One thing we’ve learned about the Nashville music scene is to be on the look-out for any show that suggests the presence of “session pros.” That’s how we found ourselves at Brooklyn Bowl Halloween night for Here Come the Mummies!, maybe the ultimate Nashville session pro pick-up band.
It seems odd to call them a pick-up band at this point, given a career that spans more than 20 years with gigs opening for the likes of Al Green and regular appearances on the Bob and Tom radio show. But more than 50 musicians have played in the group at one time or another. So, yeah, it’s a pick-up band.
Their own website describes Here Come the Mummies! as “an eight-piece funk-rock band of 5000 year-old Egyptian mummies with a one-track mind.” Buried in the schtick is a hint at the real story.
“Some say they were cursed after deflowering a great Pharoah’s daughter,” the online bio says. “Others claim they are reincarnated Grammy-winning studio musicians.”
The legend is that they had to hide their identities because some or all of them were under contract to various record labels. But the costumes also made it easier to rotate in musicians at will. (Session musicians often do long stints on the road backing the big stars.)
If you haven’t seen them, think P-Funk meets K.C. and the Sunshine Band meets Earth Wind and Fire meets a bunch of zombies from a Scooby Doo cartoon, creating the best party band you’ve ever seen.
What sets them apart other than their musical talent is the fact that they play all original songs. Given that they are a funk band, and that most funk music is about sex in all its funky glory, it’s not surprising that this is the thread that runs through the Mummies music, whether openly or in double entendre.
One fan favorite describes a suitors excitement over the fact that he will soon be arriving at his lover's house in his finest clothes.
"I'm coming in my pants, my shirt
It's my best suit baby"
So, uh, yeah. Deep poetry it ain't. But they are fully committed to the schtick, starting with their marching band entrance.
While rock and roll can handle a little sloppiness, funk music is all about sounding loose by playing tight. That’s where the musical chops of HCTM shine. They look like a ragtag bunch. But there isn't a note out of place. When the horns attack, they hit hard. It’s the difference between a party band that gets everyone on the dance floor with groovy songs, and a party band that seems to lift you off your feet.
Go see these guys if you can.
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