A1 Artist Spotlight.Com did a phone interview with Danny Methric
(guitarist and singer) of The Muggs about their brand new CD On With The Show . Excerpts of the interview are also in the podcast along with songs from On With The Show.
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One time I wrote this may be the most important band to come out of the United States in years. The reason this was said is because I love the old English blues/ rock bands like The Yardbirds, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac. Until The Muggs first CD came out I really had not heard any band in the United States that was able do this style of English blues/ rock. If I had not known that The Muggs first CD came out in 2005 I would have sworn it was an early 1970’s record I’d some how missed. When Tony DeNardo (Rhodes Bass) gave me the go ahead on doing a podcast on the new CD I was very excited but a little worried also. What if this CD did not live up to the first CD? Not to worry, it did and exceeded my expectations. On With The Show captures what many feel is the time period when the best rock music was being created. Unfortunately today’s bands do not seem to be able to recreate this kind of blues/rock that was so popular in the late 60’s and early 70’s even though many people still look at this music as being some of the best music out there. Just look at all the reissues of old records and the best of’s by Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix. Some artists have more best of, greatest hits, and anthologies than the original records they made. Hendrix made three studio records, Cream four studio records but the record companies keep putting out more of the same repackaged records and they sell. If you’re ready for a band that has that sound and feel without sounding like they’re just playing a Cream song with new lyrics it’s time to check out the next best American band The Muggs.
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The Muggs are:
Danny Methric (Guitar, Vocals)
Tony DeNardo (Fender Rhodes Bass)
Matt Rost (Drums)
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Danny said the songs on the CD are about different ways he deals with the problems in his life and how he would like to escape them. Kind of like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz” On With The Show starts off slow in black and white with the song “Motown Blues” then accelerates into color with “Slow Curve”. On With The Show goes through all these dreams of how Danny would like things to be but in the end he wakes up to “Motown Blues (Reprise)” and sees it was just a dream.
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On With The Show starts off with the song “Motown Blues” a short somber song about the bad state of affairs going on in their home town of Detroit. Quickly we’re into the fast pace heavy riff song “Slow Curve”. Danny sings “I just can’t take it that much longer! This muddy stench is getting stronger”. The heavy riff is reminiscent of Led Zeppelin with the strong bass lines and pounding drums.
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“Just Another You” and “All Around You” carry on with this English blues/rock style with some very nice guitar soloing in “All Around You”. With just three instruments the songs have room to breathe. It’s not a continual onslot of music coming at you. Your opportunity to really hear what is being played by each of the members is very welcomed.
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Danny said “On With The Show” came about when he was working in a band called The Paybacks. He liked the band but really wanted The Muggs to get back together and get on with their show. This song had been in Danny’s head for quit a while but it never come out until now. It was also the last song to be recorded for the CD and they were a little worried about getting the song good enough to be used as the title of the CD.
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Danny said “Somewhere Down The Line” is about wanting to date someone who is a best friend but they just want to stay best friends. Somewhere down the line, honey I’ll be waitin’.
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“Curbside Constellation Blues” is a slow somber blues song. About the neighborhood Danny lives in. Where he see some of the people have become homeless and just live on the streets.
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The chorus is:
“With the shoes he doesn’t own
With a coat that’s barely sewn
Left to dangle in the breeze
Left alone at night to freeze”
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“Down Below” is back to heavy beat and good riffs also a good guitar solo.Danny likes to debate people and one day this guy who is not all that smart got Danny mad when they were debating. So this song came out of Danny thinking to himself I’ll get even with you I’ll write a song about you. This is how some of his better songs come about he said. I asked him which song is about the high gas prices that are helping to keep The Muggs from touring this summer. He pointed me back to the first track “Motown Blues”.
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“Never Know Why” brings to mind Led Zeppelin II without sounding like a copy of any particular song. It just has that sound and style I love so much.
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“Get It On” starts off with the sound of a train coming down the line and is about a man who left Motown and his girlfriend. Now after living a shady life he’s decided to return to Motown and his old girl. The song is loaded with lines and references from movies and other things, see how many you can pick out. To me, this song should be the hit of the CD, very good stuff. Some of the guitar playing even sounds like a train rushing down the tracks. It’s a very cool song.
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The CD ends with a fiery instrumental “Motown Blues (Reprise)” which is nothing like the first song of the same name.
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A lot of CD’s now a days have bonus tracks that usually make me laugh. If it’s an old CD rereleased with a new track, ok that makes since. If it’s a new CD, how can it have a bonus track? It’s just another track on the CD. This CD has no bonus tracks on it but there is a real bonus on the CD. All you have to do is put your headphones on and you will hear one of the best bonuses in a long time. Like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band the songs flow into each other and the instruments are panned all around your head. Since I use earbuds (headphones) all the time I really appreciate a band taking the time to make my listening experience the best it could be. Like the innovating bands of the late 60’s The Beatles, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix, The Muggs also go all out. Not just top-notch music but top-notch production as well. This carries through to the CD packaging too. Unlike The Beatles with their Sgt. Pepper album, The Muggs don’t have that kind of a budget. They do make it interesting though with it’s pop art looking packaging. Several times I’ve touched the cover photo of the band to see if it is raised above the background. Inside they have a list of credits in 60’s pop psychedelic lettering and a pop art background. Danny was very proud of the back of the CD cover because it looks very much like a back cover of a record that came out in that time period. Go to their MySpace page and look at the photo of the back cover. Better yet buy the CD On With The Show then try to figure out which albumn cover’s back they are copying. Some of you are thinking you don’t care if the music is panned all around your head, if the songs flow together or there is really cool art work all you care about is if you will like the music. I understand but unlike Sgt. Pepper that you had to pay a fourth more for than all the other records of the day, you’re not going to pay anymore for all this, it’s the Bonus. The Muggs have delivered us everything in top-notch form so let’s get on with the show.
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Please support The Muggs buy their CD On With The Show. If you like bands like Cream, Humble Pie, Led Zeppelin, Savoy Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac you too will fall in love with The Muggs. Below are some links to buy their CD. Don’t forget to call your lock radio station and request The Muggs. You can stop bad music on the radio request The Muggs.
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The songs played on the podcast are:
1. Slow Curve
2. On With The Show
3. Somewhere Down the Line
4. Down Below
5. Get It On
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Guitar solo of the week was from “Never Know Why”
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The Muggs Website
The Muggs MySpace
To buy The Muggs CD at Stormy Records
Buy The Muggs music at iTunes
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Thanks to The Muggs for their help in putting this together.
Thanks to Michael Spleet for the great photos of The Muggs, check out his website.
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 041 - The Muggs – Put Out Their Second Blues Rock Masterpiece [42:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download