Kawl interviews with groups from all over the place.... maybe you've heard of them... maybe not.... but all are worthy of their spot on this page.... Read on: (you'll probably notice all the questions asked by Marie M. are the same... that's how we do things here.... makes the answers more interesting & shows how diverse these groups are!)

Mummer = West Coast

Marie: If you can, can you compare Mummer to any other groups?

Mummer: We sound a little like Marcy Playground, Jellyfish and XTC all rolled into one.

Marie: Who are the members of Mummer and their story?

Brian Jones: Bass guitar & backing vocals. Brian designs web pages for a living (which may be evident if you've seen our web site at http://www.mummer.com). Although he is the quiet one of the group he can speak at great lengths about his infatuation with Sandra Bullock. Also, Brian can be seen taking the jumps on his dirt bike motorcycle along side Jeff on occasion.

Kevin Shobe: Keyboards, guitar & backing vocals. Kevin is what we call a technical guru, mostly because he knows just about everything you can know about just about every piece of music equipment on the market. He's also responsible for singing those really high harmonies in our song.

David Arellano: Drums. David is not only known for his excellent drumming but also for his strange disappearance. For about 4 months or so the band could not find hide nor hair of David, then out of the blue he reappeared causing us to believe that the only explaination must be ALIEN ABDUCTION!

Marie: or maybe a fit of amnesia

Jeff Castanon (me): Lead vocals & guitar. Well what can a person write about himself that is revealing yet understated? I guess I'm responsible for putting the band together about 4 years ago and I am the songwriter for the group. I write software for a living, love motorcycles and chinese food. I'm also a big fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Cirque Du Soleil (French/Canadian circus from Canada).

Marie: How did Mummer get its name?

Mummer: I had read the word mummer in the book, "The Vampire Lestat" by Anne Rice. Seeing as I had never seen that word before I decided to do a little investigative work. As it turns out a mummer is a person who performs while dressed in costume, make-up or masks. I believe that mummers originated in England and they would perform plays on historical events on the street for whoever cared to watch. Since I'm a big fan of street performers and stage make-up I found the name interesting enough to use for the band.

Marie: What is the thrust of your lyrical message?

Mummer: I find myself writing mostly about relationships but I try to put a twist in the lyrics to make them interesting. There is nothing I dislike more than hearing, writing or reading lyrics that I've heard before. I also try write lyrics that help people to realize how great it is to be alive and to get the most out of life (corny, I know, but sincere). Every once in a while I'll write about dreamlike worlds like in our songs "Acrobat" and "Nine More Minutes".

Marie: that's kawl.... ppl are so fed up with gray music.

Marie: Where do they come from?

Mummer: Many of my ideas for the lyrics come from personal experiences, books and movies. I like to sit quietly and just think. Sometimes an idea will just pop into my head and I'll exaggerate or expand on it. It only makes it to being a finished song if I get a lump in my throat, then I feel it's ready.

Marie: What do you think of the music scene today?

Mummer: Well, I have to admit that most of what I hear on the radio isn't very interesting to me. Every once in awhile I'll hear a band and I'll get excited about their music because it sounds fresh or different but that doesn't happen as often as I'd like. As far as the whole music scene is concerned I see some GREAT things happening with the popularity of the internet. Mummer got e-mail from someone in Germany wanting a CD the other day. That would never happen without the internet.

Marie: What are you currently reading?

Mummer: I just finished reading a book of interviews with Eddie Van Halen but I'm looking for a good scary novel to sink my teeth into!

Thanx a lot! Don't forget to go to their web site to find out more. It looked like they have a lot of concerts... so make sure you catch them if you like in CA usa.

Turnstyle = East Coast

Catch the Interview here: Turnstyle Interview ! Neat little band from Jersey usa