Mutha's Day Out was a band from Batesville, Arkansas, a town with a population of a little over 9,000 people in Independence County.
They were a brilliant blend of hip-hop, thrash, and speed metal. They made it in a time where Rage Against the Machine and Faith No More were popular in the music industry. The three main influences of the band are in-quote from Jeff Morgan himself: "Faith No More, Beastie Boys, and Ozzy Osbourne."
They came from the middle of nowhere, got to record a demo, got lucky enough to perform in a concert where a big label representative was present, and got signed. That itself adds to a long list of unlikely success stories.
In November 1991, Mutha's Day Out was conceived through two guys named Mikal Moore and Randy Cross. Mutha's Day Out was originally thought up to be a Beastie Boys rip-off. The name came from the daycare center of the same name, thanks to Brice Stephens. Soon after forming, in April of 1992, the band took some sick days and traveled to Memphis in search of a cheap recording studio, and found one that belonged to men named Doug Easley and Davis McCain. They recorded sixteen tracks, four of which were released onto the My Soul is Wet singles (CD and vinyl). "Dry Water was the track that really got us attention," said Mikal. Easley was so inspired by their work that he booked them to play the Crossroads Music Festival the same week. This was their very first performance. In the audience was a man named Eli Ball, a representative from Chrysalis Records, there to see and sign another band. Yet, the performance influenced the representative to change his mind and offered the band to go to the studio the next day, in which they also received their record contract.
The band then went into the studio to begin recording and producing their debut album, their only, "My Soul is Wet." However, Randy Cross decided not to continue with Mutha's Day Out, and left the day after they got a record deal. During production, two things happened:
1) Greenforth Pham, a Vietnamese teen and a close friend of Mikal's, committed suicide, causing the album to be dedicated in his memory and the song "Green" to exist.
2) Lance Branstetter was kicked out of Mutha's Day Out, due to conflicts with the rest of the band dealing with musical direction and development. His stubbornness earned him a ticket out of the band. Also, the label thought that, once the band got on the road, he wouldn't like it. The label, furthermore, believed they needed someone with a better image. Chuck was, in the beginning, just a guitar tech and the bus driver for gigs. He was chosen as Lance's successor. Chuck, to this day, believes that Lance was an awesome guitarist and says he wouldn't say he was better than Lance. The only song you can hear Lance's guitar work on the album is Breakfast First Please. The rest is Chuck re-doing the riffs and dubbing one riff over another.
Finally, the album was finished and released on October 19th, 1993. The album would sell about 30,000 copies.
Two singles and a tour followed the release of the album. They also released some promo radio singles and even released the album for a select few before October 19th (it features a sticker on the cover with the tracklisting and a blurred picture of Jeff's brother). One single was for the opening track, Locked, and the second was for the title track, My Soul is Wet. The Locked single, the compact disc version, contained the song, Blank Page, and Willard, an unreleased demo track. The rare vinyl version of the single contains the song on the A-side, and the B-side contains Through Mine and I Thirst, both unreleased demos. I Thirst was the only demo to be played live. The My Soul is Wet single, the compact disc version, contained the song, Mudpies, and Idiot Among Us, both unreleased demos that were made at Doug Easley's. The vinyl version of the My Soul is Wet single contains the song on the A-side, and on the B-side it contains Get a Clue (Demo) and Love is a Hate Situation, both demos from the recording at Doug Easley's. The singles were all printed in the United Kingdom.
Live, they were dazzling. Fantastic. Spectacular. Even with a leg brace, Jeff was still hobbling around stage like a maniac. They toured the U.S. with Bullet Boys and Sugartooth. They even once opened for Jackyl and Overkill. They made it to Europe, even. They were really popular in Europe, especially in Paris. There, they played a show at the Virgin Megastore, and they released an EP from that show. It is very, very rare and it was released in small quantities. The only member of the band who has an actual copy of the CD is Chuck. Mikal used to have it, but sold it.
They had three videos, one for Locked, one for My Soul is Wet, and one for Green (which only aired once). They all aired on Headbanger's Ball and Mikal and Brice made an appearance on the show as well. The Locked video also landed in the hands of Mike Judge, who used it in a segment in Beavis and Butthead. Beavis and Butthead thought it didn't suck, but they said "these guys need to hang out with some sluts or something..." And, also, towards the solo part of the song, they make fun of the voice in the background while Mikal says, "Well it seems I'm locked in my closet..." They even refer to MDO as being a cross between Stone Temple Pilots and just a regular bunch of guys. Also, they mention something about Hee Haw.
They managed to get their song "What U See" looped thrice into one track on the Mortal Kombat soundtrack and even made appearance in the movie in Scene 2, inside the techno bar, in 1995. They play the song, obviously. Truthfully, they played silently and headbanged silently so they could edit the song in later. Mikal also says that "we had no acting abilities at all." The scene was filmed in an old bomb shelter in Hollywood. Since the movie was highly successful, earning over 100 million dollars, and the soundtrack was successful, going platinum in 10 days, the band was set for life. However, a change of things would end their career.
Due to different musical tastes, directions, and added pressure from the record label, MDO split in late 1994. Chuck says that if MDO had continued, him and Jeff probably would have made MDO heavier and slower.
Interesting Facts about MDO:
1) Favorite MDO Song?
Mikal: Wait for Me
Brice: Willard
Chuck: The Dead Sea or Get a Clue
Jeff: I Thirst
2) Least Favorite MDO Song?
Brice: Wait for Me
Chuck: Memories Fade
3) Favorite Band?
Mikal: Radiohead
Brice: The Beach Boys
Chuck: Metallica, Neurosis, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin (tie)
Jeff: Slayer
Lance: The Darkness
4) Least Favorite Band?
Mikal: Creed
Brice: Deadbird or Rwake
Lance: Creed or Red Hot Chili Peppers
5) Where are they now?
Today, Mikal is married, has two daughters, and is in a christian rock band called Gazer.
Chuck and his brother Phillip are in a doom metal band called Deadbird.
Jeff is in a doom metal band called Rwake, but has reportedly returned to Batesville to nurse his aling son back to health from heart problems, but will return soon to Little Rock.
Brice has a band called Nite Time Flu and jams with Jeff and Rod every now and again.
Rod is "doing great," according to Brice.
Lance now owns a recording studio in Batesville and does work on farms with chickens.
Randy is a bank teller.
Check out the Mutha's Day Out Wikipedia article and the "official" site by Paul Cashman, a friend of the band, for more information.
MDO REUNION ONLINE PETITION:
http://www.petitiononline.com/LoyalMDO/petition.html
