Expect a Transformative Experience When JJCnV Drop Mono or Mono in Tempe

Early on, Phoenix punk band JJCnV had to succumb to “the man.”

When they formed around 2005, the trio were called Janis Joplin Crap N Vomit, but they were served a cease-and-desist letter by the Joplin estate.

Without skipping a beat, they simply abbreviated the name to JJCnV and let fans decide what they thought it meant (“Juggling Juicy Coconuts Never Vexes,” or “Just Jungle Curry, No Vitamins,” were among the favorites in our 2008 profile of the band).

That minor corporate run-in was just a blip in more than a decade of creative freedom, with the band releasing six albums on their own Flab Fjord label. When it came to recording their seventh, they appreciated being in charge of the timeline.

“We took a bit longer recording this time around, and added a horn section called The Blowhards,” says drummer Jeff Barthold.

“We really tapped into our younger selves, then took the diaries related to this experience and put them in a time capsule.”

That time capsule is the album Mono or Mono, which will drop on September 30, with a release show that night featuring Scorpion vs. Tarantula and The 16 Eyes at Palo Verde Lounge in Tempe.

The eight-song album is a continuation of JJCnV’s unconventional style of punk, juxtaposing linear surf riffs and bombastic vocals with quirky song titles like “Bones Make Good Coals” and “Happyning” and “Abracadaver.”

The band’s nebulous genre has allowed them to share the stage with a variety of bands like Melt Banana, NoBunny, Big Eyes, Deaf Wish, Jucifer, The Intelligence, and Lenguas Largas, among others.

When asked what people can expect from a show featuring a band with such an undefinable style, Barthold describes a transformative experience, “and pickles so huge.”

JJCnV play at the Palo Verde Lounge in Tempe on Saturday, September 30, with Scorpion vs. Tarantula and The 16 Eyes at the Palo Verde Lounge in Tempe. Admission is free.