she's eager to put behind them. "We were all really worried at first--are we forever going to be known for this reason," she laments. "It sucks on a personal level and for our career. But we knew we had made a good record. And at this point [gossip about the assault] is fading away, the court case is over, and now we just get out there and play our record."

editor@thestranger.com