The Displaced

JEN JANSEN, photographer

Jen Jansen, bassist/singer of The Displaced, is inspired by the people she sees. She captures their images and turns them into characters, their stories told through both her band’s music and her photography. She’s become known as a go-to for band photos because of her imaginative style.

“With a little bit of humor, a little bit of menace and a lot of strange props, I create my own little worlds,” she says.

But to Jansen, taking pictures is less about the end result-it’s about the interaction and spending time with her subjects. A series of photographs called “Dave Wilson vs. Bacon” were taken to recreate the hilarity of Wilson’s obsession with whiskey, cigarettes and buttered bacon on a recent trip to Las Vegas.

“He is that kind of wild character and I wanted to capture that,” she says of the documentary style. “I don’t want to create something fantastical. I want there to be some honesty.”

To see more of Jen Jansen’s photography, log on to www.thedisplaced.com.

Second to perform were a three-piece garage-rock band called The Displaced, who had the largest fan-following of the night. The kids really dug ‘em and were shimmying and shaking with all their teenage energy throughout the set.

The Displaced

Tango with The Man

At the beginning of 2003, Jen Jansen and Simon Mandel loaded up their Astro Van and set out for Las Vegas on a professed mission to bolster the local music scene. This, of course, was no easy task, and as the pair packs up to return to San Diego, the scene remains in essentially the same mess they found it in.

Which isn’t to say they haven’t developed as a band during their brief stint in our concrete wonderland. Quite the contrary, on Tango with The Man—Jansen and Mandel’s third self-produced EP as The Displaced—they finally step out from the shadow of The Pixies and stake their claim as potent songwriters and performers. Ironically, the record opens with its weakest track, “The Lights in the Driveway”—a straight-ahead, Breeders-esque rocker that neglects the dynamic tension between the two singers. Fortunately, “Straight X” sets the pace for the rest of the album, layering Jansen’s soulful yowl on top of Mandel’s prickly lead vocals.

But not until “Salt and Alcohol” does The Displaced display its full potential. Over a steady bass line, Jansen and Mandel bemoan an “evil eye” before their dream-like reverie explodes into a flurry of distortion and punchy rhythms. From there, the record takes an unexpectedly dark turn on “Grizzled Greg” before closing with the burly concert staple “Gold Ties.” While the entire experience clocks in at less than 20 minutes, you get the sense this may be the album that finally scores The Displaced a record deal. Too bad they won’t be around for us to see it.—Newt Briggs

The Displaced plays their final shows as Las Vegans at Café Espresso Roma and the Cooler Lounge on Nov. 8 with Minneapolis’ Houston. Roma: 9:30 p.m., $5, 369-1540. Cooler: 1 a.m., $5, 646-3009.

Not so sad is that The Displaced seem to be back—for real. The core duo of guitarist Simon Mandel and bassist Jen Jansen have finally gotten over their drummerphobia and have played three excellent shows, culminating last Monday with a Casbah performance.

Says the always-witty Mandel, “Maybe it’s this new generation’s influences. Throw together Hannah Montana, Soldier Boy and Adderall, and you’ve got their typical club night. Us old farts have to break through that to make an impact.” He added, “It does seem like there’s a lack of real good rock bands coming out to play in San Diego these days, so why not [reunite]?” While no more local shows are scheduled, expect to see more of The Displaced once they return from New York, where they’re scheduled to play Sept. 9.