jack and meg white, the duo that make up the white stripes first started performing music together in 1997 and dropped their latest album icky thump in june of 2007.  for many years, it was believed that jack and meg shared the same last name because they were siblings.  however, it turned out that they were married in 1996.  weird?  maybe not.  i think jack describes the rationale for the deception clearly when he was quoted as saying, "when you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, 'oh, I see...' when they're brother and sister, you go, 'oh, that's interesting.' you care more about the music, not the relationship- whether they're trying to save their relationship by being in a band."  ironically i think they were; the marriage ended in 2000.

a few more bits of white stripes trivia: the band's colors, white, black and red, are according to jack, "the most powerful color combination of all time."  (coca-cola, etc.)  jack has also mentioned that the colors red and white refer to peppermint candy, a symbol of childhood innocence.  jack also connects with the number "3".   it serves as inspiration for  their gritty, stripped-down approach to what he considers the three elements of music: melody, rhythm and storytelling.  the number "3" also shows up in album artwork and liner notes.  in many stripes' songs there are only three sounds: drums, guitar and vocals.  finally jack  uses three vintage electric guitars for live concerts.

if you ever have the opportunity to see the white stripes (or jack's other very successful project, the raconteurs) live, please do it!  set lists are never prepared for shows; they believe that the planning ruins the spontaneity of their performances.  jack also improvises his solos and often cuts songs short to jump into another.  so as a result, each show is unique and lasts from 70 to 100 minutes.

to hear more of jack and meg, click here to listen to a complete 90 minute show recorded at the merriweather post pavilion on september 27, 2007.  if that's not enough, click here to visit the white stripes' website.  they have tons of great live performances and interviews available for download.  finally, click here to watch a 2005 white stripes set recorded for morning becomes eclectic, on l.a.'s legendary kcrw.

as always, please buy this album from your local independent music store and not from retailers like wal-mart (soulless, globally-homogenizing, community-killers) or i-tunes (albums should be listened to as an entire composition with album cover and liner notes in hand).  incidentally, these two companies sell more music than any other retailer in the united states.  that my friend, bites.