The Mummies
Encyclopedia
The Mummies are an American garage punk
band from San Mateo, California
formed in 1988.
, the band was formed by Trent Ruane (organ, vocals), Maz Kattuah (bass), Larry Winther (guitar) and Russell Quan (drums). They became a key part of San Francisco's burgeoning garage punk scene, along with The Phantom Surfers
. With influences of surf rock, 1950s and 1960s garage rock
bands such as The Sonics
and more contemporary garage punk bands like Thee Mighty Caesars
the Mummies eschewed the contemporary rock music of their time. Their first show was at the Chi Chi Club in San Francisco in December 1988. The Mummies are especially known for their matching, tattered mummy costumes they wore on stage and their impertinent and insulting attitude that they brought with them. They created and promoted the concept of 'Budget Rock', which rejected professionalism and star status in favor of a simplified do-it-yourself (DIY) aesthetic. As part of this concept they performed and recorded only on outdated and often damaged equipment. For a tour vehicle they used a garishly painted 1963 Pontiac
ambulance. As part of their lo-fi manifesto, they released their music only on vinyl for many years, allowing 'official' CD format releases only in the 2000s. Billy Childish
would later say that The Mummies were the only garage group he really loved.
, Telstar, Regal Select, and Rekkids. These early singles were compiled for the band's first long player, The Mummies Play Their Own Records, in 1990. The following year Crypt records sent Mike Mariconda to help the band record their debut album proper. Recorded in the back of a cabinet shop in Belmont, California, the band rejected the material as they preferred the lo-fi sound of their earlier releases. This material was later released on the bootleg album Fuck the Mummies. They started again, and the results were released in 1992 as Never been Caught.
on their tour of Northwest America, but broke up on New Year's Day 1992, shortly before Never Been Caught was released. They later reunited for two European tours, in 1993 and 1994. The '94 tour had Beez from the Smugglers filling in on bass. Their next LP, a fake live album 'Party at Steve's House,' was actually recorded at an industrial warehouse in Martinez, CA with Darrin of Supercharger playing bass.
- Russell Quan has been involved in numerous projects since the early nineties, including the Count Backwurds, the Dukes of Hamburg, the Easys, the Phantom Surfers, the Flakes, the Bippies and the Bobbyteens. He is somewhat of a celebrity amongst garage aficionados for his playing, for his discovery/promotion of the band Supercharger, and for the way he salutes the flag.
- Larry Winther played guitar and wrote or co-wrote a handful songs for San Francisco indie rock band The Orange Peels
for seven years.
- At one time Trent Ruane played with the Phantom Surfers and the Untamed Youth, but has maintained a low public profile since the Mummies' breakup.
- Larry Winther and Maz Kattuah also played in an early Foster City, California
band called The Batmen.
The Mummies played an unannounced show in June 2008 at the Stork Club in Oakland, Cal. as well as a show in October 2008 in Valencia, Spain at the Funtastic Dracula Carnival. They also played in June 2009 at Born Bad Festival at Le Trabendo
in Paris, France.
In October, 2009, The Mummies played two shows at the Budget Rock 8 festival in San Francisco.
Garage punk
Garage punk is a fusion of garage rock and punk rock. It is fast-paced lo-fi music characterized by a dirty, choppy guitar sound—usually played by bands who are on independent record labels or who are unsigned...
band from San Mateo, California
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
formed in 1988.
Showmanship
Originally hailing from San Mateo, CaliforniaSan Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
, the band was formed by Trent Ruane (organ, vocals), Maz Kattuah (bass), Larry Winther (guitar) and Russell Quan (drums). They became a key part of San Francisco's burgeoning garage punk scene, along with The Phantom Surfers
The Phantom Surfers
-Current :*"Swell" Mel Bergman: guitar*Mike "Mouth" Lucas: bass*Maz "Spazz" Kattuah: guitar*Russell "Junky Johnny" Quan: drums-Previous:*Johnny "Big Hand" Bartlett: guitar*Mel "Frostbite" Bergman: guitar*Michael "Daddy Love" Lucas: bass...
