Hey friends,
Mouth Of Wilson is still alive and well, though it's been quiet from a shows standpoint of late.  We have been hard at work (huh, huh) recording a new album, which we hope to have done by the end of the year.  This has been taking up a lot of time, and we want to have a new set of material we're excited about before we start gigging full time again.  So please be patient with us as we suss it out, and finish what we hope to be our best batch of songs yet.  We can't wait to share this music with you all.
Cheers from the studio.
MOW-Chris, Joe, Simon, Jim

Hello friends and fans, future fans, as well as our many random visitors...

We're happy to announce the addition of Jim Gaven to the MOW family. Jim is already a polished solo artist as well as a veteran of the Hamilton, NJ band Postmark Twain, and we're honored to have him. Jim is every bit as excited as we are to be joining forces, our initial rehearsals are going better than we could have hoped, and the ideas floweth and songs taketh shape.

Look for us to play some shows soon, and who knows, maybe we'll add another guitarist as well.

We can't wait to share our new material with more and more of you, and hopefully record some of it for posterity before too long.

Cheers, Namaste, Happy Spring and Rock N Roll to all....

Chris, Joe, Simon, Jim
MOUTH OF WILSON

Greetings Friends, Foes, and Family:

While a few of you may already be privy to the following information, we wanted to make an official statement regarding the departure of guitarist, Devin Rosa, from the ranks of Mouth Of Wilson.   It was a mutual decision between Devin and the band to part ways at a time as convenient as possible for us all.   We of course appreciate everything Devin has given the band since its inception, and wish him the best of luck in his future, musically and otherwise.   We will keep you abreast of his future projects and will do all we can to support him.  

Rest assured, Mouth Of Wilson will soldier on and we've got some exciting plans on the horizon which we'll share as we suss it all out.   In the meantime, we'll be playing some acoustic shows this fall so keep an eye out...

Chris, Simon, Steve, Joe
Mouth Of Wilson 

Interview with Simon from MOW by Chimere Holmes of Play Magazine in Philadelphia, regarding the band and its debut album released independently earlier this year.....


C: Simon, give me some overall thoughts on the final product (album)
S: Overall, it was just a great experience for everyone in the band, we all grew a lot as a whole and individuals making it, and it really forced us to focus on what we wanted to say and how we wanted to first present ourselves. We were very lucky to work with our friend and producer Michael Kianka, who really helped us navigate through the process and get our songs as tight as possible. It can a tough process at times, and we starting recording together only a few months after getting together as a band, so we like to call what we did "band boot camp". Overall, I think the songs do most of the talking which is what we were all shooting for, I mean, we don't have any virtuosos in the band, but the chemistry is real and something we don't take for granted. We only hope to continue to grow, both as performers and writers. The album really is, and I know a lot of people say this and don't mean it, but it truly is a collaboration of what we all do and it wouldn't be the same without all of us.


C: What was some of the inspiration behind the album?
S: Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I think the album to me, now that I can listen as a whole, finished product, is about change. Relationships, work, school, family, it's all in there…learning how to make tough choices, how to survive, how to deal with getting older. And apparently, jello and pudding as well.

C: How would you describe MOW from the music to the lyrics? What makes this album special for you guys? What type of collaboration or work process took place?
S: Well, again, I guess it often depends on who starts the songs. Joe brought in a number of completed compositions, and we just arranged them. And I had one on there similar. And Chris and Devin have been writing as a team for years. So we were forced to learn how to interpret different types of material, and have it all sound like "us", this was maybe a struggle at first, but we've learned to embrace our different types of songs. I believe it's one of the strengths of the band. I think we all kinda know this is the best thing we've been apart of, and it's cool, as music fans, to make something lasting, even on a small scale, something to leave behind. Just the fact that this record exists at all is special enough for me.


C: What makes MOW's sound different from the next rock band?
S: Well, that's tough…hmm, I guess when I compare us to a lot of local unsigned bands as well as bands we've all been a part of, it's apparent it's just really really hard to write material that translates. You can buy a $10,000 guitar, but you can't buy chemistry. I know a lot of musicians who feel this way too. So I think our songs, mostly, a lot of that is chemistry we all feel at one time or another. I will also say there are a lot of great bands out there that not everyone gets to hear. But, I've seen crazier stage shows, and drum solos, and clothes, or whatever, but the fact that we work so hard arranging our material, and how picky we are, I hope this translates in getting people to like what we do which is what we all crave the most.

