My Fighting Weight

Mumble claim roots in Ann Arbor, MI, but they were actually born in the tiny community of Michigan Center where frontman John Hawthorne met Rick Camburn on the “out” bench during an 8th grade game of dodgeball. Noticing a kindred disinterest in athletics, John asked Rick if he’d like to learn to play bass. Rick answered with a resounding “probably.” Some time later, perpetually youthful percussionist Landon Ewers was plucked from carefree childhood by the elder pair. The trio crossed paths with effervescent guitarist Eric Empson (formerly with the Hopescope) during summer 2005 at a David Bowie tribute concert in Ypsilanti. Drummer Vic Kinsey bonded with Hawthorne while working together at a local print shop.

Since assembling, Mumble have administered their peculiar salve of pop, prog, punk, and psychedelia (the four P’s of rock, in no particular order) to anyone who would dare listen. Crafty, oddball arrangements, hooks with layered complexity, and endless points of reference are all delivered while rocking like it was purely for fun. “If it weren’t music, it would be especially lovely junk sculpture,” said one critic. The band’s new Happy Living album is a 50 minute cage match of melody vs. math, passion vs. precision, all tied to a nimble mind for storytelling.

Hawthorne possesses an everyman’s voice, plain and sincere. It’s a limitation he uses to great advantage, making the careworn stories behind songs like “I Got a Woman” utterly believable as first-person confessionals. Hawthorne’s ear for harmony arrangements is unsurpassed, meriting comparisons to old-school, vocal-forward rock bands like the Raspberries, Queen or Sweet. His lyrics are both razor sharp and playful. "Daffodil" is a lush and beautiful song with a harsh assessment of a crumbling relationship. "Bloodletters' Town Hall" wonders when a judgmental flock will realize that Jesus is in their midst. “Big Blue Ball,” however, finds lucky spacefarers heaving sighs of relief after narrowly escaping the destruction of Earth aboard their interstellar ark. “Mad Drivers” evokes the frenetic chaos of a Keystone Cops caper.

There are transcendent guitar-pop moments and knockout drumming, too. The grand surf-pomp of “In It Now” is a showcase for Empson’s rafter-shaking guitar. “My Fighting Weight” unlocks layers and moods of Empson’s playing with repeated headphone excursions, while pop confection “Claire (She Don’t)” offers immediate gratification. The band’s two drummers both shine. Ewers’ showcases include the madcap “Mad Drivers” and time-twisting “Channel Swimmer.” Vic Kinsey’s note-perfect drumming for “I Got a Woman” fits right in the pocket, while his muscular work on “Big Blue Ball” stuns. Bassist Camburn is the rock-solid linchpin tying arrangements together, stepping forward on locomotive tracks like “Cost-Benefit Analysis” and the sublime “Child Giant.”

Visit http://www.marathonrecords.com/mumble for concert dates, lyrics and other press assets.