Mofungo

Biography

Part no wave, part post-punk, Mofungo was an off-kilter noise band that worked in atonalities, squalling sax, and unsettling vocals. Mofungo "evolved" (rather than just formed) from a group called Blinding Headache, which was essentially a running jam session that took place in a New York University dormitory. Blinding Headache morphed into Mofungo when Rick Brown left to join Information. Their first release, the Elementary Particles EP, saw release in 1980 after the band had paid some dues by backing Nico. In 1981, the band released their first full-length album, End of the World. Partially mixed by the dB's' Chris Stamey, the album caught the attention of critic Robert Christgau, who managed to talk them up enough to get them a single release in the U.K. on Rough Trade. After 1982's Out of Line, the band went through a lineup shift, with Seth Gunning gone, drummer Jeff McGovern focusing on his other band, the Scene Is Now, and sax player A.C. Chubb leaving to start a family. The album, regardless of internal strain, contained "classic" Mofungo tracks that would become staples in the band's live show: "Three," "FBI Informant," and "Migrant Assembly Line Workers." Dwindled down to just two members, Robert Sietsama and Willie Klein set about enrolling new members to carry on. Joining Mofungo for the next era of the band's recording history were Chris Nelson and Phil Dray, and the band began a three-album relationship with Lost Records, under the larger umbrella of Twin/Tone. Frederick Douglass (1985), Messenger Dogs of the Gods (1986), and End of the World, Pt. 2 (1987) were all well-received, and the band followed the 1987 release with a tour of the Midwest in an RV driven by Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan. While quasi-member and producer Elliott Sharp was unable to make the trip through the heartland, he did manage to finagle the band a deal with then indie heavyweights SST, headed by former Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. The politically topical (attacks on Robert Bork and the air traffic controllers' strike, for example) Bugged (1988) was their first SST release, followed in 1989 with their final album, Work. In June 1992, Mofungo played their last show, at CBGB's in New York. ~ Christopher M. True, All Music Guide