Detroit proto-punk icons MC5’s most fruitful period started in the mid-’60s and ended in 1971, with the release of High Time. But between breakups, reunions and more breakups and reunions, the band’s members all struck out with side and solo projects. Guitarist Wayne Kramer was particularly prolific during the ’90s, linking up with the New York Dolls’ Johnny Thunders for the band Gang War, and hewing toward more traditional hard rock and the occasional ballad on Dangerous Madness and Citizen Wayne. 1995’s The Hard Stuff, which he recorded with Claw Hammer and members of the Melvins, Bad Religion and Suicidal Tendencies, explored society’s dark tendencies with a frankness gained from Kramer’s own earlier struggles with addiction. He continued recording and performing throughout the decades, and had been working on a new MC5 album, with original drummer Dennis Thompson, just prior to his death in February 2024 at the age of 75.