Saturday, February 16, 2008

Mammatus @ The Ottobar

The first time I saw Mammatus I knew had stumbled into something special. I walked into an Om/ Pearls and Brass show and saw a bunch of guys on stage wearing robes and cloaks that were patterned like 1970s living room drapery. One of them was holding a massive wooden staff and peered out at the members of the audience with a cock-eyed and somewhat menacing grin. He traced random designs in the air with his sceptre as the band played their set. I was familiar with the band's music but had never seen them live. I assumed that the stick-wielding lunatic was the group's singer. But no. He was simply part of their show. Brilliant.

Mammatus are from some random unincorporated corner of California's Santa Cruz County. A better origin for such lysergia I could never imagine. If you haven't had a chance to check these guys out live, you really need to do yourself the favor. If you have indeed seen them before please comment and tell your tale.

Today's download is a show from April 23, 2007 at The Ottobar in Baltimore, MD. Mammatus was on tour opening for Acid Mothers Temple. There's a couple of technical difficulties during the set, a faulty drum pedal is one of the culprits, but it's not enough to derail the Mammatus experience.

Click here!

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