C: Has the album brought more notoriety for you guys?
S: It has, it was a big spike at first, but we got some college radio play, and we're getting into better venues, and it's a great calling card to leave behind. It's a long road, we all know that, but the bills are paid on it, so we'll just keep playing shows and trying to get more people to hear it.

C: What are some of your favorite cuts on the album and why? Also, what are some of the fans favorite cuts?
S: Well, fans of the band seem to like different songs. Not always what we expect. It's funny, I was driving home one day listening to a college radio station in the area, and I hear us come on, which was really cool, but they played "Stop Tripping" and it's the last one I thought would get played. But I think Heavy, Goodbye Hello, What's What, Not All In Vain, Talk To Me, those are the ones I see people singing along too from the stage. My favorite? Merry Christmas, the last song on the album. It's only Joe and Chris, but I like it best. It's the best song Joe's written.

C: Are there any sounds or topics MOW tends to steer away from?
S: Not as a rule, I think we just try to keep as open minded as possible. I remember Joe played a broken set of wind chimes on Heavy and we ran it backwards, making a really interesting sound. The song was originally brought in as a song Devin was working about taking the train to New York, we called it "The Train Song" when we were putting it together, and to me, the sound the chimes make reminded me of when I was a kid, and we'd put our head on the railroad tracks and you sometimes could hear a train a few miles away and the tracks kind of singing and vibrating a little. I thought that was cool. Devin played a great solo on Not All In Vain, but I remember saying "let's run it backwards, see what happens" and it was random and unexpected, but it worked. Devin hits an unexpected note in the beginning of What's What, but we all liked it and it suited the song, so the mistake became just what the doctor ordered.

C: What typically happens before and after one of your performances?
S: We show up, hope others do too, we play our best, then we go home or hang out if the drinks are cheap.

C: Where is your favorite place to perform in Philly and why?
S: Well the TLA was great, but I think we all like Grape Street because the sound system is great and the people doing it really dial it in. It's a great venue, and both Grape Street and the fans there really support local artists.

C: How dedicated is everyone in terms of promoting this latest project and producing new work?
S: We are writing all the time, and getting new songs together, some we play live now, and we have a bunch on the pile to still get to. We'd love to have the opportunity to make another album. As for promoting our first, we try our best, that's all we can do, try to be creative in ways to do what a label would otherwise. And we aren't rich enough to buy our way into big radio. No seriously, we want to play as much as possible and make new fans. We'd love to get signed, obviously, but for most bands and performers, it's not what most people think anymore. The internet has hurt a lot of labels and CD chains and big artists, but for 99% of musicians out there, it's never been easier to access music lovers and vice versa. And no matter how the record industry changes, people will always like to come see live music. One thing we did do early on was decide as a band to split songwriting credits evenly, like many of our idols like U2, Radiohead, Van Halen, Coldplay…so many famous and not-so-famous bands fall apart over money and other outside things besides simply playing music, and atleast we know if we make it, we all make it, or go down with the ship together.

C: How do you track your fan base? Is it rewarding to become more and more popular?
S: Well, our myspace page gives a gauge of how much people are listening. And we're selling CDs, the first pressing is almost gone. So, yeah, it's rewarding but we have a lot to do still.

C: Any valuable lessons learned about the music industry thus far? Any downfalls to being a rock band?
S: "No" is less and less scary the more you hear it. All bands big and small suffer the business end to keep the creative end going. Being in a band that's dedicated is hard work, no question.

C: Why should people get to know MOW? What pushes this band to keep making music?
S: Well, we like to think a lot of people will enjoy our music. And we're passionate about it. We make music because we love it, plain and simple.

C: First thing the band will do or buy when they make it?
S: In a lot of ways we have already, we keep all of our CD money and show money, we write want we want, and we aren't beholden to anyone. But if we got a hit single or something? I think we'd throw one hell of party, I know that much. I think my TV throwing days are over though. But maybe we'll get to do something really rock-and roll like staple some furniture to a hotel room ceiling someday. We could now I suppose, but the difference is, you have to be huge to get away with it.