The Mummies
The Mummies | |
---|---|
surf punk | |
Years active | 1988–1992, 1993, 1994, 2008-2011, 2015-present |
Labels | |
Past members | Trent Ruane Maz Kattuah Larry Winther Russell Quan |
The Mummies are an American garage punk band formed in San Bruno, California, in 1988. Exhibiting a defiantly raw and lo-fi sound, dubbed "budget rock", the Mummies' rebellious attitude and distinctive performance costumes exerted a major influence on garage punk and garage rock revival acts later in the decade, as well as in the 1990s. Their recorded output was intentionally completed with poor, cheap equipment, including their first and only studio album Never Been Caught, which was released after the group's initial break-up. Since then, the Mummies have engaged in several positively-received reunion concerts and tours, including appearances in Europe and the US sporadically through to recent years. The band is currently working on a movie.[citation needed] [clarification needed]
History
Formed in late 1988 by Trent Ruane (
Influenced by
Keeping with their total disdain for modern technology, the Mummies refused to publish their music on compact disc, and often brandished their vinyl covers with the slogan, "Fuck CDs".[1] Several singles followed in the early 1990s on different record labels, most notably Estrus Records, which also distributed a compilation album of the Mummies' singles, The Mummies Play Their Own Records!, in 1992. In 1991, the Mummies recorded an album's worth of material for Crypt Records; however, the band felt the results of the recording sessions did not appropriately capture their lo-fi sound, and discarded the material. Nonetheless, the songs were bootlegged on the album Fuck the Mummies, and the band re-recorded the material.[3] After extensive West Coast gigging, a tour of the Northwest with Thee Headcoats, and some engagements on the East Coast, the Mummies disbanded in January 1992, shortly before their first and only studio album, Never Been Caught, was released.[3][7]
The band briefly reunited the following year to tour Europe bringing Supercharger (a
In 2003, the band released Death By Unga Bunga, a compilation album which was the first Mummies release to be distributed on compact disc.[9] The Mummies have since arranged one-off concert reunions on an intermittent basis, starting in 2008.[10]
Legacy
Since the band's 1990s heyday, the popularity of the Mummies has grown steadily with the successive generation of garage and indie rock musical acts, and the group also holds a devoted cult following.[3] Music critic Mark Deming proclaimed the Mummies the "kings of budget rock", adding that "it's difficult to imagine the rawest edge of the garage revival bands existing without the guiding influence of the gauze-wrapped foursome".[1]
Writer Annie Llewellyn noted that the Mummies "became notorious for wild live shows that frequently had them abusing the shit out of the audience".[11] Ruane reflected on the group's time in San Francisco's garage punk scene: "For some unbeknownst reason, we went over in a big way up there", and "Soon there was a very short-lived, extremely frenetic climate in San Francisco, as we had inadvertently caused a scene (in the literal sense)".[6]
Members
- Maz Kattuah – bass guitar
- Larry Winther – lead guitar
- Trent Ruane – organ, saxophone
- Russell Quan – drums
Discography
Note: Source for section is as follows:[12]
Studio albums
- Never Been Caught (1992)
- Party at Steve's House (1994)
Bootleg albums
- Fuck the Mummies
- Uncontrolable Urge (Sub-Pop Singles Club)
- Peel Sessions (1994)
- Tales From The Crypt (1994)
Split albums
- Northwest Budget Rock Massacre! (1991)
- The Mummies Vs. The Wolfmen (1991)
- Live At Café The Pit's (1993)
- The Mummies Vs. Supercharger Tour '93 (1993)
Singles
- "That Girl" (1990)
- "Food, Sickles, and Girls" (1990)
- "Out of Our Tree" (1990)
- "Skinny Minnie" (1990)
- "Introduction to the Mummies" (1992)
- "Stronger Than Dirt" (1992)
- "Gwendolyn" (1994)
Extended plays
- Shitsville (1990)
- Greg Lowery & The Mummies (1992)
- (You Must Fight to Live) On the Planet of the Apes (1993)
Compilation albums
- The Mummies: Play Their Own Records! (1992)
- Double Dumb Ass... In The Face (1996)
- Runnin' On Empty Vol. 1 (1996)
- Runnin' On Empty Vol. 2 (1997)
- Death By Unga Bunga!! (2003)
Other appearances
- Tales From Estrus No. 1 (1990)
- The Estrus Half-Rack (1991)
- Clam Chowder & Ice vs. Big Macs & Bombers (1991) (Nardwuar the Human Serviette)
- Follow That Munster: Raw Sixties Punk Vol. 2 (1991)
- Groin Thunder (1992)
- Fuck You Spaceman! (1992)
- Turban Renewal: A Tribute to Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs (1994)
- Blood Orgy of the Leather Girls (1994)
- Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era, 1976–1995 (2005)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Deming, Mark. "The Mummies - Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ^ a b "Timeline: 1988-1989". themummies.com. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ^ Rhino Records.
- ^ Whiteside, Johnny (2015-10-22). "The Mummies come back to life at Pickwick Gardens". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ^ Schninder, Scott. "Mummies". trouserpress.com. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ^ a b Penglis, Owen (2016-01-04). "Fuck the Mummies: Part 1 | Classic UB Interview: Trent Ruane, The Mummies". Unbelievably Bad Magazine. pp. 40–41. Archived from the original on 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Never Been Caught - Review". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ^ "Maz Kattuah - Exploratorium". Exploratorium. 2 April 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Death By Unga Bunga - Review". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ Pearis, Bill (2016-07-25). "The Mummies playing NYC show on the way to Spain's Funtastic Dracula Carnival". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ Hudson, Harriet (2016-03-21). "We Hung Out with US Garage Legends the Mummies in a Cemetery". Vice. Photography by Annie Llewellyn. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "The Mummies Discography". themummies.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.