the hum / By Bob Doran

I Like It Like That

Moo-Got-2’s new CD, ATL psyche-fest, Lila’s back and America

(May 7, 2009)  It’s been a long time coming, three years in the making, but Axis Mundi, the debut album by Moo-Got-2, is finally done — and it’s a blast, with the band stretching out with a dozen tracks exploring funk, reggae and jamrock.

The start for Moo-Got 2 came when two other bands, Old Man Clemins and Lyckitty Split, broke up simultaneously a few years ago. Guitarist Mike Solomon, bassist Aaron Drago and drummer/vocalist Darin Mitchell started playing together.

GALLERY >

“The other bands were more toward funk and more guitar-driven,” said Darin, who dropped off an advance burn of the CD. “The three of us started jamming together for a while, then Tomek [Szajckowski], our original keyboard player, started playing piano with us. Then Lucas (Hieronymus) started playing percussion. Then Noonan came along, and Swiz asked if he could join.” Keyboardist Brian Swizlo and saxophonist Chris Noonan, both old hands on the local funk/rock/jam scene, fit into Moo-Got-2 perfectly. “Those guys want to be in every band and play every night,” said Darin with a laugh.

Like most bands, Moo-Got-2 tries to avoid categorization. “Everybody always asks us what we play. I don’t like to tell them anything,” said Darin. “We do some funk, some rock, some electronic stuff, and we’ve got a couple of reggae tunes. Noonan calls it ‘psychedelic-electro-funk.’ I tell people we play everything. I kind of like it that we don’t play just one genre. It’s funner that way, and with seven dudes, there’s no way we can stick to one thing all the time. We can shift from dance stuff to slow rock to reggae, but we do a lot of funk. And not traditional funk like from the ’70s, more Phishy. I like it like that.”

The requisite CD release gig is at Humboldt Brews Saturday. “We’re stoked to be doing this party,” said Darin. “We’ve been going at it so long. We’ve done tour after tour with no CDs; people always ask, ‘Where’s your CD?’ Here it is.”

There’ll be no opener. “Saturday it’ll just be us. For the last few years we’ve always had a DJ or another band open every show. We want to do a full night, do two sets. We have some covers we want to do. I’m not going to say what they are. We need some surprises.”

Got a note last week from Peter “Thanksgiving Brown” Agoston. Peter left Arcata for Brooklyn a few years back and was booking shows for the Knitting Factory until they downsized, leaving him in the ranks of the unemployed. Now he has a new job, working for another ex-Humboldter Michele Cable and her mega-successful Panache Booking. Peter brought some of his associates into the Panache fold, including a couple of Anticon artists and Humboldt’s own Starving Weirdos. I mention this in part because the Weirdos are playing Thursday at the Arcata Theatre Lounge as part of a four band alt. psyche extravaganza. Like Moo-Got-2, the band has a brand new disc out, into an energy, on Bo’Weavil, a British label that eloquently describes the S.W.’s music as“deep-forest-ghetto-musique-concrète.” Joining the Weirdos at the ATL are the always adorable Pipe(s) of the Doctor of Witchcraft, semi-metallic psyche rockers White Manna (who also play Saturday at the Alibi with Summers in Kuwait), and the band from Portland du jour, Eternal Tapestry.

E.T. got its start High Fidelity-style when drummer Nick Bindeman and guitarist Dewey Mahood were working together at a Portland record store and found they shared an interest in free jazz great Sonny Sharrock. “Very informal” improv sessions followed and over time the band evolved with members coming and going. Nick (who also plays in the Portland alt. band Jackie-O-Motherfucker) eventually switched to guitar and his brother Jed joined to play drums.

1 2 NEXT PAGE >SHARE