If you're not familiar with Mums the Word Then let us be the first to introduce you to the world that they deliver to you through sound.
This band Takes Jam Rock to an entirely different level and does it with a tasteful Approach And a colorful looseness That Lets you become quickly addicted to the sound itself.
These guys have a massive array of instrumentation that all create vivid pictures and lush soundscapes by taking different textures and melting them together With Heart, soul and a pure love for the craft.
Everything this band does sounds like a lot of performance, and it probably is recorded live on the floor at the least because you can hear the players energies feeding off of each other The entire time.
This is the kind of approach that takes things to that new level. This is the kind of thing that pushes the envelope ever so slightly While creating These atmospheres for you to step into and live in for a duration.
Is obviously outlandishly good. And it is really. The guitar work is astounding. Horns, the drumming, the baselines are ridiculous. Everybody has an amazing time and that shines brightly through with every passing minute.
This is absolutely 100% for real deal Jam band fans. People that live by this kind of stuff Will be in love with moms the word straight from the get-go.
This band wraps you up in what they do and whisks you away to different places so that you can follow them on these fun musical Journeys where you begin to expect the unexpected.
Now, that's something to savor. Music that can drive you, music that can make you feel.
One of the best ways to describe this band is to imagine a coloring book with the pages on color. As you go through the book, you color the pages and watch as it changes. By the time the book is completely colored you feel like you've been missing out for a long time.
This is kind of what it feels like to come across this band. You feel like you've really been missing out on something pretty amazing.
Their new album is called Get It Wrong and it's everything described above and more. Sometimes you can't put everything into words the way you wanted to even for a writer. All you have to do is listen. Either you love them, or you don't.
They're that kind of band.
With the release of the new album, we wanted to have a chat with them to see where this all came from and what might be coming next for the band.
Here is what happened.
Buzz Slayers: Let's kick things off with the Get It Wrong record. This album has a great funk and soul undertone to it! Where did this record come from?
This album was recorded with Bob Bowling in Atco, NJ. We’ve always loved the funk and try to work it into each of our performances and recordings! A lot of that funky influence comes from music festivals as well as time spent in Philly.
Buzz Slayers: When did this all start for you guys?
I started the project with a 5 piece lineup in April 2017! The lineup you hear on this album (Get it Wrong!) came together in 2019/2020 and we recorded the instrumentals live in-studio (w/o vox) right before the pandemic hit. Delays made it so that the vocals, horns, and some solos were recorded over the span of 2020/2021 so many personnel from the upcoming album also influenced the overall sound.
Buzz Slayers: What inspires you to write a song?
Each song draws from different inspiration! Teen Romulus is about the last emperor of Rome, a 16 yo boy named Romulus who lost the throne to the German conqueror, Odovacker. Can’t speak to the songs written by Garrett White, Dom Levy, and Billy Thoden; but Flood is a song I wrote about natural disasters I’ve experienced in my lifetime as well as political unrest felt in my community.
Buzz Slayers: This song [album?] has some great styles! Can you give us some of your top musical influences?
My three primary musical influences are: The Grateful Dead, Parliament Funkadelic, and Frank Zappa. However, I draw a little from all types of music, not solely contemporary artists.
Buzz Slayers: What are you guys doing when you're NOT working on music?
Event production: coordinating music festivals and live events. Most members of the band have done everything from running sound/lights to founding production teams/companies all the way down to overnight security shifts and box office.
Another big event for us every year is the Philadelphia Mummers Parade. I’m the captain of The Pineland Mummers, and every year we march from city hall, down Broad Street, and all the way down the Two Street Parade. The event is locally televised, but many people are unfamiliar with this tradition! By wearing stripped down versions of our costumes on stage, we try to spread a little bit of Mummers tradition everywhere we go!
Buzz Slayers: Who's in all your headphones right now?
At the time of this interview, I’m listening to Madeski, Martin, and Wood’s Radiolarians 1 album! It may come as a surprise, but I’ve been really big on rap music from artists like: J. Cole, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Kodak Black, and Mac Miller. I draw a ton of inspiration from their innovative uses of samples and the simplicity of some of their beats.
Buzz Slayers: Are you doing any live performances right now?
We perform live shows as often as we can, usually at least one performance 3-4 weekends every month! This weekend we are performing at: Hotel Threestival. Hotel is the fourth event produced annually by the Threestival guys (Lee and Anthony) and offers the scene an opportunity to reconnect during the winter months when events are few and far between. Our drummer, Greaser, runs the stage, sound, and lights and we all pitch in to help when we can!
Buzz Slayers: This album feels like a big undertaking, is there any advice you'd give to other up and coming bands out there?
My only advice is to keep pushing! The finished product acts like a photograph, pinpointing an exact moment in your life (flaws and all). The benefits I’ve received from finishing these first two albums has been immeasurable, and I encourage every artist to pursue recording their songs.
Buzz Slayers: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
Mums the Word recorded four of our five live shows in October and plan to mix/release them this February/March. We also have dates set in February to record the third album, working title: Mums the World. In addition to all of this, our spinoff project, Polyjamorous, is planning to record an album before the end of the year.
Also, our second national tour will kick off this April/May and take us across the country to San Diego for the Karnival of the Arts - West, and back again!
Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
To anyone who listens to and enjoys our music, I’d like to personally say: Thank you and I love you. Please hold onto the feelings and thoughts conveyed to you by our music and take them with you through life wherever you go.