The Mundanes

From This Might Be A Wiki
Mundanes in 1979
From left to right: Jonathan Gregg, Marsha Armitage, John Linnell, Kevin Tooley, John Andrews, and Dean Lozow

The Mundanes were a new wave band formed in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1978. The group featured John Linnell on keyboards and saxophone, prior to forming They Might Be Giants. They released one single, Make It The Same, and achieved local success in Rhode Island before relocating to New York in 1981. The group disbanded in 1983 after failing to secure a record contract.

History[edit]

Formation[edit]

Mundanes, 1979

The group was assembled out of the remains of Johnny & the Luncheonettes, a seven-piece band fronted by John Andrews. Formed in Providence in mid-1976, the Luncheonettes performed a combination of swing and rock, primarily covering songs from the 1930s through the 1950s alongside a few originals.[1][2] They played regularly around Providence and Boston throughout 1976 and 1977. By 1978, most of the members had departed, leaving Andrews, Dean Lozow and Marsha Armitage as a trio. This prompted Andrews and Lozow to begin writing new material in a different musical style and they chose to form a new band to perform it.[3]

In November 1978, they placed a classified advertisement in the Boston Phoenix — "Luncheonettes form mundanes. Band seeks keyboards, drums, sax. Original repertoire and work." John Linnell, then living in Boston, joined the band either because of this want ad,[4] or through a friend that knew Andrews.[5] Linnell was 19 years old at the time. The group initially took the name Johnny Mundane and the Tyranny of Everyday Life, but soon shortened it to Mundanes.[6] The original lineup consisted of John Andrews (rhythm guitar, vocals), Marsha Armitage (vocals), Jonathan Gregg (lead guitar, vocals), John Linnell (keyboards, saxophone), Dean Lozow (bass, vocals), and Kevin Tooley (drums).

The band rehearsed through the winter of 1978–79 in a large house on Benevolent Street, which they named "The Vault".[7] Linnell recalled in 1997: "I was commuting from Boston, took a bus to the station downtown. I'd walk uphill, stop at the Dunkin' Donuts on Thayer Street, and then practice in somebody's garage."[8]

Local success and single release[edit]

"Meet The Mundanes", Issues: The Monthly Magazine, Nov. 1979

The Mundanes made their live debut in February 1979.[9] They performed primarily on Providence's East Side at first. Andrews, Lozow and Gregg had each attended Brown University, and many of the band's earliest shows took place on the Brown campus, including at the Grad Center Bar, Alumnae Hall and Sayles Hall. The group soon began playing regularly throughout New England, at venues such as Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Harpo's Newport Jazz Club and The Rathskeller. They opened for several established acts in 1979, including the Ramones, Joe Jackson and NRBQ. In December 1979, the Mundanes won WBRU's Rhode Island Rock Hunt competition, beating out 80 other groups for the title of the best band in Rhode Island.[10][11]

In late 1979, the band recorded a demo tape at Normandy Sound Studios in Warren, Rhode Island. Their demo recording of "Down In The Boondocks" received significant local radio airplay on WBRU and WBCN throughout late 1979 and early 1980.[12][13] They recorded another promotional demo tape, produced by Tony Caputo, at some point in 1980. One copy of it is now held in Yale University's archives.

John Linnell spoke about the early days of the Mundanes in a 2018 interview:

I was a teenager who wasn't from that scene and I didn't know anybody from Providence. I played keyboard and saxophone in The Mundanes and the nice thing about the band was, at that time, in 1978, there weren't really any new wave bands in Providence. None that had a foothold. We were playing at Lupo's and places like that. We were the band that was appropriate to put on as an opening act for the big touring bands that came around, like the Talking Heads and the Ramones.
I learned a lot about songwriting from playing in that band. It was my first real professional experience, so I learned a lot from Andrews and his partner Dean Lozow. They were really creative and interesting songwriters who were very engaged in what they were doing. There were a bunch of other great musicians in the band, so it was a really great thing for me starting out.

The Mundanes' original material was primarily written by John Andrews and Dean Lozow, with Jonathan Gregg later contributing as well. The band's live performances frequently included covers, typically of 1960s pop and rock songs. John Linnell is not known to have written for the group, though they once tried to rehearse his song "Now That I Have Everything", without success.[14] John Flansburgh often saw the Mundanes perform and he may have designed one of their show posters in 1979.

Make It The Same 7" single cover

In October 1980, the Mundanes self-released a three-song 7" single, Make It The Same — their only official release. The single was recorded at Blue Jay Studios in Carlisle, Massachusetts, and produced by Tony Caputo. It was issued on the band's own label, Portable. The single received local radio airplay and appeared on several local charts, becoming one of WBCN's most-played local singles of 1980.[15] It was reviewed in a number of local publications, including the Providence Journal and the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. James McIntyre, childhood friend of Linnell and Flansburgh, reviewed the single for the Boston Phoenix, describing it as "an auspicious debut, and great live."

