“My older sister Lea was the one who first discovered our parents’ vinyl collection.”
“It was the mid-to-late ’80s, I wasn’t yet 10, and most likely still listening to MC Hammer tapes. I knew the Beatles, the Stones, and Motown from hearing my mom play those tapes in the car. But when big sis unearthed those boxes and gave the record collection a prominent place in our living room, it brought those artists and their music to life.
Twenty five years later, I still value the experience of putting on a record and having the music be the focus of the moment. That was one of the reasons Mutts starting pressing vinyl. I wanted to make our records an experience—so I put a lot into designing the packaging, and with each pressing we tried a new technique for the wax itself.
It’s exciting to see what other artists are doing when they press vinyl. It’s fun to pick up a new record and discover a translucent fish bowl glitter pressing or a Neapolitan three-color stripe. Budget-wise, I’m more of a pre-loved vinyl collector. But I like to buy records from bands we play with, and that’s where I’m seeing a lot of really creative vinyl pressings.
Whenever we’re on the road and have some time to kill before a show we head to a record store. I’m always on the lookout for records by my favorite keys players. Some of my proudest finds are original pressings of The Heart of Saturday Night by Tom Waits, Genius + Soul = Jazz by Ray Charles, Little Criminals by Randy Newman, and Right Place, Wrong Time by Dr. John.”
—Mike Maimone
The new EP from Mutts, “Stick Together” arrives in stores today, September 12, 2017.
