With strong blues influences, the Detroit-based band The Muggs rocks hard and rocks often.
The trio will be performing in Lansing at The Temple Club, 500 E. Grand River Ave., on March 10 with The Paybacks and Johnny Headband.
Guitar player Danny Methric and bass player Tony DeNardo recently conversed with The State News about music, Detroit and other issues.
The State News: Beatles or Elvis?
Danny Methric: The Beatles are definitely the greatest band ever, that's for sure.
But a good case could be made that, if it wasn't for Elvis, who we also love, there wouldn't have been a Beatles. So it's a draw. The Beatles did kick the Rolling Stones' ass good and proper, though.
SN: How have your contacts with other Detroit bands helped the group's popularity after only one album?
Tony DeNardo: Detroit bands have such love and respect for one another that it makes the scene a really creative place to develop your own sound.
We made a lot of friends that happen to be in bands because The Muggs love live music so much. We support our friends, and our friends support The Muggs.
SN: What should audience members expect to hear and see at The Muggs' Lansing show at The Temple Club on March 10?
DM: Well, we haven't been to Lansing in a long time, so you can definitely expect some new songs that we have written for our forthcoming record.
Plus, it's a great lineup, so I expect all three bands to be at the top of their game. It's going to be a hot show.
SN: You guys refer to yourself as the ugliest band in the world. But how do you believe the group's appearance compares with Kiss — without the makeup?
DM: We're pretty ugly, but we're not that ugly. Our "Ugliest Band in The World" moniker is actually our humorous take on Kiss' "Hottest Band in the World" intro.
It seemed funny, only to us, to start off every show with that announcement, and it kind of became our slogan. In reality, we're very fetching, strapping young lads.
SN: How do you see the Detroit music scene progressing?
TD: I would hope that more Detroit bands get discovered and can make enough money to do what they love for a living. That's our plan as well.
The music industry is in such chaos right now that it might be a good time for bands to seek different ways to get their sound out to the masses, for example MySpace.com.
I always said though that making it big is like winning the lottery — you gotta do it because you love it.
SN: If the band had the opportunity to play with any musician — dead or alive — who would it be?
TD: We would have loved to sit in with the old blues legends. Legends like Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters. Even some British blues legends like Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac or The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation.
For us, music is all about having roots. We all started out as blues cats and built out from there.
If you don't have solid roots, a good foundation, then you sound like 90 percent of the radio today, and we respect music too much to let that happen.
SN: How would you describe your sound, and who are the band's biggest influences, musical or otherwise?
DM: Tony, Matt (drummer) and I all come from a blues background, and our music reflects that.
We like to write a modern version of the blues of yore. Subsequently, our influences are bands who had the same commitment to bluesy rock — bands like Humble Pie, ZZ Top, Cactus, Free, Savoy Brown and of course (Jimi) Hendrix and Zepp (Led Zeppelin). These are definitely our heroes.
