One-man band, full-band sound

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

Expect the unexpected for Coeur d’Alene musician Thomas Mudrick’s upcoming gig at the 219 Lounge from 9-11 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24.

Mudrick has played in various bands since he was old enough to hold an instrument. He moved to Salem, Ore. when he was 4 years old and later formed a band called Nodding Tree Remedies before moving to Portland to play with the Sexy Water Spiders. After that, his band Mother Mariposa took off, touring with psych rock royalty The Dandy Warhols until the pandemic put the brakes on live music for a while.

The genres represented by those bands revolved around music that made people move: psych rock, punk, rock and any other type of music that sends butts flying from seats to the dance floor.

Thomas Mudrick, on a mission to get your butts on the dance floor. Courtesy photo.

“I love making people dance and having a good time,” Mudrick told the Reader. “That’s always my goal for the show. I get two hours at the 219 to make people dance and have fun and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

Mudrick moved to Coeur d’Alene several years ago and began playing with another band called Mount Crushmore, but has been perfecting his unique “one-man band” style as a soloist for the better part of eight years.

Just because he’s up there by himself doesn’t mean the sound isn’t as full as a band would make. Quite the contrary. Mudrick employs a phalanx of gadgets, instruments and intuitive energy to craft a live performance that’s almost as fun to watch as it is to listen to.

He has a bass and snare drum rigged onto a suitcase, which he plays with his feet while on stage. He also bought a special “submarine pickup,” which only recognizes one string on a guitar, meaning that when he routes that one string through octave and fuzz pedals, it essentially creates a bass tone. 

As if that wasn’t enough, Mudrick uses his mouth between lyrics as a “shaker,” and, finally, employs a droning throat-singing style that transports the listener into another realm. 

“I love playing in a band, because it’s freeing not to be strapped to the bass and snare drums,” Mudrick said. “But playing solo is awesome, because whatever I’m feeling, I can do. If the moment calls for it, I can stretch out a middle part for a while, mess on the bass drum … it’s pretty fun. You get into that flow state and I’ll forget that I’m the one doing it. I’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m the one playing the drums.’”

Mudrick’s music is a grab bag of elements that revolve around the linchpin of psych rock. His sound takes a piece from multiple influences to create something unique. There are elements of early Shakey Graves, The White Stripes, Sublime, the Oh Sees and a dozen other bands lurking in Mudrick’s music. 

“I love psych rock, because it uses the bass as a foundation; has a rock ’n’ roll, almost punk attitude,” he said. “It’s raw and rock-y, but I use a tap delay on my vocals and a reverb on the guitar, so it gives it an echo-y sound. Then I throat sing and have an electric tambura instrument, too.”

For Mudrick, defining his genre is a practice in futility. The throat singing alone adds an almost world music tinge to his songs.

“I loved how Bradley [Nowell from Sublime] used to always say, ‘Whoever is the boss DJ gets the girl, it’s all about the stylie-wylie,’” Mudrick said. “That’s him explaining what he intertwines into one song. He’ll do a bass line from the Specials, lyrics from KRS-One and a guitar part from the Butthole Surfers and just say, ‘It’s the boss DJ!’ It’s like a flow state. If I can find it, that’s when I feel like I’m at my best.”

Friday, Jan. 24; 9 p.m.; FREE; 21+. 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208-263-5673, 219lounge.com. Listen on Spotify or any of the streaming platforms.