Following the critical successes of the Maximum Black EP in 1999 and the People Get Ready LP in 2000, garage-rockers The Mooney Suzuki looked poised to walk down fame's yellow brick road - the White Stripes holding one hand and The Strokes the other.
For whatever reason, that happy dream didn't quite materialize for The Mooney Suzuki. A cynic would say that it's because they haven't the knack for poppy rhythm which is - and let no one tell you different - the basis of all popular rock 'n' roll. Sammy James Jr., the band's lead singer, would tell you it's because "In 1998, when we started, we were one of three bands doing this. In 2000, we were one of 300 million."
Following those disappointments, the band grew impatient, and in 2004, released Alive & Amplified. For this record, they teamed with the L.A. production team known as The Matrix, responsible for such rock 'n' roll masterworks as "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne and "The Math" from Hilary Duff. In the understated words of James Jr., "[The Matrix] might have been more receptive to our sonic ideas."
Though conceived as pop-rock, Alive & Amplified sounded by turns like Motown-does-rock and by others like a vulgar Spinal Tap parody. The worst part of it was that selling-out didn't actually sell, and the extent of their success was a week on the UK singles chart.
At this point, things looked pretty dire for The Mooney Suzuki. "We'd been doing it for seven, eight years, and it finally reached a point where Sony Records in the US wouldn't let us do another tour or release a second single," said James Jr. between shows in a recent phoner. "The band was falling apart and family members were falling ill. Basically, everything that could go wrong did go wrong."
Despite these setbacks, the band persevered and soon signed a deal with V2 Records (of The White Stripes fame). Around this time, The Mooney Suzuki's membership began to fragment. The long-time drummer gave up the dream and moved to Detroit. At times, according to James Jr., the band utilized "tag-team bass players, with one standing on the side of the stage, learning the songs, while the other played the show."
Fate has vouchsafed one parting shot, as the recent dissolution of V2 Records has put the band's latest album on six-month hiatus. Even so, James Jr. remains optimistic, saying, "Rock 'n' roll is an energy like fire. Fire was never born and it will never die. We can rub things together and create fire if we're lucky."
Asked to give a preview of their February 19th Philadelphia show, James Jr. said, "Expect a shitload of music, a mind-blowing, monumental set. The Mount Rushmore of rock 'n' roll." Hyperbole? Just a bit. But with a band like The Mooney Suzuki, that's part of the charm.
