INTERVIEW: Mustard Plug releases new isolation-inspired album
Photo: Mustard Plug’s new album is called Where Did All My Friends Go? Photo courtesy of Mitch Ranger / Provided by Part-Time PR with permission.
The ska-punk band Mustard Plug, originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is back with a new album and new tour. Where Did All My Friends Go? is now available to purchase and stream from Bad Time Records, and the band returns to the road Oct. 6 with a lengthy tour that takes them into mid-December. For vocalist Dave Kirchgessner, this project has been a rewarding one, but its early days were actually inspired by the isolation felt during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Probably back in 2018-19, we were just kind of thinking, it’s been a while since we put out a record,” Kirchgessner said in a recent phone interview. “We started talking about maybe doing something, and Colin [Clive], our guitar player, I think had a couple ideas, but nothing put into stone so much. But then during the pandemic, when were all stuck in our houses and couldn’t leave, and that’s really the impetus for this album. It gave us the kick in the ass to do it. You spend so much time alone, and going through the whole bizarre lockdown period was kind of the inspiration.”
Because the band members were quarantining, their development of the album was different from any other recording they’ve done in the past. Usually they would get together and create the album one song at a time. This time, Clive wrote the beginnings of the songs, Kirchgessner said, and he’d bring those rough demos and drum tracks to the other band members.
“We just kind of built from there,” he said. “I throw in a lot of the vocal melodies and lyrics and that sort of thing. Different people jump in with horns and that sort of thing, so it was a really unique situation. And then at the point where we could get together in person, then we went back and revisited each song and tried to play them in a rehearsal space, and build them and arrange them and fine-tune them. So that was how it all came about.”
Mustard Plug, a band that has been around the music scene for more than three decades, has matured as ska artists and purveyors of catchy, punky rock ‘n’ roll. They still value their early albums, when the band members were in their 20s, but their lives are different now. And that means their songs and lyrics are different, too.
“Our first few records came out when we were in our early 20s, and there was just a whole different energy and vibe,” Kirchgessner said. “I think to try to recapture that — I’m 54 years old now — would be silly and not turn out authentic at all. I think we have matured as songwriters. We’re definitely more thoughtful about it. It’s kind of a different approach. When we were young, our first few records, we didn’t even know if anybody would hear them. We didn’t take it terribly serious. We just tried to write fun music, but it entertained us or our friends. And that’s cool because that’s a unique thing. It comes from a sincere place, but over the years, I think we’ve gotten to be better musicians and better songwriters.”
Kirchgessner added: “Also, we realized that there comes a certain reality that whatever you record is going to stick with you for the rest of your life, too, so you want to make it something to be proud of. So, yeah, we definitely have a different vibe. In our 20s, I definitely had more of a carefree attitude. I think that has fallen to the wayside over the decades, so I think the lyrical content is a little more thought out, a little more serious for sure. For the sound, we’ve learned how to record better, and every album that we do with our producer, Bill Stevenson, he understands more and knows how to get the best out of us.”
Joining Clive and Kirchgessner in Mustard Plug are Brandon Jenison on trumpet; Jim Hofer on trombone and melodica; Nate Cohn on drums on percussion; Mark Petz on tenor and bari sax; and Greg Witulski on bass, organ and accordion.
Many of the lyrics on Where Did All My Friends Go? were inspired by the pandemic, with the world stuck at home and people unable to see family and friends, but Mustard Plug’s members were also conscious of the fact that they wanted to create an album that would outlive COVID-19.
“Is this still going to be relevant once we can go out and throw our masks away and hang out with people?” Kirchgessner asked. “Very quickly we came to the answer: Absolutely. There are all sorts of reasons as we get older that you feel a certain amount of isolation and wondering where did your friends go. I’m at the age where my kids are moving out of the house. The whole concept of isolation is pervasive throughout the album in a lot of ways. I think it has to do with our stage in life and also emerging from the pandemic. I think in society in general, people are less connected now than they ever have been, and part of that is the way things evolved as a society. It’s the impact of social media, but I think it’s a relatable thing for people.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Mustard Plug’s new album is Where Did All My Friends Go? They restart their tour in October. Click here for more information and tickets.