. With influences of surf rock, 1950s and 1960s garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
bands such as The Sonics
The Sonics
The Sonics are an American garage rock band from Tacoma, Washington, originating from the early and mid-1960s. Among The Sonics' contemporaries were The Kingsmen, The Wailers, The Dynamics, The Regents, and Paul Revere & the Raiders...
and more contemporary garage punk bands like Thee Mighty Caesars
Thee Mighty Caesars
Thee Mighty Caesars were a primitive garage punk group, formed by Billy Childish in 1985 after the demise of The Milkshakes. They influenced many American bands, especially The Mummies, and Sub Pop groups...
the Mummies eschewed the contemporary rock music of their time. Their first show was at the Chi Chi Club in San Francisco in December 1988. The Mummies are especially known for their matching, tattered mummy costumes they wore on stage and their impertinent and insulting attitude that they brought with them. They created and promoted the concept of 'Budget Rock', which rejected professionalism and star status in favor of a simplified do-it-yourself (DIY) aesthetic. As part of this concept they performed and recorded only on outdated and often damaged equipment. For a tour vehicle they used a garishly painted 1963 Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
ambulance. As part of their lo-fi manifesto, they released their music only on vinyl for many years, allowing 'official' CD format releases only in the 2000s. Billy Childish
Billy Childish
Billy Childish is an English artist, painter, author, poet, photographer, film maker, singer and guitarist...
would later say that The Mummies were the only garage group he really loved.
Early Years
The band's first single "That Girl" was recorded in a furniture warehouse in San Francisco. It was released on their own Pre-B.S. label, with further singles following on labels such as EstrusEstrus Records
Estrus Records is an independent record label from Bellingham, Washington that makes surf, garage and trash rock music.They have released such bands as Soledad Brothers, The Drags, The Mummies, Impala, Man or Astro-man?, the Makers, Gas Huffer, The Mooney Suzuki, DMBQ, The Cherry Valence, Midnight...
, Telstar, Regal Select, and Rekkids. These early singles were compiled for the band's first long player, The Mummies Play Their Own Records, in 1990. The following year Crypt records sent Mike Mariconda to help the band record their debut album proper. Recorded in the back of a cabinet shop in Belmont, California, the band rejected the material as they preferred the lo-fi sound of their earlier releases. This material was later released on the bootleg album Fuck the Mummies. They started again, and the results were released in 1992 as Never been Caught.
Later Years (feat. Break-Ups)
They toured the US in 1991, playing with Childish's Thee HeadcoatsThee Headcoats
Thee Headcoats 1989 - 2000, was a band comprising Billy Childish, Bruce Brand, and Johnny Johnson. Childish was featured on guitar and vocals, Brand on drums and backing vocals, and Johnson on bass. The band was the most prolific of Childish's many musical projects, releasing fourteen full...
on their tour of Northwest America, but broke up on New Year's Day 1992, shortly before Never Been Caught was released. They later reunited for two European tours, in 1993 and 1994. The '94 tour had Beez from the Smugglers filling in on bass. Their next LP, a fake live album 'Party at Steve's House,' was actually recorded at an industrial warehouse in Martinez, CA with Darrin of Supercharger playing bass.
Other Projects
- Maz Kattuah has been involved in several bands since the demise of the Mummies, with his current project being Christina and the Bippies.- Russell Quan has been involved in numerous projects since the early nineties, including the Count Backwurds, the Dukes of Hamburg, the Easys, the Phantom Surfers, the Flakes, the Bippies and the Bobbyteens. He is somewhat of a celebrity amongst garage aficionados for his playing, for his discovery/promotion of the band Supercharger, and for the way he salutes the flag.
- Larry Winther played guitar and wrote or co-wrote a handful songs for San Francisco indie rock band The Orange Peels
The Orange Peels
The Orange Peels is a Northern California band known for its ability to melodically evoke images and atmospheres of life on the West Coast. The group uses standard rock instrumentation to produce soundscapes that are at once sweeping and jarring, giving them a unique place between orchestral pop,...
for seven years.
- At one time Trent Ruane played with the Phantom Surfers and the Untamed Youth, but has maintained a low public profile since the Mummies' breakup.
- Larry Winther and Maz Kattuah also played in an early Foster City, California
Foster City, California
Foster City is an affluent planned city located in San Mateo County, California, 94404. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 30,567. Forbes ranked Foster City #10 on their 2009 list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well. Money has also recognized Foster City multiple times as...
band called The Batmen.
Reunions
The band reunited in 2003, releasing Death by Unga Bunga on CD only, leaving behind their original "vinyl only" ethos.The Mummies played an unannounced show in June 2008 at the Stork Club in Oakland, Cal. as well as a show in October 2008 in Valencia, Spain at the Funtastic Dracula Carnival. They also played in June 2009 at Born Bad Festival at Le Trabendo
Le Trabendo
The Le Trabendo, is a musical concert venue located at the Parc de la Villette, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France. The capacity is 700. In 2000, it was relaunched with its current name, Le Trabendo. It is surrounded by a red building ....
in Paris, France.
In October, 2009, The Mummies played two shows at the Budget Rock 8 festival in San Francisco.
