Jake Mott keeps busy. He needs to. Just one or even two bands aren’t enough…playing in eight is more like it. And running a tape label on top of that. On any given weekend he might be playing two or three gigs in or around town. If he has a free day, he wants to start a new band with it. From Dino Bravo scuzz to indie rock in Single Player or Nectar, to Bad Catman or Wolf Luv, Mott is a lovely addition to every band he plays in. But if he was to have full creative control over one band, he would make hardcore that is a goofy as it is easy to slam to, and that is exactly what he does as the frontman in Gnargoyle.
“I really wanted to sing for another band, and a band where nothing is taken seriously,” Mott said. “There weren’t enough bands in this town singing about jacking off and pizza.”
Since the band’s first show, a generator gig on top of an Urbana parking garage last summer with Wolf Luv (the other band in town singing about jacking off) and Belleville hardcore stars Lumpy and the Dumpers, songs have been written, stunts pulled off and a tape put together, to be released on Mott’s Kuloolu Records tonight at their tape release show at Thee Deathtower.
Mott has adapted easily to the role of punk frontman (“You just change your facial hair every show, you find a good high kick you can do, and that’s about it.”) and also to running a label, something two of his roommates at one point were already doing. Mott said he found his niche in the local community of labels.
“It’s all been local-punk-centric… You have Heirship doing a lot of the hip-hop stuff and the bar scene stuff, and then Error and Skeletal Lightning both are working a lot with national touring dudes, and I really only have desire right now to only put out bands that I like from pretty much around here”
So far, Kuloolu has put out a compilation of Presidents of the USA covers and a Bookmobile tape. Why tapes? They’re cheaper to make and punks buy them, which “gives [Jake] a lot more pizza to eat at the end of the day.”
The next tape to come out on Kuloolu will be Gnargoyle’s first recording, Junk Food, As Mott described it, the songs are “heavy, fun, weird and just goofy as shit.”
“Lyrically I think I’m super influenced by Sloppy Seconds, this old junk-punk band from the 70s and 80s,” he said. “People that only make serious music are missing out. If you can’t find it within yourself to have a sense of humor about music then you’re doing it wrong.”
With such tracks as “Mr. Pee Pants” and “Butt Puppet,” there is much hilarity to be found on this particular tape, however, despite his claims against seriousness, Jake does do a lot of hard work in the local punk scene — even if for him it’s just for fun. He even prefers gigs to sleep.
“Sleep’s not worth it,” Mott said. “I could just be playing more music in different basements with my friends.”
Check out Gnargoyle tonight at Thee Deathtower.