94 fans
To their loyal fans, some of which often follow them to catch multiple gigs, The Mommyheads have it all: impeccable songwriting, inventive arrangements, thought-provoking lyrics, and a level of musicianship that makes even the most intricate time signatures seem easy. They are the kind of band who can learn a song by King Crimson, Genesis, or Supertramp during soundcheck, and make the audience think it's probably one of their own deep cuts.
The Mommyheads were formed in New York by Adam Cohen (later calling himself Adam Elk, to avoid confusion with Leonard Cohen's son).
Following a few line-up changes, the band found themselves based in San Fransisco, their lineup now consisting of Elk (vocals, guitar, main songwriter), Dan Fisherman (drums, percussion, vocals), Michael Holt (keyboards, vocals) and Jeff Palmer (bass).
Fisherman and Holt had already played together in The Connotations, whereas Palmer had been in Sister Double Happiness.
Following a string of well-received independent releases in different formats, The Mommyheads made their funkiest album to date, Bingham's Hole, which made further waves on US college radio, and toured extensively. By now, their sound had evolved into a highly original blend, seamlessly moving between influences by quirky British pop geniuses XTC, and Americana pioneers, The Band.
Bingham's Hole came to the attention of esteemed produced, Don Was, who helped them secure a deal with major label Geffen Records. The following year, Was produced two bands: The Rolling Stones and The Mommyheads, whose self-titled album was released on Geffen in 1997.
Major backing did, however, end up being the kiss of death for the band. After initial big time backing & budget, the band was overlooked by the big label machine. The band soldiered on, writing an albums' worth of songs for a potential follow-up, but lost heart, and disbanded. They had, however, already made their mark on music lovers around the globe. Like every cult band worth its salt, the band turned out to have passionate hardcore fans in unexpected places, including Sweden, where the Geffen album had received rave reviews, been played by DJ's in bars, as well as a lot of airplay on national radio.
Elk was encouraged to start writing again, resulting in a solo album, Labello, as well as a reunion album, You're Not a Dream, consisting of the songs that had been written ten years earlier. Soon, The Mommheads noticed a demand in northern Europe. Mainly Scandinavia, where they recorded the pilot for a Swedish TV series, Live From Polar Studios, shot at ABBA's legendary state-of-the-art studio, and since have toured extensively on an annual basis.
Since their 2008 reunion, The Mommyheads have released eight (!) fine albums of new material, the bulk of which was written by the ever-prolific Elk, with some fine contributions from Holt, also a highly talented solo artist in his own right.
In 2010, Palmer was replaced by Jason McNair on bass, and in 2021, multi instrumentalist Jackie Simons joined the fold – first as a touring musician due to Holt's unwillingness to fly, now a full-time member.
The band's 2023 release, Coney Island Kid, is a semi-conceptual album about Brooklyn in the 70's, as well as Elk's childhood and coming of age. It may be their finest effort yet.
The Mommyheads move effortlessly between indie, power pop, nods to the British new wave era of the early 80's, classic rock and prog – sometimes within the space of one song.
In a fast-moving media climate where few people take the time to really digest music like they used to, there's still something to be said for music that actually grows on you with repeated listens. The Mommyheads' songs do.
/ Anders Lundquist