Singles
- "That Girl" 7" (1990), Pre-B.S. - reissued by Estrus RecordsEstrus RecordsEstrus Records is an independent record label from Bellingham, Washington that makes surf, garage and trash rock music.They have released such bands as Soledad Brothers, The Drags, The Mummies, Impala, Man or Astro-man?, the Makers, Gas Huffer, The Mooney Suzuki, DMBQ, The Cherry Valence, Midnight...
in 1996 - "Food, Sickles, And Girls" 7" (1990), Pre-B.S. - reissued by Estrus Records in 1996
- The Fabulous Mummies 7" (1990), Estrus
- Shitsville 7" EP (1990), Regal Select
- "Skinny Minnie" (1990), Rekkids
- Greg Lowery & The Mummies EP (1992), Rekkids
- Larry Winther And His Mummies (live) EP (1992), Planet PimpPlanet Pimp RecordsPlanet Pimp Records was a San Francisco based record label that featured bands from the local garage band scene. It was owned and represented by Sven-Erik Geddes. The label was dissolved later. Some of the bands on the roster were, The Mummies, The Dukes of Hamburg, The Trashwomen, The Phantom...
- Introduction to The Mummies (7" promo) (1992), Estrus
- "Stronger Than Dirt" (1992), TelstarTelstar RecordsTelstar Records was a record label founded in 1982 by Sean O'Brien and Neil Palmer with a government loan of £120,000. It was founded as a specialist compilation marketing label and had hits with a range of compilation franchises such as the Deep Heat, Kaos Theory and 100% ranges...
- "(You Must Fight To Live) On The Planet Of The Apes" 7" EP (1993), Sympathy for the Record IndustrySympathy for the Record IndustrySympathy for the Record Industry is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by record industry anti-mogul Long Gone John...
. - "Gwendolyn" (1994), Pinup
- "Get Late!" (1995), Estrus
- Double Dumb Ass... In The Face double-7"EP (1996), Estrus
Full Length LPs and CDs
- The Mummies: Play their own records! LP (1992), Estrus RecordsEstrus RecordsEstrus Records is an independent record label from Bellingham, Washington that makes surf, garage and trash rock music.They have released such bands as Soledad Brothers, The Drags, The Mummies, Impala, Man or Astro-man?, the Makers, Gas Huffer, The Mooney Suzuki, DMBQ, The Cherry Valence, Midnight...
- Never Been Caught LP (1992), Telstar - issued in the UK as Fuck C.D.s! It's The Mummies, on Hangman RecordsHangman RecordsHangman Records is a British independent record label founded in 1986 by Billy Childish. It has released over 50 LP Records, including spoken word, experimental works and punk rock....
, and on CD in 2002 by Telstar - Party At Steve's House LP (1994), Pinup
- Runnin' On Empty Vol. 1 LP (1996), Estrus
- Runnin' On Empty Vol. 2 LP (1997), Estrus
- Death By Unga Bunga!! CD (2003), Estrus Records
Splits
- 1991 Northwest Budget Rock Massacre! (1991), Pre-B.S.
- The Mummies Vs. The Wolfmen EP (1991), Sympathy for the Record IndustrySympathy for the Record IndustrySympathy for the Record Industry is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by record industry anti-mogul Long Gone John...
- split with the WolfmenThe WolfmenThe Wolfmen are a rock music band formed in 2004 and centres around Marco Pirroni and Chris Constantinou... - Live At Café The Pit's (1993), Demolition Derby - split with SuperchargerSuperchargerA supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
- The Mummies Vs. Supercharger Tour '93 7" Flexi EP (1993), Pinup - split with Supercharger
Compilation appearances
- Tales From Estrus Volume One (1990), Estrus
- The Estrus Half-Rack (1991), Estrus
- Clam Chowder & Ice vs. Big Macs & Bombers (1991), Nardwuar the Human ServietteNardwuar the Human ServietteNardwuar the Human Serviette is a Canadian celebrity interviewer and musician from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is the lead singer and keyboardist for The Evaporators and plays in Thee Goblins....
- Follow That Munster: Raw Sixties Punk Vol. 2 (1991), Rock RecordsRock RecordsRock Records is a Taiwanese record label founded in 1980 by Sam and Johnny Duan . The record label had their first multiseller in 1989 with Sarah Chen.It is now Asia's largest independent record label....
- Groin Thunder (1992), Dog Meat RecordsDog Meat RecordsDog Meat Records was a record label for the Australian hard rock music scene in the 1990s. It released such artists as Hoss, Powder Monkeys, Splatterheads and others....
- Fuck You Spaceman! (1992), Planet Pimp
- Turban Renewal: A Tribute To Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs (1994), Norton RecordsNorton RecordsFor the Canadian independent record label of the same name, see Matt Minglewood.Norton Records, a New York City based independent record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller, maintains a focus on primitive, retro rock'n'roll, rockabilly, garage punk, garage rock, lounge music...
- Blood Orgy Of The Leather Girls Soundtrack LP (1994), Planet Pimp