Mondegreen

If your first assumption was that Phoenix alt-rockers Mondegreen came up with their name as some sort of quasi-artsy way of saying "green world," you wouldn't be alone, but you'd be wrong. Despite its vaguely Frenglish vibe, the word "mondegreen" was actually coined by American writer Sylvia Wright in 1954 and made its debut in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary just last year. Webster's defines it as "a word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung." Think Jimi Hendrix (not really) singing "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy" in "Purple Haze." Thankfully, there's nothing to mishear in Mondegreen's music. The band's psychedelic indie rock is both catchy and quirky enough to appeal to a broad cross section of fans, from teenage emo kids and 20-something hipsters to Gen Xers weaned on the Pixies and Built to Spill. Mondegreen seems as comfortable playing a three-minute electro-folk ditty, like "Speeding Barnacle," as it does playing a seven-minute, multi-part epic, like "Break It Build It." Phoenix music fans can catch them at two local shows this weekend. - Phoenix New Times

It’s a First Friday in February as rounds of drinks are being enjoyed in the cool Phoenix
air. On the patio at Shady’s, I am knocking back Stellas with the band Mondegreen. The night is beautiful and the vibe of the band members is relaxed and comfortable. I have been well-acquainted with Mondegreen
for many years now. I first came across them in 2006 when I saw them play instrumental backup to the spoken-word of local artist Gregory Sale at The Trunk Space. Rising like the city’s mythical namesake from the ashes of previous
bands, core members Stefan Handlong (guitars, vocals), Susie Yi (guitars, vocals) and
Kevin Vaughan-Brubaker (bass, keys) hooked up with Pete Bird (guitars, keys, sampler) and
Dave Strickler (drums, percussion) to form Mondegreen three years ago. A few gigs out
and Drea Call (keys, theremin, tambourine)would round out the ensemble. With a sound harkening back to the Pixies’ era and a layered sensibility of reminiscent of the multi-talented Broken Social Scene, Mondegreen has been weaving auditory gems ever since.
Phoenix has a diversity of great music hiding from the sun in venues all over the city.
Veterans of the trenches in the music game play their hearts out in these venues almost
every night and every day. Mondegreen is no exception. The Trunk Space, Last Exit,
Modified Arts, Hollywood Alley, Art Detour, even Tempe
Marketplace; they have rocked them all. Their star was really on the rise in 2007 when they
ran a series of monthlies out of the much missed Paper Heart. During these months, not only did Mondegreen fl ex their musical chops, they also brought together great collaborations of live art, spoken-word, video and other up
and coming bands.
As Phoenicians put 2007 to bed and welcomed in the rollercoaster ride of 2008, Mondegreen went into a chrysalis phase. One marriage, one baby, and one studio album care of 513Analog later and Mondegreen is ready to emerge from the cocoon of ’08 into the new territories of 2009.
So here I am, sufficiently socially lubricated at Shady’s with audio recorder, pen, and pad at the ready to get the skinny on what the future holds for the band.
How do you guys feel about having a CD on the way after a long hiatus?
Kevin, Stefan, Susie: “Finally!”
Susie: “It’s been a long time coming. But you know, we are still rocking. We are still together and ready to play shows. As long as we all came
back, that’s what’s important I think.”
Drea: “It’s exciting.”
Dave: “After a big hiatus, it’s about time.”
So what’s the name of the new album?
Susie: “Seek. Locate. Exterminate.”
Kevin: “It’s from Doctor Who.”
How was the experience of recording the album at 513Analog?
Kevin: “It was a good experience. Catherine
Vericolli is very supportive of the whole indie music scene. It was her 1960’s hypnosis record that we used as a sample on ‘Rules for Robots’.”
Susie: “It was in a house, so it was very comfortable to be there until midnight orone.”
Dave: “It was really relaxing. It wasn’t like a cold studio where you have to be on all the time. It was a very natural experience. We listened a lot to our own playing but we also focused how it should sound and who should be in front.”
Stefan: “I think the album really stands on its own and sounds really good. I could stay in the studio all the time recording, but I can’t wait to
be playing live again.”
When are you planning to release the CD? When and where can people check you out?
Kevin: “Our CD release will double as a benefit show for 513Analog at Hollywood Alley on
April 10th. Quarter Inch Crown, Vine Land and other bands who have recorded there will be
playing.”
