Earlier this summer, Mungion debuted their first proper live release, with Live Fun Vol. 1, but all the while, they’ve been hard at work in the studio recording their second proper album. “We have spent the last ~15 months grinding away in different cities, studios, and apartments are very proud of the way the whole thing turned out,” shares the band’s guitarist/vocalist Justin Reckamp. “There’s a little something for everybody here – some tracks are funky, others heavy. Often times, multiple genres are represented inside one tune; that’s the essence of what we do, and the records’ diversity is something we are very proud of.”
Ferris Wheel’s Day Off, due out October 5th, 2018 was produced across a few different home studio and apartment setups, spanning over a year’s time. The band usually tours as a quartet – comprised of Joe Re (keyboards/vocals), Sean Carolan (bass/vocals) and Matt Kellen (drums/vocals) alongside Reckamp – but for the record, Mungion wanted to bolster their sound and ultimately invited 10 musical friends to participate on the LP, which is inclusive of a horn section. Additionally, just about every track has some sort of gag or breath of humor, in Mungion’s true tongue-in-cheek fashion.
“The record was produced by our good friend, Ben Factor,” elaborates Reckamp. “He was present throughout the entire process, giving feedback and advice on the music, takes and arrangements. Listen closely and you may even hear him on some vocal harmonies back there in the mix!”
Glide is thrilled to premiere Mungion’s “Makanda,” from Ferris Wheel’s Day Off (below). The band incorporates an earful of musical pyrotechnics and instrumental workouts, creating an enduring festival vibe. With their legit roots sound, Mungion recalls the fast-paced musical conversations of prior string-based bluegrass outfits along with more current ambassadors like Punch Brothers and Avett Brothers.
“The song was inspired from my first trip down to Makanda, IL (a town in southern Illinois) back in 2010. More specifically – when my girlfriend and I had gotten lost on a hike about 20 miles outside Makanda in a place called “The Little Grand Canyon” in Pomona, IL,” describes Carolan. “I think everyone owes it to themselves to get lost in the Shawnee National Forest at least once in their life. The town Makanda and the area that surrounds it has some magic in my eyes and I suggest visiting if you got the time.
“The song, with the skeleton being written before Mungion had really started, came to life through a lot of re-working and evolving throughout time,” adds Carolan. “Justin Reckamp (guitarist of Mungion) and I had gotten together a few different occasions early on and helped co-write the tune into what it is now. Justin added some really cool Western swing instrumental sections that gave the tune something the band could really dig into and make our own. Thinking back to when we started playing together in high school, Justin and I and always drew big inspiration from bluegrass music.”
“It was an absolute honor to have the guest musicians come in and do their thing with it. Really a bit of a dream come true; Patrick Lyons (fiddle), Philip Roach (banjo), and Pete Smith (pedal steel) each added a tremendous voice to the track. Listening to them play through the tune was probably my favorite part of recording this album.”
“Makanda” is out digitally tomorrow (9/14/18) and pre-order for vinyl (the band’s second pressing to wax) is going on now.
MUNGION –Tour Dates
9/26 – Columbus, OH – Woodlands Tavern
9/27 – Pittsburgh, PA – Cattivo
9/28 – Erie, PA – Kings Rook
9/29 – Schuylkill Haven, PA – Meeting of the Minds
10/1 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi
10/3 – Detroit, MI – El Club *
10/4 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation *
10/5 – Chicago, IL – Concord *
10/6 – Covington, KY – Madison Theater *
10/7 – Louisville, KY – Diamond Ball Room
10/24 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom ^
10/25 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Lounge ^
10/26 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair ^
10/27 – Albany, NY – The Hollow ^
10/31 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory ^
11/1 – Asbury Park, NJ – Wonder Bar ^
11/2 – Washington, D.C. – Union Stage ^
11/3 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry ^
11/29 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Ballroom *
11/30 – Minneapolis, MN – First Ave *
12/1 – Omaha, NE – Waiting Room *
12/5 – Fort Collins, CO – Hodi’s ^
12/6 – Frisco, CO – 10 Mile Music Hall
12/7 – Steamboat Springs, CO – Old Town Pub ^
12/8 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre ^
* w/ The Motet
^ w/ Aqueous