On November 7, 1980, the group opened for Talking Heads at Providence's Ocean State Theatre, performing for an audience of approximately 3,000 people; probably the largest show of the Mundanes' career.[16] That same month, they appeared on WQTV Boston's music program Boston...Live!. In March 1981, Dean Lozow was dismissed from group and the band was reduced to a quintet.[17] They stopped performing the songs he had written and John Andrews took over on bass. In April, they recorded another, longer demo tape at Normandy Sound, intended for submission to record labels in hopes of securing a contract.

Move to New York and breakup[edit]

Mundanes, 1980

The band relocated to New York City in September 1981 to pursue professional opportunities unavailable to them in Providence. John Andrews explained in 1982 that the group "all had a psychological need to take the Big Step."[18] Shortly after the move, John Linnell began collaborating on music with John Flansburgh and soon left the Mundanes. Drummer Kevin Tooley also departed around the same time, later joining the band Cool It Reba. Linnell recalled in 1990: "We moved to New York to 'make it big.' Now we all know that doesn't work."[19] Flansburgh has described the formation of They Might Be Giants as a way for Linnell to "get away from the seriousness" of the Mundanes,[20] stating in a 2018 KURE interview:

Everyone agreed that John had incredible talent that wasn't really being showcased enough in the Mundanes. So They Might Be Giants kind of started as a baby brother band, in a certain way, to the Mundanes. What we did was informed by what to do and what not to do — we just wanted to have fun, basically. We didn't want to take it so seriously. John was still in the band [when we started]. I don't think they really wanted to hear about it that much.

Following these departures, the Mundanes added keyboardist Jim Gillson and drummer Peter Clemente. The band continued performing in New York and occasionally returned to Providence for shows. Between July and September 1982, they briefly adopted the name Dancette Major.[21] In September, the band signed with manager David Hemming, whose previous clients included Pat Travers and Ozzy Osbourne. Hemming arranged for the group to work with Mick Ronson, who produced three demo tracks for them at RCA Studios New York.[22] By November, they had reverted back to the name Mundanes.[23]

The group disbanded in June 1983 after their efforts to secure a record contract proved unsuccessful. In a 1983 interview, John Andrews explained: "We just haven't been able to make it click as far as the record companies are concerned. [Record company interest] never seemed to rise above the general level. Then our manager ran into financial problems of his own and moved back to England. On top of everything else, I felt we were starting to sound redundant." The band performed its final farewell show on June 17, 1983, at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence.[24]

Post-breakup[edit]

The Mundanes 30th anniversary reunion, October 2008

The original Mundanes lineup reunited for a private concert in October 2008, celebrating 30 years since the band was founded.[25] The band were in talks to reunite again in 2013 for the Rhode Island PBS television show Meet Me at The MET.[26] In June 2019, the song "Anyone Can Fill My Shoes" was briefly released on music streaming platforms, but was removed a few months later.

In a 2011 interview, John Flansburgh reflected on the Mundanes and their influence on They Might Be Giants:

They were the big band out of Brown University and they played a lot, they were very professional. I think from the very beginning, we [They Might Be Giants] sort of set our sights kind of low as a band because The Mundanes had been such a powerful live outfit, they really had a great sound as a band, and they were successful—but they weren't super successful. They definitely hit some roadblocks professionally.
Considering what a competent band they were, it seemed strange that, in an era where every new wave band was getting signed, they didn't get signed. And I think people didn’t understand, you know, they had a great guitar player, they had great songs, they had a female singer who was very charismatic. It just seemed strange that a band that sort of had it all wouldn't get a major label deal. So when we started the band, I think our sort of natural thought was like: well, if they can't break into something more professional, let's just do this for fun. It just seemed like, how far can you get in a band if a band like The Mundanes can't get a deal?

Several former members collaborated with They Might Be Giants following the Mundanes' dissolution. Jim Gillson wrote the song "Kings Of The Cave" for the band, and Jonathan Gregg played guitar on an early demo version of "Hell Hotel". In 1984, Gregg formed the Lonesome Debonaires, a four-piece rock band that featured Linnell on accordion and clavinet. They played a few shows and recorded some demos before disbanding, after which Gregg assembled a new lineup of the band. The Lonesome Debonaires opened for They Might Be Giants on several occasions in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and Linnell played on their 1991 album Blue On Blonde.

Discography[edit]

Unreleased material[edit]

The Mundanes officially released just three songs while they were together and the majority of their work exists only as unreleased demo or live recordings. The band created at least four demo tapes for promotional use: two recorded at Normandy Sound in 1979 and 1981, one recorded with Tony Caputo in 1980, and another recorded with Mick Ronson in 1982. The band often incorporated cover songs into their live performances, and two of these, "Down In The Boondocks" and "Femme Fatale", were made into studio recordings.

Original songs[edit]

Covers[edit]

Gallery[edit]

  • December 1979 poster, possibly designed by John Flansburgh

  • 1980 promotional sheet

  • Make It The Same 7" back cover

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

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