Greg "MUDD" Lowther - LONG BEACH RECORDS...AND MORE INTERVIEW
Greg "Mudd" Lowther is the heart of the Long Beach music scene. Starting out drumming with his high school punk band The Falling Idols, to creating the highly respectable Long Beach Records and drumming for a whole host of influential and original bands. He does it all and more. It was a pleasure to have Mudd stop by The Pier and answer our questions.
The Pier: So tell us, what made you want to start up Long Beach Records to begin with?
Mudd: Long Beach Records just kind of happened. I have been close friends with Michael "Miguel" Happoldt of Skunk for a long time. We used to surf together a lot. He put out the Corn Doggy Dog & The ½ Pound, and the Del Noah and the Mt. Araratfinks albums (both of which I played drums for). Michael and I spoke a lot about other projects and putting out some punk rock stuff. Michael thought it would be best if he kept Skunk as a separate entity and if I came up with my own company that could then work with Skunk. I thought about it for a while and then decided to go with the name Long Beach Records.
The first album that we put out was Das Klown, Anecdote. Next I started on a compilation album with the Juice Bros, which had Michael Happoldt, Eric Wilson, Bud Gaugh and Dennis “Scummy” Elm on it. The album also featured Secret Hate (one of my favorite bands growing up). As time moved on, more bands asked about us putting their stuff out. I got my childhood friend Mike Wells to come on board. Mike and Kendra Wells are now co-owners and handle all of the business aspects. That free's me up to work on the creative side of the company. Michael has been putting more stuff out lately and it is really cool that after 10 years of working together we are still friends first and then worry about the business second.
The Pier: That’s very cool. Are you kind of amazed of where Long Beach Records is today? For example, it now has two international branches in Europe and Australia?
Mudd: Yeah that to me is really the most exciting and fun aspect of running the company. I have always loved to travel and it has been great going to places, meeting people, and starting companies with them. I first met Gernot Krebs (LBR – Europe) when he sent me a demo of his band Mongrel. I popped it in the CD player in the car, and immediately thought “yeah this is the type of band I would like to work with.” I contacted them, and asked if they wanted me to put a couple of songs on the next CD. Gernot said, “that that would be great.”
I next was heading over to Europe with my family to visit my brother who was living in Sofia, Bulgaria. We decided to meet in Vienna my brother’s wife’s home town. I told Gernot that I would be there, and he set up a gig for their band so I could meet them. We got a long well and they then came out to California to play some shows the next year. At that time we talked and decided to have Gernot open up Long Beach Records - Europe. Like Michael and I had done before we decided to make the companies separate. This allows Gernot to sign bands and make deals without having to consult me every step of the way. Gernot has put out quite a few albums now and has more planned for the future. I really like his band Mongrel, but I also really like PO Box from France and The Band Geek Mafia.
A couple of years ago I decided to vacation in New Zealand and Australia. I had been talking with Mogwi from Toowoomba for a while. We bought the tickets then realized that Slightly Stoopid was going to be in Sydney while I was there. Mogwi and I decided to meet in Sydney and go to the Stoopid show. Another guy that had contacted me from OZ was Simon from Live@subs. I talked to some friends and helped get them on the Stoopid show. The show was at the Hotel Annandale, and I met with Pete Porker (another contact of mine in Australia from the seminal ska band the Porkers) and his friend the now infamous Pilipo of The Pier (Editor note, wow my first mention in an interview).
Simon, Stuart, Matt of Live@Subs and me and my wife hung out and I told him about the way the Long Beach Records - Europe deal was set up. Simon and Stuart asked if I was interested in them starting the OZ version. After quite a few slabs of Bourbon we decided it was a good idea and Simon (Sub) and Stu (Wingman) opened up a PO Box, and started doing business. Having now met Mogwi, they made plans to release his band the Lowdown. Longbeachrecords.com.au is their site and they have put out some really good stuff, including of course Live@Subs, the Lowdown and Direct Influence.
The Pier: You helped Zack Walters out with establishing 3rd Alley. Tell us about that and what do you look for in a band for them to be involved with LBR?
Mudd: As stated on its MySpace site, I met Zack when he put his demo in my PO Box. My 10 year old daughter really like it. So we contacted him and invited him over to jam. I then called my friend Tyson to come over and play bass. I went to Rogers Junior High (here in Long Beach) and at the time my oldest daughter was attending that school. I was explaining to her that when I went there we used to fight after school in the “3rd Alley.” As a side note Mike Wells, my partner in LBR, had one of the more famous fights there - where poor Mike tried to fight a guy who was a golden glove boxer. Anyway we decided that that might be a good name for the still untitled band.
I actually have no preconceived ideas of what we are looking for in a band. Some of the bands on the label are strictly friend’s bands that I have known or are bands that we play with. Other bands on the label are bands that have sent me their CD and have something that I really thought had some originality and great execution. The Starving Millionaires from San Jose sent me their CD and I thought here are some really catchy songs. We set up a meeting in Bakersfield where our bands played together and we decided to put their stuff out. Part One Tribe from Cape Cod, MA I met on the road and they told me that they had not been home for seven months. They pretty much just live in their van and hope to make it from show to show - that is dedication. I put them on the next compilation that LBR put out.
The Pier: What exciting projects/releases does LBR have coming up for 2008?
Mudd: The projects that I am working on right now are:
Live@Subs - some recordings that we did while I was in Australia April 2007 and while they were here in California in August 2007. The songs that we did here have evolved since the initial tracking and the song Reckoning (now playing on
Long Beach Records MySpace) ended up with Simon on guitar; Stu on bass; Me on drums; Mike Davis (Secret Hate/Gluefactory) on vocals; Wendy on keyboards, bongos, and vocals; Nate Light (Hot Onions) on orchestral bass; Chris Bradford (Deadbeat Dads/Gluefactory) on guitar; and Dr. Todd Forman on sax. It is getting close on my end, Simon and Stu are continuing to work on some of the stuff back home in OZ.
Gluefactory - We are finishing mixes on songs that we recorded with Randy Bradbury (Pennywise) on bass. Once those are completed we will begin tracking of five more songs with our new bass player: Dennis “Scummy” Elm.
Part One Tribe has been recording and I look forward to hearing from Rob on their progress. We have many more projects that are in the works, and I know that Michael has more Skunk albums and artists that will be coming out soon.
The Pier: The first band you drummed for was the legendary Falling Idols. Now this band had a huge impact on the LBC scene including Sublime and all its band members have gone onto other great bands. What were your thoughts on it in the beginning and do you have any favorite memories from the time?
Mudd: The Falling Idols was my high school punk band. We were all good friends and lived in the same neighborhood. I have been friends with Trey Pangborn since 2nd Grade, and Randy Bradbury since 6th Grade. We had gotten into punk rock in the late 70s and saw some bands that were great and some that were not so great. We decided that we should start a band.
My Dad had played drums back in the 50s at bars. He had bought a drum set for my brother and I, so I was naturally put behind the set. Trey started off as the bass player and John Flynt on guitar. We spoke with David Quackenbush and we decided that he would be the singer. As we got songs together, started getting gigs and stuff we brought in Ross Fletcher an older brother of a good friend. Soon after, Trey switched to rhythm guitar and Randy Bradbury started playing bass. It was a cool time.
(Falling Idols)
Our first show was an out of control backyard party with TSOL. We started playing right at the right time. There was a huge scene and it was easy to get gigs. We recorded our stuff and had a full-length tape being sold at Zed Records and other cool punk shops while still in high school. That first party was in 1980, we continued playing for years and then other more recognized bands started recruiting from Falling Idols. David joined the Vandals and Randy joined Tender Fury (Jack Grisham of TSOL’s glam rock band). I went off to Wayne State in Detroit for University. We played a benefit for the 9-11 victims back in Nov. 2001 and again in 2006 for a memorial for our friend Ken the All Night Rocker.
My best memories are of being young, naive, and having more energy then brains. We had so many great times where things were just completely out of control. Having people all around the band standing and dancing in between us. People knocking over equipment and fighting all around us. The energy was great and the whole experience was one misadventure after another. We all made friends and contacts that we still have and would not have had if we had not decided to start that first punk band.
The Pier: Being so heavily involved in the LBC scene, what was it like watching your friends in Sublime become this huge band? Especially since it really all happened after Brad died. Did that make it much harder?
Mudd: I had had good friends become successful before, but not to the level that Sublime was able to achieve. When Brad (Nowell) first came back from UC Santa Cruz we had done some jams and he sang for an off-shoot of the Falling Idols - the Fletcher Pangborn Project. We had a really cool show at the old Bogarts. Eric (Wilson) and I had become good friends and we played in a few bands that we would put together just to play shows for fun. The last Sublime show I saw was at the House of Blues in Hollywood. They had progressed so much since the last time I had seen them. The place was sold out and the audience was singing along with every song. I was very excited for them and knew that bigger things were on the way.
We were having a party at my house when I learned of Brad’s passing. It was really weird and just did not seem believable. Of course that was the end of the party and my wife and I had to clean up the house while trying to make sense of the tragedy. I had heard the 'Sublime' recordings and thought that without a band the record company might not release it or if they did they would not advertise it the way they might have before. Once the CD was released it seemed to get bigger, and bigger every day. As great as the album was - it was still amazing to see the album blow up. Long Beach was always a cool town and a great place to grow up and it was amazing that Sublime really captured the flavor of the scene and took it national, then international.
The Pier: Are you disappointed that LB Shortbus is calling it quits? I guess they were the last band around directly carrying the Sublime torch.
Mudd: I really liked Shortbus. They put out a great album and they had the potential to put out many more. I really liked the fact that they were moving in a new direction. Taking influence from Sublime, but bringing into that some 70 glam vibe among other influences. I am sure that all four of them will stay involved in music and I look forward to hearing what they individually come up with.
