The Mundanes were an early-1980s Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

-based New Wave

New Wave music

New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 band featuring future They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...

 member John Linnell

John Linnell

John Sidney Linnell is an American musician, is known primarily as one half of Brooklyn, New York alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants...

. They released one single called Make it the Same, featuring three songs, "Make it the Same," "Funnier Than Love," and "Empty Boulevards."

The band had six members: John Andrews, Marsha Armitage, Jonathan Gregg, John Linnell, Dean Lozow, and Kevin Tooley. Marsha Armitage was the lead vocalist. The band was initially based in Providence (several of the band members attended Brown University) and played locally in the Boston-Providence area. The band generated tremendous energy and had a devoted following.

In 1981 the band relocated to New York City. Drummer Kevin Tooley was replaced by Peter Clemente, and Jim Gillson replaced John Linnell on keyboards following Linnell's departure to form "They Might Be Giants." The band continued to gig in New England and played frequently in New York City venues, including CBGB. David Hemmings

David Hemmings

David Edward Leslie Hemmings was an English film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director and producer....

, who had previously managed Pat Travers

Pat Travers

Patrick Henry "Pat" Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career with Polydor Records in the mid-1970s...

 and Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...

, took on the band's management. They recorded a demo at RCA Studios, produced by Mick Ronson

Mick Ronson

Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...

, that attracted record label attention, but the band remained unsigned and ultimately broke up in mid-1983.

Live pictures can be accessed at http://www.museumofidiots.com/john/mundanes/pics/live/ and mp3's are accessible at http://www.museumofidiots.com/john/mundanes/mp3s/.

External links

• The Mundanes on This Might Be A Wiki
• Museum of Idiots