Dave: “We also have a kick-ass First Friday show at the Ruby Room on April 3rd and a show at the Lost Leaf on April 4th.”
Drea: “Our CDs will be for sale at Stinkweeds reflected is how we support the arts scene.
We involve live artists when possible and try to support local arts venues.”
Dave: “We had a monthly at the Paper Heart. We’ve had collaborations with local artists there like Brandon Huigens and Banding Hendrix.”
Susie: “I feel the mix of acoustic and electronic sounds on the album reflects the melting pot of cultures you find in Phoenix. We’re pretty much all natives or have lived in Phoenix a long time and love living in the city, especially with all the Record Exchange and we’ll be on the listening
station there for awhile. It’s something they do for local bands.”
How does your music connect to Phoenix?
Kevin: “The sound is inspired by both the natural setting and the urban space of the city. Our songs swing from being concentrated and fast to expansive and adventurous like the different tensions you fi nd in this city.”
Drea: “I think another way that Phoenix is changes coming to downtown.”
It’s at this point that things take a comic turn. Having overheard the interview in progress, another patron on Shady’s patio inquires about the band. Turns out, he’s a film-maker of African-American decent. In a few minutes of conversation, Mondegreen is hooking up work on a local documentary. It’s an almost
perfect Hollywood-esque fairytale moment until a bad case of foot-in-mouth intervenes. Stefan, wielding supreme tact and grace, asks
the filmmaker if his twin brother is also in the bar. After looking at the rest of the band as if to say, “this cracker didn’t just really say that,” the filmmaker tells Stefan, “I know we all look
alike to you, but no, that is not my twin brother in there.” The rest of the band reassures the film-maker that Stefan is not really racist. Susie quips, “How could he be racist when he’s married to a Korean?” After a well-deserved ribbing, a sheepish look from Stefan, and a new round of drinks, we get back into it.
What is the story behind the name Mondegreen?
Susie: (Reading from Wikipedia on her iPhone) “‘A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase, typically a standardized phrase such as a line in a poem or a lyric in a song.’”
Kevin: “It’s a great name because when you tell people what it means everyone has one to share, like, ‘hold me closer, Tony Danza’.”
Stefan: “We don’t have any mondegreens in our music, though, and that was by design.”
What are your musical influences?
Stefan: “I think a lot of the sound on the album is kinda 90’s indie. I do like albums that have a cohesive feel to them but I also like albums
that are chaotic and all over the place. Our approach to new songs is that if it sounds too
much like a song we already wrote, we are like,‘fuck that, we’ve got to go back and change it.’ Those songs don’t last in my mind. We latch on to songs that are unique and different.”
Drea: “Every song is different.”
Stefan: “We all have different musical influences. Kevin is a fan of 80’s mope rock: Joy Division, The Smiths. I’m kind of a 90’s Pavement, Pixies guy, kind of more grimy. Susie is into Sleater-Kinney and Grandaddy. Dave and Drea are into electronic house music
and classic rock. I think we have a good mix. I don’t expect everyone to like all the tracks; but everyone is going to fi nd a song on this album
that they will like.”
Kevin: “Our utility man, Pete, isn’t here, but I’m sure he would say his influences range
from Jesus and Mary Chain to Engelbert Humperdinck. What can you say, he’s from Cleveland.”
What are the goals for Mondegreen?
Stefan: “For me, I was already in a band that made the big push to get signed and get
famous. In the end though, we lost sight of the importance of the music itself. So I don’t think much about what will happen next and just try to stay focused on that. Phoenix is a really interesting scene. There are many great bands that do all the right things and still never really make it out of the city. I think the key is to write good songs, record good albums, and get them into the right people’s hands and hopefully things are going to happen. That’s the bottom
line, let the music speak for itself.”
Dave: “The goal is just to be doing it and to be playing. We just worry about doing what we do, the rest will come.”
Upcoming shows:
Friday, April 3rd - Ruby Room
Saturday, April 4th - The Lost Leaf
Friday, April 10th - Hollywood Alley (CD release
and benefit for 513Analog)
Locate Mondegreen at:
www.myspace.com/mondegreenmusic
Seek.Locate.Exterminate. track listing:
1. H+
2. Break It, Build It
3. Speeding Barnacle
4. Thunderbeast
5. Stars
6. Rules for Robots
7. S***K - Hoozdo Magazine