Alison Mosshart (The Dead Weather) interview in The Daily Yomiuri on 12th March 2010

The Weather's fine for Kills' Mosshart
Stephen Taylor / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

Supergroups--as 1960s as free love and "groovy, baby"--are back. Only this time, with a bit more attitude and not quite as much self-indulgence.

The Dead Weather--formed by Jack White of the White Stripes/Raconteurs and Alison Mosshart of the Kills--will be in Tokyo later this month and, according to Mosshart, relishing the prospect.

"I'm looking forward to the gig, 'cause it's great playing in Japan," she told The Daily Yomiuri over the phone from Michigan last month.

The seeds of the Dead Weather were sown during a tour featuring White and Mosshart.

"The Kills did a tour with the Raconteurs. Jack lost his voice so I was singing some songs for him...he said it'd be a great idea that I come to [Nashville] to record something," she said.

Those sessions led to the Dead Weather's debut album, Horehound, which came out last year and forced its way into the Top 20 on both sides of the Atlantic.

While that album was the result of short, sharp sessions, the follow-up has followed a slightly different route.

"We wrote a lot of stuff on the road when we were touring, through soundchecks and stuff. Any time we had off between tours, we'd just go back into the studio and work, so we'd have two days recording here, three days here," she said.

The group recently finished recording its follow-up to Horehound, though no release date has been set. Nevertheless, Mosshart is looking forward to giving the audience at Zepp Tokyo a sneak preview.

"We can't wait to play it, we'll definitely be playing it," she said.

While Mosshart could not reveal the title of the new record, she was able to throw some light on the origins of Horehound.

"That was a candy that Jack had seen and he loved that word. He was like, 'I think that sounds like a fast car, I really like that,'" she said. Horehound candy is flaored with an extract from a plant of the same name.

Playing in two groups could be a problem for some musicians, but Mosshart appears to enjoy the challenge.

"I think the ways of working are so different. The relationships are so different, it doesn't feel confusing. I've been in the Kills for nine years, I know what it's about, and so it's kinda like coming home, you know. The Dead Weather's all new and we're still figuring out everything. It's very different," she said.

The Dead Weather will play at Zepp Tokyo in Odaiba, Tokyo, on March 31 at 7 p.m. (03) 3599-0710.
(Mar. 12, 2010)