Out
there, it's easy to get lost in your own little "wonderland of a
bubble," as Mammatus drummer Aaron Emmert, 26, puts it by phone from
his home. At the moment, Mammatus is building a recording studio in his
grandpa's former house and completing the mixing on the band's third
album.
"Growing up in Santa Cruz, homeschooled, you just take a lot for
granted," he explains. "We lived right across the street from Henry
Cowell State Park, so my whole childhood (with brother and Mammatus
guitarist Nicholas) was spent wandering around, catching frogs,
climbing trees and exploring.
"We just live our lives removed from what it normally is like for
people in bands. We record our own music - it's totally
self-contained."
But Mammatus isn't exactly trapped in its own bucolic biosphere. In
addition to forging firm ties with kindred Santa Cruz combos like New
Thrill Parade and Residual Echoes (Emmert once drummed for the latter),
Mammatus has toured with renown psych forebears such as Acid Mothers
Temple and released two well-received full-lengths, 2006's self-titled
debut and 2007's "The Coast Explodes," on highly regarded underground
imprint Holy Mountain.
Add in Mammatus' so-called "wizard phase," which climaxed with
hobbit-friendly finery, smoke-belching machinery and a staff-wielding
pal playing the wizard - a proudly over-the-top spectacle that has
fielded mixed reviews in the past - and you can bet that the ensemble
is ready for its next incarnation, one the group has been carefully
toiling on via its forthcoming prog-imbued recording.
"The new album is all about brain exploration," offers Emmert. "Man
wrestling with himself and his place in the universe." In fact, the
outfit has done its share of grappling with the tunes, recording the
disc once before touring, honing the songs onstage and then deciding to
rerecord the tracks. So the hundred lucky fans who bought a demo
cassette of the first version, which was sold on tour, ought to hold
onto it, Emmert adds casually. "It might be worth something."
9:30 p.m. Fri. $8. With Cave and Prize Hog. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk St., S.F. (415) 923-0923.
www.hemlocktavern.com.
This article appeared on page F - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle
By the way: "worth something" means like, 8 bucks.