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Jason Stollsteimer of Detroit rock band the Von Bondies

I didn't ask Von Bondies frontman Jason Stollsteimer about the time he got beaten up by White Stripes singer Jack White. The way I figured it, the pounding White gave Stollsteimer back in 2003 is a dead issue in 2008. But still, the topic hovered tauntingly in the periphery of our conversation. It must be like this every time Stollsteimer does an interview.

If you Google "Jason Stollsteimer," the infamous photos of his badly beaten face still appear at the very top of the results page. He's more famous for taking a beating than for having a hit single ( "C'mon C'mon" from 2004's "Pawn Shoppe Heart").

Maybe that's why, after "C'mon C'mon" faded from the airwaves, the Von Bondies just disappeared. Stollsteimer says a new marriage (and shortly afterward, divorce) and concert fatigue were the reasons behind the break. But when your biggest claim to fame is having been pummeled by a fellow musician, it's easy to imagine wanting to sidestep the spotlight for a spell.

In 2008, though, Stollsteimer is recharged, refreshed and ready to re-establish the Von Bondies as one of the pre-eminent indie rock bands in the Midwest.

Armed with a new lineup (the band has added keyboard player Alicia Gbur, guitarist Matt Lannoo and bassist Leann Banks), the Von Bondies are releasing two tour-only EPs in early 2008 before dropping a full-length, "Love, Hate and Then There's You" later this spring. The band began a nine-month touring stint Jan. 9 in Ann Arbor -- the second date of which will land them at the Music Mill in Indianapolis on Jan. 10.

Stollsteimer recently spoke to Indy.com about his time away from touring, the Von Bondies' place in the Detroit garage rock scene and more.

How much of your personal life went into the new songs?

I think I have a tendency to write subconsciously. There's a song called "Pale Bride" that I wrote two years before I got divorced. In the end, it makes 100 percent sense. From what I figured out, I could deal with it through music but not in person. I was writing about me, but it was totally accidental -- I wasn't trying to be really deep or anything.

You're still with Sire Records, but not putting out the new EPs or albums through them. Why?

I wanted to release this record a different way, and I want it to be accessible. Nowadays, you can kind of do it on your own. Being on a major label is how you get on the radio, but if there is no radio to get on, why be on a major?

What was it like being a part of that early 2000's Detroit scene when it was blowing up?

We didn't realize it was happening, because we were on tour the whole time. A lot of people talk about that era like this mythical thing, but to be honest, there was never a lot of camaraderie between us and the other bands. We probably did two shows with the Detroit Cobras, we did a few shows with the White Stripes in 2001 and 2002, but for the most part we weren't a part of that group.

Stylistically, the Von Bondies are poppier than those bands.

It was lazy journalism to lump all those bands together. !I came up listening to Minor Threat, Nation of Ulysses, Weezer and Archers of Loaf. !I wasn't listening to the blues. The blues isn't easy to sing along to, and I am a sing-along guy.

What do you think of that era when you look back?

My band was one of the biggest bands to come out Detroit, but we didn't even realize it until the scene was dead. But when I stop playing music someday, either next year or 10 years from now, I don't want to be a bitter old bastard. I don't want to walk away angry.

What's your goal with the tour and the new album?

I want to get back to at least halfway to where we were in 2004. I am not thinking we could go back to the way things were three years ago. The industry is different now. At the end of nine months, I will decide whether or not to keep doing it.