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Portland Buries The Mummies.
by Stephen McLeskey
The Mummies: A band known for their over the top, punk fueled, go-go garage, surf rock music style and crafting vinyl 7"s with stark imagery of Mummies precariously hanging out of speeding hot rods, Mummies riding on high speed motorcycles while flippin' the bird, Mummies partying on roof tops and topless girls lined up in front of their'63 Pontiac ambulance (noticeably absent from the venue - a little disappointing since it could be a 5th member of the band).
With song titles such as "I'm Gonna Kill My Baby Tonight", "Food, Sickles and Girls" and "Die!", I cannot imagine how intense and crazy their show will be.
Can it live up to the hype I have built in my own mind? A Mummies show actually occurring at all, much less in my town, is not something I think about everyday - it just wouldn't happen.
Well, believe it or not - it's happening.
Even approaching the venue you could tell it was a special Friday night @ Dante's - the sidewalk was electric. The sign reading "Friday The Mummies Last US Show ever" was a simple narrative to explain the buzzing commotion.
A huge favor from a great friend put us on the guest list and carried us into the sold out show - tickets were posted on Craig's List and Ebay for as much as $100 each - this was the unexpected event of the year.
Upon entering Dante's, LA band The Jinxes had the crowd head bobbing and shimmying.
Before I could concentrate any more on the band, I was distracted by the merch stand. Actual Mummies merchandise? Including a special 7" just for this show?
Holy Crap! Get out of my way! After asking for "One of Everything" from the Mummies table, we headed back to the car to stow the precious cargo.
On the way out the front door, Dante's ever present employee, who shall remain nameless (name rhymes with Weevie), was overheard explaining to the sidewalk crowd that "We've been planning for this all week". Quite a statement for Dante's - the one venue in town used to seeing anything and everything.
After several quick Sailor Jerry and Cokes in the car, we returned inside to see Portland's own The Leaders take the stage and demonstrate why they were opening for the Mummies... they played loud, raw, rock and roll...... even though the mics cut out for a while, both singers screamed so loud you could still hear them over the crowd.
Finally - what we have all been waiting for... the Mummies are up next - I can't believe it. The stage has been draped with a huge sheet of muslin. The second I have noticed it, it raises and the crowd surges forward with screams and cheers for the gauze wrapped band standing behind it. Water and beer sprinklers are in full effect, drenching the audience and the band.
Fists in the Air for The Mummies
Are these The Mummies of Mayhem? The Mummies of Mass Destruction? No... just The GDMF Mummies!!!
Known for their unpolished production and "be lo-fi mono" recording style, the band exploded live, thrilling the ears with a very unexpected hi-fi sound from their well-chosen vintage equipment: white VOX guitar, coily cord, Silvertone amp, Farfisa organ and Mustang bass (I couldn't see the drums but they were making a thunderous, trash can sound).
One of the Mummies' standards, the cover of Tommy Tucker's Hi-Heel Sneakers, was just aural bliss; it made my eyes swell with tears.
This band is perfection.
They killed the set list within no time and then asked for suggestions from the audience. After every screamed request, a brief band hesitation turned into an absolute eruption of energy the instant the first note was played.
Such memorable moments: the vocalist wearing his microphone like a noose, wearing a wicked sneer while brandishing his organ over his head…
The guitarist balancing a PBR tall boy on his head, then launching backwards into the audience, playing guitar on his back while the crowd supported him...
The bass player being eerily quiet yet displaying dark, intense eyes...
The drummer spouting off unintelligible garbles of Mummie speak...
This band doesn’t carry a reputation for no reason. After seeing this band, I can say they are absolutely the real Rock-and-Roll deal in every way; everything Rock-and-Roll is supposed to be - ugly, dirty, rowdy, rude, crude, loud, dangerous and fun. Their Rock-and-Roll does not need a genre.
The evening was best summed up by the post-show words of a drunk fanatic exclaiming that "If I could see The Mummies every night, I wouldn't need to do drugs anymore!"
They are the Mummies after all- they have come back from the dead; let's hope they do again. For now, they were last buried in Portland, Oregon... Friday, August 20th, 2010 at Dante's.
R.I.P THE MUMMIES
