The Dead Weather

The Dead Weather
Left to right: Dean Fertita, Jack White, Alison Mosshart and Jack Lawrence, The Dead Weather in 2009.
Background information
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Blues rock[1][2][3] garage rock[3] psychedelic rock[4] alternative rock[5]
Years active	2009–2015 (on hiatus)
Labels	Third Man
Members	Alison Mosshart Dean Fertita Jack Lawrence Jack White
Website	thedeadweather.com

The Dead Weather is an American rock supergroup, formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009. Composed of Alison Mosshart (of The Kills and Discount), Jack White (of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs), Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age, Karen O and Iggy Pop) and Jack Lawrence (of The Greenhornes, The Raconteurs and Karen O).^[6] The Dead Weather debuted at the opening of Third Man Records' Nashville headquarters on March 11, 2009. The band performed live for the first time at the event, immediately before releasing their debut single "Hang You from the Heavens".

The band's second studio album, Sea of Cowards, was released in 2010, followed by Dodge and Burn in September 2015.

History

Formation and Horehound (2009)

Main article: Horehound

When The Raconteurs were performing in Memphis, Tennessee, Jack White lost his voice and the band asked Alison Mosshart of The Kills with whom they were touring to fill in on some songs.^[7] She sang lead vocals on "Steady as She Goes" and "Salute Your Solution". White later asked her if she would record a song with him and Jack Lawrence. They met Dean Fertita at the studio and they ended up performing more than one song that night.

Ultimately they decided to form a band with Mosshart as their lead singer, Lawrence on bass, Fertita on guitar and keyboard and White on drums. White claims he wanted to play the drums in the band, having rediscovered drumming after playing on a kit on "Another Way to Die" with Alicia Keys. He had played drums as a child, and for Goober & the Peas before forming the White Stripes. White said he felt that playing lead guitar in another band would be too redundant and saw it as an opportunity to do something different.

White and Mosshart performing live at the Glastonbury Festival.

In January 2009, Mosshart, Fertita, Lawrence and White got together for an impromptu jam at White's Third Man studio. The session was followed by two and a half weeks of song writing and recording, during which The Dead Weather formed.^[8] "Things just started to happen," said White. "We didn't have a direction. We just went a song a day, two songs a day, whatever we could do and recorded them on the fly... There was no time to think about what it was. It just was."^[8]

The Dead Weather's debut album, Horehound, was released on July 14, 2009 in North America, and July 13 in Europe. It entered the U.S. Billboard 200 Album Charts at No. 6 and the UK Album Charts at No. 14. Three tracks from Horehound ("No Hassle Night", "Hang You from the Heavens", and "Treat Me Like Your Mother") were made available as downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series on the same day as the North American release.

Jack White co-directed a short documentary about The Dead Weather called "Full Flash Blank". It contains exclusive interviews of the band members and performances of "60 Feet Tall", "I Cut Like A Buffalo", and "Treat Me Like Your Mother". "Full Flash Blank" aired on Channel 4 straight after the showing of "Later... with Jools Holland" which featured The Dead Weather performing their first three singles.

Sea of Cowards (2009–2010)

Main article: Sea of Cowards

On October 16, 2009, Mosshart confirmed that a second album was "halfway done".^[9] White later announced that the first single from the new album would be called "Die by the Drop", for which he would sing lead vocals. He commented that it was "bluesier and heavier than we ever thought we could be".

Sea of Cowards was first released on May 7, 2010, in Ireland, and then released on May 10 and 11 in the U.S. and the U.K. respectively. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200,^[10] and was placed at number eleven on Rolling Stone's thirty greatest albums of 2010 list.

The song "Rolling in on a Burning Tire" appeared on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse movie soundtrack.

Dodge and Burn and inactivity (2013–2015)

Main article: Dodge and Burn

In October 2013, Third Man Records announced the forthcoming release of a limited edition 7-inch vinyl record containing two newly recorded Dead Weather songs. "Open Up (That's Enough)" and its B-side, "Rough Detective," were released exclusively in this format through the label's record subscription service, The Vault. These two tracks were the first pair of songs to be released in vinyl-only physical form through The Vault. "Buzzkill(er)" and "It's Just Too Bad" were released in similar fashion on November 4, 2014. These four songs and eight others would make up the band's third studio album, Dodge and Burn. The songs were recorded from approximately July 2014 to July 2015 when members of the band had the available time or inspiration to record.^[11] The third single in advance of the album, "I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)," was made available for download on August 21, 2015.^[12] It was released on 7-inch vinyl, backed with "Cop and Go," through The Vault in September 2015.^[11]

Influences and sound

Both Alison Mosshart and Jack White are heavily influenced by Captain Beefheart and have made several tributes to him in a few songs, similarly to how they covered Beefheart songs in their previous bands. The Dead Weather usually open their acts with an intro of "Sure Nuff 'N' Yes I Do". On the track "Hustle and Cuss", the first line Mosshart sings is "knock on the door and the door knocks back", a reference to the Beefheart song "The Dust Blows Forward 'n the Dust Blows Back".

Other influences come from the range of artists that Mosshart listened to when she was growing up. Her own frontwomanship is the result of watching videos of Janis Joplin and Patti Smith.

Band members

• Alison Mosshart – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
• Jack White – drums, vocals, additional guitars
• Dean Fertita – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• Jack Lawrence – bass guitar, backing vocals, drums

• 
  Alison Mosshart of Discount and The Kills.
• 
  Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age, Iggy Pop and Karen O.
• 
  Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs and Karen O.
• 
  Jack White of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs.

