Adam Elk of The Mommyheads | Interview

The Mommyheads are the quintessential artist for Dig Me Out. Formed in the late ‘80s by guys who went to a performing arts high school in New York City (yes, the same one that the movie/TV show Fame was based on) and who enjoyed experimenting with lo-fi recording equipment, The Mommyheads had no interest in aping what they were hearing on FM radio or MTV. Instead, they looked up to the underground bands that were also experimenting with 4-track recording, bands like Fish & Roses, They Might Be Giants, and Flaming Lips. In the early ‘90s, they signed with Simple Machines and released a long out-of-print collection of demos and 4-track recordings titled Swiss Army Knife. Dreams of “making it” led to a relocation to San Francisco where, after a string of indie releases on various labels, Geffen Records came calling. Like so many bands covered on the Dig Me Out podcast, the major label deal was not all it was cracked up to be and shortly after The Mommyheads’ self-titled album came out in ‘97, they were dropped and the band broke up. After drummer Jan Kotik passed away from cancer in 2008, the other members got back together and have been active (VERY active) ever since releasing new albums and re-issuing the albums from the ‘90s at a regular pace. A new album is due later in 2022 and there are no signs of slowing down.

 

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - In In Awe from The Mommyheads

8:31 - Wedding Day from Coming Into Beauty

Outro - Spiders from Flying Suit

 

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