As the powerhouse drummer for super-scrungy indie rockers Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Russell Simins wields a “hammer of the gods” that would make the ghost of John Bonham smile. Behind a modest kit, Simins anchors a mutant punk-blues sound fronted by slash-and-burn guitarists Spencer and Judah Bauer. Live in a club, JSBX can rip it up and tear it down any way you like. And for extra oddball flavor, Spencer even breaks out a Theremin.

But with the group between albums, Simins pursues other interests, mainly songwriting, production, remixing and DJing. Affiliated with the Beastie Boys’ Grand Royal label, Simins’ latest album, Public Places, can hit you in the gut (title track, “Feel That Emotion”), have you humming pop-rock melodies (“Jim’s Problem”) or get you bouncing to abstract beats (“Scope”). In addition to singing, drumming and playing guitar, Simins enlisted major hip-hop DJ/producer Pete Rock to contribute some frenzied scratching to the mix. A far cry from the Blues Explosion’s dirty work, Public Places is a splendid and varied effort, a diamond in the rough. As he prepared for a quickie solo club tour, Russell Simins connected with DJ Times.

DJ Times: Public Places isn’t your first foray into more hip-swaying material. You worked on the Butter08 side project and JSBX released the Experimental Remixes EP in 1995.

Simins: At the time, believe it or not, the remix record was kind of a novel idea. Also, a lot of people we asked for mixes in the hip-hop world declined, for fear of there not being a click track. None of our stuff at the time had a click. You know, a lot of remixes are done by just simply replacing the existing drum track or, more to the point, drum loop with another drum loop. And this is easily done by synching one loop up to another loop’s click. Of course, now a lot of bands record with the drummer playing to a click just in case there might be a desire to do a remix of that song, us included. Anyway, we were fortunate enough to get the people we did to do the remixes [Beck & Mike D, Moby, U.N.K.L.E.] and we were very happy with the way things turned out. Apparently so were a lot of other people. The record sold pretty well.

DJ Times: How did you and Pete Rock work together on this album?

Simins: Pete Rock was in the same studio at the time. He and I knew of each other over the years with mutual respect for each other’s work and also the engineer I was working with, Jamey Staub, had also worked with him on a lot of his stuff. One thing led to another, Pete heard the track, fell in love with it – said it was a really cool “get-hi” number – and I asked him if he wanted to get in on it. He was more than happy to oblige. And I must say, he hooked it up.

DJ Times: “Scope” has a real abstract hip-hop sensibility and “Feel That Emotion” mixes power chords and scratching, but it’s not that tired rock-rap squall. What do you think about what has happened with the marriage of those two genres?

Simins: Run-DMC masterminded it, The Beastie Boys made it cool, Delicious Vinyl’s Tone Lôc and Young MC, with much props to Matt Dike, made it sexy, and now admittedly, although I don’t think Kid Rock or Limp Bizkit have an ounce of the character and coolness as those previously mentioned, these acts have made it hard as fuck. As far as vocalists go, gimme ODB or Kool Keith or Schooly D, even sampled over a big fat Chemical Brothers rock/big-beat jam rather than Fred Durst, etc.

DJ Times: What remixers and producers interest you these days? Which DJs?

Simins: In dance, big beat guys like Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers school all the rest in this genre. For hip-hop mixers/producers, I like Timbaland, Automator’s Dr. Octagon, Da Lench Mob with Ice Cube, The Bomb Squad (Public Enemy). DJs? Prince Paul, QBert, Fatboy Slim, Liam [Howlett] from Prodigy, Kid Koala, Cool V.

DJ Times: I hear you drop a mean old-school DJ set.

Simins: I used to DJ a lot more, usually when I’m not so busy. But I’m usually pretty busy these days with two bands and having a studio and doing remixes and production. But when I do DJ I usually mix it up a lot with a lotta old-school hip hop – from Schooly D to Digital Underground to 2 Live Crew to Biz Markie to EPMD. As for the newer classic favorites, it’s everything from Biggie Smalls to Prodigy, some classic R&B from Michael Jackson to BBD, the great sleepers – from Kris Kross to Falco – and, of course, the rock with a big bad beat – Billy Squier’s “Stroke” to Zep’s “When The Levee Breaks.” Alright, I’ve given away enough of my secrets.

– Jim Tremayne