Don't call it a comeback! A few days ago, Brendog Tween, the original guitarist for Mephiskapheles, posted on his Facebook page that original members of the band were planning to play an "unplugged" show on April 10th from 7-9 PM at The Underground Lounge here in New York City. To say it has caused a stir is an understatement! But to be perfectly clear, while this free show will feature many former members of the band, they are performing (for the first time in over a decade) acoustically, as "Doomsday! The Ultimate Mephiskapheles Unplugged Tribute."
The sound of Mephiskapheles was unprecedented -- even today there really is nothing that compares to their unique take on ska. Along with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mephiskapheles was the look and sound of 90's American ska. Eschewing the 2-Tone foundation of 80's ska, the original band line-up (Brendog Tween, Mikal Reich, Brian Martin, Alexander McCabe, Nubian Nightmare, Rick Sanford, Osho Endo, Dave Doris, Gina Latessa, Mike Berger and Vattel Cherry) took a devil worship concept and built it on top of traditional ska with liberal doses of punk, jazz, oi, alternative rock and metal. Visually the band's image and look were just as startling (it certainly didn't hurt that a few band members worked for a cutting edge New York ad agency), featuring a singer with the voice of a death metal screamer, trained jazz horn players and a motley crew of punk rockers who quickly took the 90's New York and American ska scenes by storm. (Read more about the band in an interview I did with Tween last year).
To learn more about the genesis of this "unplugged" show and any future plans the band has to play, jump over to the Duff Guide To Ska, where my fellow ska blogger Steve Shafer has posted an entertaining and informative interview with Tween about the reunion.
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