Mother Superior

by Steve HueyPlaying a combination of blues, soul, and classic American rock & roll, Mother Superior became a popular club act in the Los Angeles area during the late '90s. Guitarist Jim Wilson, bassist Marcus Blake, and drummer Jason Mackenroth released several independent CDs over that period, including 1996's The Heavy Soul Experience of Mother Superior, 1997's Kaleidoscope, and 1998's Deep. The latter record was produced by alt-rock icon Henry Rollins, who subsequently invited Mother Superior to join him as a new incarnation of the Rollins Band. After backing Rollins on 2000's Get Some Go Again, Mother Superior signed their own deal with Triple X and debuted for the label in 2001 with Mother Superior. The band soon found another benefactor in another icon of American hard rock, former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, who produced the group's 2002 album Sin and released it on his MuscleTone label. Kramer returned to the producer's chair for 2004's 13 Violets, which was issued on Mother Superior's own Top Beat imprint. Moanin' and Three Headed Dog arrived in 2005 and 2007, followed by a CD and LP vinyl compilation of new songs, rare live performances and previously unreleased versions of Mother Superior classics called Grande in 2008.