Papa Smurf

Jack White would like you to know that his new band, the Raconteurs, is not a side project for him and his bandmates, according to MTV.com.

Although all four members come from established acts (White's scored the White Stripes; bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler play in Cincinnati's the Greenhornes; and guitarist Brendan Benson has released several solo albums), and it took them more than a year and a half to record their debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers (due May 16) because of everyone's busy schedules, White promises that he's dedicating all of his energy to the Raconteurs.


"A lot of people have this assumption that this is a side project or whatever, and the only way to solve that is to go out and play. The only way to show you're a band is to be a band, and that's what we're doing," he said. "Of course, there's going to be more White Stripes records, more Greenhornes records, more Brendan Benson records, but for right now, it's time for the Raconteurs."

The Raconteurs' equally thrown-together music video for their first single, "Steady As She Goes," is already making the rounds.

And the White wouldn't have it any other way. "The video was directed by Jim Jarmusch, and there really was no plan for it at all. We just went to this house, and Jim bought all these toy cameras from Toys R Us, and when he showed up, he really had no solid plans," White laughed. "And so he would grab the toy cameras and chase cows around and would have his fingers in front of the lens to create this strobe effect. And he just went berserk. And no one really had any idea what they were doing, but we went with it."

"And that's just sort of how this record came together too," Benson added. "On this 'flying by the seat of your pants, we don't know what's gonna happen' type of thing. We all just got together, not knowing what to expect, and everything happened so quickly and magically."

Read more in the entire James Montgomery's article at MTV.com