Since his time playing in THE greatest band of all time early in his career, guitarist Mick Jones has stayed very busy with many varied music activities over the years – from leading Big Audio Dynamite right after leaving the Clash to producing to, more recently, playing with Gorillaz. But do you know about Carbon/Silicon? It’s a band he put together with Tony James (formerly of Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik) shortly after the turn of the century.
As their website says, they “see the internet as the saviour of creativity – not its downfall.” Embracing the digital world, C/S has offered much of their music free through their website (at least for a time when it’s first created). They have also released physicals CD’s and most of their output is currently available for download from the usual suspects.
I’m happy to report that Mick can still write a catchy tune, seemingly effortlessly. While Mick and Tony are the primary creative force behind the band, it’s recorded as a basic four-piece rock combo. I have some very minor quibbles that a good producer might fix (tighten up a lyric here and there, and perhaps shorten a few tunes), but overall Mick still has a lot to say and their music is a lot of fun.
They have released a fair amount of music and gigged over the years, although no specific plans are currently reported on their website. I’m not sure what their future holds; maybe they don’t know either: “Who knows what the future holds for us?… Stay in the Game, learn the new rules and be ready for tomorrow…” Sounds like a good plan for all of us.