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The Mofones: Authentic Rock by Charlie Butcosk I was in high school, there were about three local bands that we would travel miles and miles to see over and over again. They didn't have any 7"s, they didn't have a CD, it was just a bunch of our friends playing music with bands that we thought were equally obscure. Most of the bands that they played with would be around for a year or two, play or write an amazing set of songs, and eventually break up without recording anything. The music was entirely about coming out and supporting the bands, not because it was more "pure" that way, but because not many people had the money for even limited vinyl or CD pressings. So when I talked to Mike Shanley from the Mofones about his band and Pittsburgh in general, it occurred to me that things haven't changed much: Bands still go out there every week to play shows and to get a following without recorded material. Countless bands call every paper in the city, flyer every telephone poll, and post to every message board to introduce people to their music. The Mofones are one of these bands. The Mofones haven't recorded anything except a song on the recent WRCT compilation and are still able to consistently draw medium-sized crowds to their gigs, a fact that counters most modern concepts of how band promotion works. In the world after mp3s, where bands are content to promote their show by posting to message boards saying, "Dude, we're playing this show, come check us out, we sound like Les Savvy Fav meets GnR," it's refreshing to see a band that's not concerned about becoming the next Strokes or the next White Stripes and hits the streets to get their shows promoted. There's no one way to describe the Mofones' sound. As Mike puts it, "We're loud, and we're kind of noisy, but we try to retain some hook to the music. I want it to be catchy in addition to sounding like that." Though tough to classify, each member brings such a startlingly diverse set of influences to the band -- from mid-80s punk to modern singer-songwriters -- that it's no surprise they've gotten such a large local following. It's about going out and playing and sharing music with the people who come to their shows. Their clever lyrical aesthetic, their innate sense of humor and musical hooks -- if you haven't seen this band yet, you're missing an integral part of what music is all about. So now that AB Coffeehouse is making its triumphant return to the Carnegie Mellon campus, wear whatever you want or wear nothing and run -- don't walk -- to the Connan Room on Tuesday to see the Mofones and Lost Weekend. The show is free, so what're you waiting for? If they get famous, you'll get to pick up an extra three scene points when you tell your friends "Yeah, I saw them way back when." If they don't get famous, you get to do what everyone should be doing anyway: coming out and supporting the bands and expanding your musical horizons. It's worth mentioning two other shows that are happening later this week: the Modey Lemon CD release show (at the Brew House on the Southside, 7:30) and the Roboto Benefit show (at Roboto, 6:45), both this Friday. If you don't see either of these shows, your right to complain about "how the scene sucks, dude" is immediately revoked. You have been warned.
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