Over it’s twenty year career, Mustard Plug has seen at least eleven band mates come and go, but Dave Kirchgessner and Colin Clive, original founding members and chief song writers have remained the same. Another thing that has remained the same? The feel-good, dance your butt off music, coupled with a great live show.
Now, the group consists of Brandon Jenison (trumpet), Jim Hofer (trombone), Nate Cohn (drums), and Rick Johnson (bass), in addition to Kirchgessner (vocals) and Clive (guitar/vocals). I interviewed Jim Hofer, about the secret of their longevity and why they always seem to be bowling in advance of their May 11th show at the Firebird.
SLM: Way back in ’91 or ’92 Dave said his goal with his music was to get people out of their seats to dance and have fun. Is that still the goal of the band or do you have a wider agenda like keeping ska alive, or spreading some sort of message?
JH: I don’t think it’s much different. We may have some messages in our music, but essentially we just do this because we love it and we want people to lighten up and have fun.
SLM: What is your favorite song to cover?
JH: I like covering “Waiting Room” by Fugazi. One of the best songs ever!
SLM: Any words or phrases people use to describe your music or you guys that really annoys you? Dave is often described as a “nice guy from the suburbs” is that annoying or accurate?
JH: People should know better than to call us annoying names because Dave is not nice or from the suburbs!
SLM: Your bass player, Rick Johnson once described ska as “fast, dumbed up reggae” do you all agree with that? Does Rick want to modify/clarify his definition?
Rick Johnson: Nope I still stand by that statement.
JH: I think that’s fairly accurate.
SLM: What was sadder: When you were banned from Warped Tour or when you sold your van for $100?
JH: We’re not actually banned from Warped Tour. They just never let us play. It was pretty sad selling the old van to a junkyard after 310,000 miles, but we like to celebrate it’s life.
St. Louis Magazine: I understand that you guys focus your touring on Thursday-Sunday now. Is that a big change from your previous tour schedule? Why did you make the change?
Jim Hofer: We are all older now, some with wives and kids. It’s just harder for us to get out. If we made a lot of money that might be different, but we need other jobs to pay our bills.
SLM: What is the hardest part about keeping a band going for 20 years?
JH: A band is kind of like a marriage. Imagine being married to 5 other dudes! Sometimes you tend to get sick of each other. But communication is important. As is cuddling.
SLM: Why is there usually such a long break between albums for you guys? What is your song writing method?
JH: We’re just really slow at writing. We tend to drink and talk more at practice than play music. Basically someone brings in a song they wrote and we sit around and talk about it.
SLM: You guys have played living room shows with five people and arenas. Do you prefer large shows or more intimate venues? What makes up the ideal crowd for you?
JH: I think the best is kind of going back and forth between big and small shows. It keeps things interesting. Sort of like building up our egos and then knocking them down. The ideal crowd for us is one that moves and makes noise.
SLM: What was one of your best shows?
JH: Playing in front of 10,000 people for Summer of Ska was awesome! That show where the 2 kids jumped on stage to show us their extra nipples was cool too.
SLM: You guys always seem to be talking about bowling. Is that your favorite sport?
JH: We like doing things that involve drinking. How many other sports can you drink while playing them?
SLM: Biggest regret?
JH: There was a major label who wanted to take us out one night in New York to try to sign us. I wish we would have went and gotten some free food and drinks from them.
SLM: Remember any notable shows that you previously had in St. Louis?
JH: I’ve always liked playing St. Louis. MU330 has a lot to do with that, as they have always been good friends of ours. One show I remember is the “Ska Against Racism” show in St. Louis. It was on May 5th which, for those of you who don’t know, is a holiday called Cinco De Mustache. Less Than Jake gave out awards for mustaches that night – I believe we won for best band effort. Teamwork!!
SLM: For the show on May 11th Are you going to mostly play stuff off of In Black and White or can people expect some of your older stuff too from Evil Doers Beware, Yellow #5, Pray for Mojo and the like?
JH: We always play stuff off all our albums, even though we like the new stuff best!
SLM: Anything you want to add?
JH: Come on out and rock with us St. Louis! Oh, and Rob from MU330? I owe you a frog!
UPDATE: Jim told me the video below for Mr. Smiley was made by a fan, so I have attached another that is bona fide Mustard Plug.