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions										Sales
		US [13]	AUS [14]	AUT [15]	CAN [16]	FRA [17]	NL [18]	NOR [19]	NZ [20]	SWI [21]	UK [22]
Horehound	Release date: July 14, 2009 Label: Third Man Formats: CD, LP, music download	6	48	43	7	19	63	26	24	14	14	US: 163,000[23]
Sea of Cowards	Release date: May 11, 2010 Label: Third Man Formats: CD, LP, music download	5	28	24	6	30	76	11	13	19	32	US: 171,000[24]
Dodge and Burn	Release date: September 25, 2015[25] Label: Third Man Formats: CD, LP, music download	10	21	28	16	47	25	14	32	15	21

Live albums

Title	Album details
Live at Third Man Records West	Release date: October 30, 2009 Label: Reprise Formats: Digital Download

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions										Album
		US Alt [26]	US Rock [27]	BEL [28]	CAN Rock [29]	CZ Rock [30]	MEX [31]	POL [32]	SCO [33]	UK [22]	UK Rock [22]
"Hang You from the Heavens"	2009	—	—	—	—	—	33	—	—	—	—	Horehound
"Treat Me Like Your Mother"		40	—	—	—	18	16	—	21	168	—
"I Cut Like a Buffalo"		—	—	—	—	15	16	—	—	—[A]	—
"Die by the Drop"	2010	20	36	—	30	—	15	—	—	154	24	Sea of Cowards
"Blue Blood Blues"		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Open Up (That's Enough)" / "Rough Detective"	2013	—	—	—	—	7	43	—	—	—	—	Dodge and Burn
"Buzzkill(er)" / "It's Just Too Bad"	2014	—	—	—	—	14	37	—	—	—	—
"I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)" / "Cop and Go"	2015	27	—[B]	55	—	12	35	47	—	—	—
"Impossible Winner" / "Mile Markers"		—	—	—	—	—	42	—	—	—	—
"Let Me Through" / "Be Still"	2016	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Three Dollar Hat" / "Lose the Right"	2017	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year	Song	Director
2009	"Hang You from the Heavens"	David Swanson
	"Treat Me Like Your Mother"	Jonathan Glazer
	"I Cut Like a Buffalo"	Jack White
	"Will There Be Enough Water?"	David Swanson
2010	"Die by the Drop"	Floria Sigismondi
	"Blue Blood Blues"	Christopher Mills & Tim Wheeler
2015	"I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)"	Ian & Copper
2016	"Impossible Winner"	Sophie Muller & Ross McDowell

Notes

1. "I Cut Like a Buffalo" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 41 on the UK Physical Singles Chart.^[22]
2. "I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)" did not enter the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, but peaked at number 47 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.^[34]

References

1. Roberts, Randall (June 18, 2009). "The Dead Weather at the Roxy: Jack White And Alison Mosshart Vs. The Cream Of The Blues-rock Canon". LA Weekly. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
2. Coulehan, Eric (August 29, 2013). "Jack White Is Working on New Dead Weather Material". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
3. Rutherford, Kevin (October 2, 2013). "Third Man Records Announce New Dead Weather, Raconteurs Releases". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
4. Michaels, Sean (August 30, 2013). "Jack White resumes work with the Dead Weather". The Guardian. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
5. Murray, Noel (May 18, 2010). "The Dead Weather: Sea Of Cowards". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
6. "Jack White's new band: The Dead Weather". idiomag. July 21, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
7. Keiper, Nicole (March 12, 2009). "Jack White Debuts New Band the Dead Weather: A Full Report From Private Nashville Show". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
8. Rayner, Ben. "The Weather Makers. Interview: The Dead Weather". Toronto Star, July 19, 2009
9. Greg Cochrane (October 16, 2009). "New Dead Weather LP 'half done'". BBC.
10. "The Dead Weather Tell Even More About Sea of Cowards Release". idiomag. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
11. "Introducing... Vault Package #25: The Dead Weather Dodge & Burn". Third Man Records Vault. July 6, 2015. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
12. Young, Alex (August 17, 2015). "The Dead Weather Premiere Electrifying New Single "I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)" – Listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
13. "The Dead Weather Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
14. "australian-charts.com – Australian charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
15. "austriancharts.at – Austria Top 40". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
16. "The Dead Weather Chart History – Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
17. "lescharts.com – French charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
18. "dutchcharts.nl – Dutch charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
19. "norwegiancharts.com – Norwegian charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
20. "charts.nz – New Zealand charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
21. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
22. "The Official Charts Company – Dead Weather". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
    • Positions below the top 100: Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: Asher D – Dyverse". Zobbel. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
23. "The Dead Weather". Billboard. April 3, 2010. p. 32. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
24. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015.
25. "Dead Weather Announces New Album 'Dodge and Burn,' Shares New Track". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
26. "The Dead Weather Chart History – Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
27. "The Dead Weather Chart History – Hot Rock & Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
28. "Discografie The Dead Weather". ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
29. "The Dead Weather Chart History – Canada Rock". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
30. "CZ - Radio - Top 20 Modern Rock - Dead Weather" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
31. "The Dead Weather Chart History – Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
32. "Lista Przebojów Trójki - Polskie Radio Online". Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
33. Peaks on the Scottish singles chart:
    • "Treat Me Like Your Mother": "Official Scottish Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
34. "The Dead Weather Chart History – Rock & Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2022.

• Charles Aaron (June 2009). "Gang of Four: The Dead Weather". New York: "SPIN". Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
• Michael D. Ayers (March 12, 2009). "Jack White Forms The Dead Weather". Billboard. New York. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
• Gil Kaufman (March 12, 2009). "Jack White Debuts New Band, The Dead Weather". MTV. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
• Nicole Keiper (March 12, 2009). "Jack White Debuts New Band the Dead Weather: A Full Report From Private Nashville Show". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 13, 2009. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
• Venus Zine Presents: The Dead Weather

External links

• Official website
• Band Info Archived February 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine