Mommyheads
Encyclopedia
The Mommyheads are an American indie pop
band who played from around 1987 through 1998, disbanded for a decade, and then reformed in 2008. Starting in New York City as the brainchild of singer Adam Cohen (who later changed his name to Adam Elk to avoid confusion with Leonard Cohen
's son, a musician also named Adam), the band produced a string of quirky and highly inventive releases on various independent labels, most notably Simple Machines
. Their music has been compared to XTC
. They relocated to San Francisco in 1990. The band signed to Geffen Records
in 1997, producing a single album for the label before breaking up in 1998. They reunited to record a new CD in 2008.
Jan Kotik
, the original drummer for the Mommyheads, died on December 13, 2007, after a three-year battle with cancer.
also:
(these two appear only on the live Thirsty Ears compilation.)
's engineer Wharton Tiers
and is now exceedingly rare. Three of the songs later appeared on the Fang records compilation LP Antipop: New York Underground Mix (1988). Their first full-fledged release was Acorn, on Fang Records in 1989, featuring Cohen (vocals, guitar, other instruments), Jan Kotik (drums), and Matt Patrick (vocals, bass), and produced by Chris Rael
(of NYC band Church of Betty). The songwriting was split evenly between Cohen and Patrick. Both of these recordings were released while the band members were still in high school. Rael's liner notes to the Acorn CD re-release allude to XTC
, James Brown
, and Pussy Galore
as primary musical influences.
Early 4-track and live demos of Mommyheads songs were released in 1991 or 1992 as the Simple Machines
cassette Swiss Army Knife. This collection of home made songs, written and recorded primarily by Adam Cohen, were eccentric but highly original and musically complex. At their core was a whimsical and bittersweet pop sensibility that would underlie most of their subsequent recordings. 4 of the 17 songs would be re-recorded on their "official" releases. Around this time, Simple Machines
also released "At the Mall" on a 7-inch compilation EP, Pulley. Two tracks appeared on a live Fang Records compilation.
Their second "real" album, the psychedelic Coming Into Beauty, was released on Simple Machines
records in 1992. This was a combination of sessions for two albums which followed Acorn,, the first one released informally on a cassette called Papoose. A move to San Francisco and a lineup change occurred during the recording of this CD; Jan Kotik left and was replaced by two members of NYC group the Connotations: Dan Fisherman (drums, backup vocals) and Michael Holt (vocals, keyboards). (Cohen had played percussion on Connotations tracks released on vinyl in 1987, and Holt and Fisherman had also played in a variety of Fang Records bands.) Before the release of the CD, this new lineup released a limited edition live cassette (Mommyheads Live) of a more recent batch of songs, on Fang Records, most of which never made it to their later CD releases.
Matt Patrick left and was replaced by bass player Jeff Palmer (formerly of Sister Double Happiness), around the time of the recording of the next CD, Flying Suit, in 1994 (Dromedary Records). Liner notes to the Tiny Idols compilation credit "the slick, professionally minded Jeff Palmer" with steering the band towards a more "mainstream" sound at roughly this point. Live performances from this period, especially in college settings, often included a fetid, bongwater-soaked towel. Songwriting duties shifted mostly to Cohen, with occasional contributions from Holt. Several singles and compilation songs were released in this period, as well. A fourth record, Bingham's Hole, was released on Dot Dot Dash records in 1995. Produced by Peter Katis, this was the band's final independent full length recording, and it showed the band adding more funk and boogie elements into the mix. Bingham's Hole drew the attention of Don Was
who was credited with producing their next record.
On the strength of Bingham's Hole, the band was signed to Geffen Records
, which released the Beatle-esque The Mommyheads in 1997. The CD met with mixed reviews. The band was dropped during a label shake-up before the album was even released, and the album was barely promoted. The Mommyheads broke up shortly thereafter, playing their final show in San Francisco in February 1998. Many fans hold this as a perfect example of a major label "ruining" a band that had established critical success and a solid fan base with the quality of its independent recordings and excellent live shows.
Following the breakup, most members of the band have gone on to solo and other collaborative projects. Adam Elk released a solo album called Labello, and is now a successful composer for television commercials. Jeff Palmer joined Sub Pop band Sunny Day Real Estate
and Granfaloon Bus. Michael Holt has gone on to record several solo albums. Dan Fisherman became a computer programmer for a small San Francisco computer company and teaches math, philosophy and recording for the Randolph School in Wappingers Falls, New York
Mommyheads songs have been covered on record by Jenny Toomey
("Needmore, PA" on Antidote) and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
("Accident" and "Cora," the latter on the EP Someone Still Loves You Michael Holt).
Following the death of original drummer, Jan Kotik
, The Mommyheads re-united for a tribute show in New York City. Shortly after, they decided to reform and record a new album, You're Not A Dream.
The Mommyheads are featured in a 2010 Time Warner Cable
television ad for the company's broadband internet offerings. They jam out together all from different locations via the internet.
A new retrospective album entitled "Finest Specimens" on the Dromedary Records label is expected by digital release on Oct 19, 2010
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band who played from around 1987 through 1998, disbanded for a decade, and then reformed in 2008. Starting in New York City as the brainchild of singer Adam Cohen (who later changed his name to Adam Elk to avoid confusion with Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
's son, a musician also named Adam), the band produced a string of quirky and highly inventive releases on various independent labels, most notably Simple Machines
Simple Machines
Simple Machines was a record label that operated out of Arlington, Virginia. The label was masterminded by Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson and, at its peak, had four paid workers- Toomey, Thomson, Pat Graham and Mickey Menard...
. Their music has been compared to XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
. They relocated to San Francisco in 1990. The band signed to Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
in 1997, producing a single album for the label before breaking up in 1998. They reunited to record a new CD in 2008.
Jan Kotik
Jan Kotík
Jan Jakub Kotík was a Czech artist and rock drummer.- Life :Jan Jakub was the son of composer Petr Kotík and curator of contemporary art Charlotta Kotík, who emigrated to the USA in 1970. Jan was a musician and visual artist...
, the original drummer for the Mommyheads, died on December 13, 2007, after a three-year battle with cancer.
Members
- Adam Cohen (later Adam Elk)--guitar, vocal, plus occasional mandolin, melodica, autoharp, piano (1987–1998, 2008)
- Matt Devin Patrick—bass, vocals (1987–1993)
- Jan KotikJan KotíkJan Jakub Kotík was a Czech artist and rock drummer.- Life :Jan Jakub was the son of composer Petr Kotík and curator of contemporary art Charlotta Kotík, who emigrated to the USA in 1970. Jan was a musician and visual artist...
--drums, percussion, marimba (1987-1989 or 1990) - Michael HoltMichael Holt (musician)Michael Holt is a musician who lives in Toronto, Canada. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1968, and raised in New York City, where he learned to play the piano as a child...
--keyboards, vocals, occasional guitar (1990–1998, 2008) - Dan "Oy" Fisherman—drums, harmony vocals (1990–1998, 2008)
- Jeff Palmer—bass, (1993–1998, 2008)
also:
- Eric Bonerz—drums (circa 1990 or 1991)
- Gary Wertz—guitar, vocals (circa 1990 or 1991)
(these two appear only on the live Thirsty Ears compilation.)
- Rick Wilson—bass (1993) (may only have been on recordings)
History
The first official Mommyheads record, Magumbo Meatpie, was released in 1987 on the Sit and Spin label, which was run out of a NYU dorm room and produced by Granz Henman who was attending NYU and Joseph A. Kim who was an Ivy League drop-out. The 7" vinyl EP featured 4 songs that were recorded by Sonic YouthSonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
's engineer Wharton Tiers
Wharton Tiers
Wharton Tiers is an American audio engineer, record producer, drummer and percussionist.- Biography :Diplomed from Villanova University , he moved to New York City in 1976 and was part of the No Wave scene.As an audio engineer and record producer, he has worked on projects such as Sonic Youth,...
and is now exceedingly rare. Three of the songs later appeared on the Fang records compilation LP Antipop: New York Underground Mix (1988). Their first full-fledged release was Acorn, on Fang Records in 1989, featuring Cohen (vocals, guitar, other instruments), Jan Kotik (drums), and Matt Patrick (vocals, bass), and produced by Chris Rael
Chris Rael
Chris Rael is an eclectic American musician, singer, composer, and songwriter.Rael is the founder and leader of Indo-pop band Church of Betty, based in New York City. He has composed, recorded, and produced more than 25 CDs, collaborating with artists from around the world...
(of NYC band Church of Betty). The songwriting was split evenly between Cohen and Patrick. Both of these recordings were released while the band members were still in high school. Rael's liner notes to the Acorn CD re-release allude to XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, and Pussy Galore
Pussy Galore (band)
Pussy Galore was an American garage rock band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1985. They had a constantly fluid line-up until their demise in 1990. Like many garage rock outfits, they were dogged by substance abuse problems...
as primary musical influences.
Early 4-track and live demos of Mommyheads songs were released in 1991 or 1992 as the Simple Machines
Simple Machines
Simple Machines was a record label that operated out of Arlington, Virginia. The label was masterminded by Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson and, at its peak, had four paid workers- Toomey, Thomson, Pat Graham and Mickey Menard...
cassette Swiss Army Knife. This collection of home made songs, written and recorded primarily by Adam Cohen, were eccentric but highly original and musically complex. At their core was a whimsical and bittersweet pop sensibility that would underlie most of their subsequent recordings. 4 of the 17 songs would be re-recorded on their "official" releases. Around this time, Simple Machines
Simple Machines
Simple Machines was a record label that operated out of Arlington, Virginia. The label was masterminded by Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson and, at its peak, had four paid workers- Toomey, Thomson, Pat Graham and Mickey Menard...
also released "At the Mall" on a 7-inch compilation EP, Pulley. Two tracks appeared on a live Fang Records compilation.
Their second "real" album, the psychedelic Coming Into Beauty, was released on Simple Machines
Simple Machines
Simple Machines was a record label that operated out of Arlington, Virginia. The label was masterminded by Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson and, at its peak, had four paid workers- Toomey, Thomson, Pat Graham and Mickey Menard...
records in 1992. This was a combination of sessions for two albums which followed Acorn,, the first one released informally on a cassette called Papoose. A move to San Francisco and a lineup change occurred during the recording of this CD; Jan Kotik left and was replaced by two members of NYC group the Connotations: Dan Fisherman (drums, backup vocals) and Michael Holt (vocals, keyboards). (Cohen had played percussion on Connotations tracks released on vinyl in 1987, and Holt and Fisherman had also played in a variety of Fang Records bands.) Before the release of the CD, this new lineup released a limited edition live cassette (Mommyheads Live) of a more recent batch of songs, on Fang Records, most of which never made it to their later CD releases.
Matt Patrick left and was replaced by bass player Jeff Palmer (formerly of Sister Double Happiness), around the time of the recording of the next CD, Flying Suit, in 1994 (Dromedary Records). Liner notes to the Tiny Idols compilation credit "the slick, professionally minded Jeff Palmer" with steering the band towards a more "mainstream" sound at roughly this point. Live performances from this period, especially in college settings, often included a fetid, bongwater-soaked towel. Songwriting duties shifted mostly to Cohen, with occasional contributions from Holt. Several singles and compilation songs were released in this period, as well. A fourth record, Bingham's Hole, was released on Dot Dot Dash records in 1995. Produced by Peter Katis, this was the band's final independent full length recording, and it showed the band adding more funk and boogie elements into the mix. Bingham's Hole drew the attention of Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
who was credited with producing their next record.
On the strength of Bingham's Hole, the band was signed to Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, which released the Beatle-esque The Mommyheads in 1997. The CD met with mixed reviews. The band was dropped during a label shake-up before the album was even released, and the album was barely promoted. The Mommyheads broke up shortly thereafter, playing their final show in San Francisco in February 1998. Many fans hold this as a perfect example of a major label "ruining" a band that had established critical success and a solid fan base with the quality of its independent recordings and excellent live shows.
Following the breakup, most members of the band have gone on to solo and other collaborative projects. Adam Elk released a solo album called Labello, and is now a successful composer for television commercials. Jeff Palmer joined Sub Pop band Sunny Day Real Estate
Sunny Day Real Estate
Sunny Day Real Estate is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. In the 1990s, the group expanded upon the grunge style that was popular in the local scene to make a more melodic sound. While not the first band to be classified as emo, they were instrumental in establishing the genre. In...
and Granfaloon Bus. Michael Holt has gone on to record several solo albums. Dan Fisherman became a computer programmer for a small San Francisco computer company and teaches math, philosophy and recording for the Randolph School in Wappingers Falls, New York
Wappingers Falls, New York
Wappingers Falls is a village in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The name is derived from the local Wappinger Indians. One half of the village is in the town of Wappinger and the other half is in the town of Poughkeepsie, with Wappinger Creek forming the dividing line between the...
Mommyheads songs have been covered on record by Jenny Toomey
Jenny Toomey
Jenny Toomey is an American indie rock musician and arts activist from Chevy Chase, Maryland, and later, Washington, D.C. She was a member of the bands Geek, Tsunami, Liquorice, Grenadine, So Low and Choke, among others, and has also recorded under her own name...
("Needmore, PA" on Antidote) and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is an indie pop band from Springfield, Missouri. Their first full-length album Broom, independently released in 2005, received good reviews from Spin Magazine and they are now signed with Polyvinyl Record Co....
("Accident" and "Cora," the latter on the EP Someone Still Loves You Michael Holt).
Following the death of original drummer, Jan Kotik
Jan Kotík
Jan Jakub Kotík was a Czech artist and rock drummer.- Life :Jan Jakub was the son of composer Petr Kotík and curator of contemporary art Charlotta Kotík, who emigrated to the USA in 1970. Jan was a musician and visual artist...
, The Mommyheads re-united for a tribute show in New York City. Shortly after, they decided to reform and record a new album, You're Not A Dream.
The Mommyheads are featured in a 2010 Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
television ad for the company's broadband internet offerings. They jam out together all from different locations via the internet.
A new retrospective album entitled "Finest Specimens" on the Dromedary Records label is expected by digital release on Oct 19, 2010
Albums
- Acorn (Fang Records) 1989
- Coming Into Beauty (Simple Machines) 1992
- Flying Suit (Dromedary) 1994
- Bingham's Hole (Dot Dot Dash) 1995
[Two different versions released] - The Mommyheads (Geffen) 1997
- You're Not A Dream (Bladen County Records) 2008
Cassette albums
- Live (Fang Records) 1991
- Swiss Army Knife (Simple Machines) 1992
- The Yellow Tape 5-song EP tape (Black Widow Management) 1993
[All 5 recordings later rereleased on various singles and comps, as listed below.]
Singles and EPs
- Magumbo Meatpie EP (Sit & Spin Records) 1987-8
- "At the Mall," Pulley EP (Simple Machines) 1991
[May have been recorded in 1989.] - "The World Is Round"/"Remedy" (Hairy/Simple Machines) 1993
- "Time Bomb"/"Gnocci" (Sonic Swirl Records—Split Single w/ Witch Hazel) 1994
- "Day Job," Making Music Your Own (You Say When records—split single w/ The Jennifers) 1995
Compilations
- "Skin Is Color Blind," "Imperfect Love," "Butcher's Daughter," Antipop: NY Underground (Fang) 1988
[These tracks are on Magumbo Meatpie, possibly in slightly different mixes.] - "Queen of the Ant Race," "Minds Are Made of This," Thirsty Ears: Fang Records Bands Live at the Knitting Factory (Fang) 1991
[This collection also features Holt, Fisherman and Kotik as members of several of the other bands.] - "At The Mall," The Machines: Simple Machines 7"s (1990-1993) (Simple MachinesSimple MachinesSimple Machines was a record label that operated out of Arlington, Virginia. The label was masterminded by Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson and, at its peak, had four paid workers- Toomey, Thomson, Pat Graham and Mickey Menard...
) 1993 [track from Pulley EP] - "Hepsaba's Compass," radio performance, They Came, They Played, They Blocked The Driveway (WFMU) 1993
- "Box," Lemon Lime vol.1 (SpinArt) 1995 [track from The Yellow Tape]
- Song unknown, Listener Supported (Cassette), (You Say When) 1996
- "Over," "Tension," "Moisture," Come and Get It (Hairy Records) 1996 ["Tension" also on second version of Bingham's Hole.]
- "Over," Greenlight Go (Bottle Cap) 1996
- "Moisture," Eyesore: A Stab at the Residents (Vaccination) 1996
- "Christmas Song," "Christmas Song (Catskills version)," All-Star Holiday (Tarquin Records) 1997
[These tracks may only feature Adam Elk.] - "It's Okay," San Francisco: A Music City Compilation (Trocadero Records) 1998 [track from Bingham's Hole]
- "Blind Like A Camera," Tiny Idols (Snowglobe Records) 2005 [track from Coming Into Beauty]