Those who remember Sons of Freedom—the Vancouver postpunk band of the 1980s and early 1990s, not the lumpy, nude Doukhobor protesters of the Wacky Bennett era—probably retain a clear mental image of singer Jim Newton. Back in the day, he was one of our city’s most charismatic frontmen, a lean and feral figure in the Jim Morrison or Iggy Pop mode. And judging by the sound of his new band, Rat Silo, he’s managed to retain all of his intensity, despite a 10-year sabbatical from the music industry. One thing has changed, however: these days, Newton’s more than happy to laugh at himself.

Rat Silo’s debut, What the Butler Saw, is one of the most hilarious hard-rock records since the Igster’s underappreciated New Values. Whether spewing over-the-top sexual innuendo on “Dirty Girl” or erecting a lurid advertisement for “The Cock the Size of Roma”, Newton takes a slew of sleazy obsessions and blows them up to blimpish proportions. The miraculous part of this act, however, is that while his tongue is obviously planted in his cheek, he’s also wholly believable in his rock-god swagger.

“You’ve got to stand up there with a deadpan face and just give it,” says the British-born singer, on the line from his East Van digs. “If you kind of crap out and let everybody in on the gag, you’re not acting in character anymore, and the whole point is to act in character—to really be that.”

By far the most amusing track on What the Butler Saw is the a cappella “Shut Yer Mouth Jimbo”, in which Newton brags “I know everybody/I know everything” while the rest of the Rats gang-chant the title.

“I wanted to make sure that people realize that it’s perfectly all right to pick on the singer occasionally,” the vocalist explains, laughing. “Sometimes you’ve got to burst the singer’s bubble.”

But don’t make the mistake of thinking that Newton’s new band is some kind of Dread Zeppelin–style piss-take. The album’s kickoff track, “Getupgotoworkgohomegotobed”, is a heartfelt yet hard-hitting look at the dreaded midlife crisis, and one that’s obviously drawn from personal experience. With its opening lines of “Stuck in a rut/And I feel so afraid,” it’s a true cry from the soul—and, not surprisingly, it was written during Newton’s decade-long retirement from rock.

Rat Silo’s frontman explains that he was actually done with music as early as 1993, when Sons of Freedom disbanded. The group reconvened a couple of years later, to promote a rarities package, Tex, but this final tour only confirmed his disillusionment. In short order, Newton trained as an actor, but didn’t find that role fulfilling; earned a diploma in land surveying from BCIT; moved to Toronto and got married; and wrote an album’s worth of sampler- and sequencer-based songs, which he ultimately shelved.

He then got a degree in computer engineering, and it was while he was employed as an IT technician that “Getupgotoworkgohomegotobed” emerged. “The money was exceptionally good,” he confesses, “but when you do a bit of navel-gazing and look at your life, you realize how much you’re doing that isn’t just about bare-bones survival.” More soul-searching ensued, followed by a divorce and a move back to Vancouver—and to making music.

In Rat Silo, Newton is joined by his Sons of Freedom colleague Don Binns on bass, along with Finn Manniche on guitar, Dave Osborne on keyboards, and Sean Stubbs on drums. The quintet was originally something Newton threw together for What the Butler Saw, but the rock veterans—who, collectively, have also performed with 54-40, Bif Naked, Numb, and Jakalope—connected on such an intuitive level that they quickly became a band. And if Newton has his way, Rat Silo will have a long and enjoyable career—despite the band’s being formed during what he describes as “the worst possible time” to be involved in the music business.

“The one thing I make a point of, right now, is to try and make sure that I’m actually having fun with this all the time,” he says. “It’s kind of like a little mantra for Rat Silo: if we’re not going to make any money, let’s make damn sure we’re having fun.”

Rat Silo plays the Plaza Club tonight (April 17) and the Railway Club next Thursday (April 24).