The Pier: Tell us about Del Noah and how you got involved with that band? Is Del Noah still active? I heard there was talks it was going to put another album?
Mudd: Del Noah evolved out of the band the Pivot Foots. In the Pivot Foots, Blair Walker played bass and did the majority of the vocals, Brent Walker played guitar, and I played drums. Brent started getting into writing surf and hot rod music. He put together Del Noah with some friends including Vince Magrounni. Aside from Vince, those friends slowly dropped out and Brent recruited his brother Blair and me to play in the band.
After Brad passed away, Eric and I went down to Mexico on a surf trip. We brought acoustic guitars and he was playing a bunch of Ventures and other surf music. I told him about my band Del Noah and he jokingly asked if we needed a bass player and I told him yes - Blair could easily move to keyboards and rhythm guitar. When we got back I called Brent and scheduled a practice. We practiced at their warehouse studio and it went well. We started playing shows and recorded an album.
And yes we actually do have another album just waiting to be mixed. We keep coming up with other projects and keep putting it off. One day it will see the light, but for now - Del Noah is available on iTunes.
The Pier: You also drum for Gluefactory, Pivot Foots, Indonesian Mules and a vast array of other bands. Is there any band you are not in?
Mudd: Gluefactory is my main band. We have been together for six years. Mike Davis was the singer of Secret Hate and wrote the song the Ballad of Johnny Butt. The Falling Idols played with Secret Hate a lot when we were young. When Mike asked if I was interested in starting a band I told him of course. We got Blake from the second coming of Secret Hate on guitar and my wife’s classmate and fellow GATE student Chris Bradford on the other guitar. We had a revolving door of bass players and have now settled down with Corn Doggy Dog/Juice Bros bass player Dennis “Scummy” Elm.
The Pivot Foots formed in 1988 when I responded to an advertisement that a jazz influenced punk band was in need of a drummer. We played for years and put out a vinyl only album, Wingless Birds of Flight and a CD only album, Using Nature to Destroy Itself. We have a couple a gigs a year and plan to be the last band standing. To achieve this goal, I recently joined the gym.
The Indonesian Mules is an off-shoot of Corn Doggy Dog and the Half Pound. When Z-Man fired the entire band - we regrouped as the Indonesian Mules. We usually start with surf music then fade into louder and louder, obnoxious and more obnoxious punk rock. Indonesian Mules comes from the fact that back in the day a lot of the surfers going to Indo mulled drugs back to fund the trip. Hollywood for years portrayed surfers as all American boys, but we know better. We got some cool Indonesian Mules shirts up on our
Anti Authority MySpace Web-Site. Please help us fund our trip to Indo. Drug smuggling is just way to dangerous now-a-days
The Pier: Where do you get your passion for music and where do you find the time to be involved in all this? You must have an understanding family haha?
Mudd: Well first I got into music for the adventure and I guess that is why I have stuck with it. I just want to see what happens next. I met my wife while I was in the band Busface. Busface was completely out of control. We happily made every mistake we could. Every road from that point was a road in the right direction. My wife and kids are very supportive of Long Beach Records and most of the bands I have played in.
The Pier: Nice. You sat in on drums for Live@Subs and did some shows in Australia last year. What was that like?
Mudd:That was great. I had an awesome time down under. Simon and Stu are great hosts. We opened the tour in Toowoomba up in Queensland for the Lowdown’s record release party. Great show really enjoyed the Lowdown and the Grass Root Street Orchestra. Then we went down to Melbourne and did a bunch of recordings and shows. Had a really good show with De Ja Groove and did a fun radio interview on PBS 106.7 Melbourne. We then went up to Sydney and finished our tour in Wollongong with another LBRA band Direct Influence. We will be releasing some live stuff from the Noise Bar in Melbourne and the PBS radio show along with some stuff that we recorded here in CA when they visited in August of 2007.
The Pier: Now I hear you are into surfing, what are some of your favorite surf spots?
Mudd:Admittedly I have not been surfing as much as I would like to lately, but generally I like Sunset Beach (south swells), Newport Beach (south swells), south side of Seal back in the day (west swell) and of course Lowther Point :-). Point breaks are my favorite and despite being a goofy foot I like Rincon, Malibu, and San Miguel. We have had a surf shake at K74 in Baja for years and I have got some great secessions along that coast. I spent some time on the South Shore when I was younger and really liked Publics and Kaisers Bowl. Been to Australia twice and have yet to set foot in the ocean. Simon and Stu live in the hills outside of Melbourne. We drove 2 hours to Bells and watched Slater take the title, but we had no gear and that water looked cold.
Oh well, maybe next time. Big thanks to Mudd for dropping by The Pier and providing us with such personal and interesting insights into the LBC scene. Also a thank you to Tee for assisting coordinate this interview and for providing the dirt on Mudd (get it? Nevermind).
Make sure you check out the following links:
Long Beach Records - Europe MySpace