The first new music from MC5 in 50+ years! The new album ‘HEAVY LIFTING’ will be released on October 18th – one day prior to the band’s induction into 2024’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when they will receive the “Musical Excellence Award.”

Led by founding member Wayne Kramer and recorded with iconic producer Bob Ezrin (Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Pink Floyd), ‘HEAVY LIFTING’ also features original MC5 drummer Dennis ‘Machine Gun’ Thompson and very special guests including Slash, Tom Morello, William DuVall of Alice In Chains, and many others, allowing for a collaborative effort that bridges the gap between generations of musicians inspired by MC5’s fearless approach to music and activism.

Far more than a trip down memory lane, ‘HEAVY LIFTING’ is a resounding affirmation that the spirit of punk endures. Kramer was the last remaining active member of MC5. He passed away suddenly in February, followed by the death of drummer Dennis ‘Machine Gun’ Thompson in May.

“The MC5 represents a kind of uncompromising vision of the future and that is eternal…the flame keeps burning on.” – Wayne Kramer

In the annals of rock, few bands were as electrifying as the MC5. To tiptoe around superlatives would be an injustice to the raw, unbridled energy that erupted from one of their shows, or from the very first moments of their debut record, Kick Out the Jams, to its heaving, futuristic conclusion some 40 minutes later. There’s no room for “perhaps” when discussing the MC5 — either you’re swept up in the fervor of their revolutionary spirit or you’re missing out on a seismic moment in musical history.

The MC5 landed on the cover of Rolling Stone before they had recorded their first album, and were championed in the New York Times, Newsweek, and Village Voice. They were the only band to perform at the now-mythical violence-plagued 1968 Democratic National Convention, when all the other acts – including the Stones and the Grateful Dead — booked for the event backed out.