The Mudslinger Band

Describe your band, telling a little about it.

We are a 6-piece variety band based out of Ambridge, PA.  We pride ourselves on being an energetic party band that entertains with not only our musicianship, but also our showmanship.

What are your names? / Who plays what?

Garrett Mudrick - Lead/Backup Vocals-Acoustic Guitar-Keyboards

Mandy Mudrick - Lead/Backup Vocals-Auxiliary Percussion

Dave Durbin - Lead Guitar-Lead and Backup Vocals

Eric Hofmann - Bass Guitar-Lead Vocals

Dave Miklos - Drums

Patrick Escoto - Auxiliary Percussion

Have members played with any other bands?

Most recently, Dave Durbin, Eric Hofmann, Dave Miklos were in Twelve Inch Tom

Dave Miklos is currently drumming Waiting For Ray.

Do you write your own music or perform covers?  Has it always been this way?  We predominantly are known as a cover band, but have been writing new material, and successfully released our first music video, Our Hometown, which has been viewed over 12,000 times via Facebook.

What year did the band form?  The band originally formed in 2011 as a 4-piece with Garrett and Mandy fronting the group.  It has gone through several lineup changes but has been consistently these 6 for over a year. 

Where is bands home?  Four of our members are from the Ambridge Area, with the bassist and drummer living in Etna and Wexford respectively.

What's your style or genre?  We are variety, and we MEAN variety.  Our song list covers everything from rock to country to dance to pop music.  We pride ourselves in offering something for everyone who attends a performance.

What inspires your music?  Our original music has been inspired by life events.  Be it, where we grew up or our experiences.  Music needs to be honest and, we believe we achieve that goal.

How often do you rehearse?What gear do you guys use?  We rehearse once a week and our gear list is too long to mention haha... 

Do you utilize a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that?  We believe in the responsibility of booking our own performances and everything that goes with that.  We trust that our fans and following in addition to our abilities as musicians speak for themselves.  If you are having us perform at your venue, you are getting a truly professional act.

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics?

Our writing style is a complete group effort.  Every person in the band has contributed some piece to these songs.  Whether its lyrics, melody, structure or arrangements, everyone is involved.

Do you start with the music or the lyrics?

Its been happening both ways dependent upon the song being written.

Have you done any covers live?

We are predominantly a cover band so yes, we have played a few haha 

What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs?  We have been very fortunate to have a significant support group for this band.  What was once started by a group of close family and friends has branched out into a legitimate fan base.  Not many of us in the group have been able to experience this level of fan commitment in previous projects.  We are very grateful. 

What ages are most of your concert attendants?  Because of our eclectic set lists, we have been drawing a variety of age groups from 20 year olds to people well in their 60's.

Do you have a regular place you play live often?

Several: Rochester Inn, Ba'runi Grille, Kendrews, Bridgetown Taphouse, Monaca Saxons, Beaver Valley Sportsmans, Ambridge Eagles

What was your first gig like?

A disastrous first set. We were fortunate to have a large contingent of friends and family at that gig, but I wouldn't call it the most beautiful piece of art, musically speaking.  

What was your latest gig?  

Our last gig was to a packed house at Rochester Inn.  Very good time!

Have you had to cancel a gig?  

YES.  Garrett, one of the lead singers, was dealing with major vocal problems late 2014 into early 2015.  The band was very close to ending at that point in time.  We were lucky enough to get through that time and keep the group together.  We had to cancel several shows throughout 2015.  We were able to re-book once he was healthy again.

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale?   We have The Mudslinger Band offical T-shirt for sell that was created about a year and a half ago.  We plan on expanding merchandise this coming year.

Where can people buy your merchandise?

All shirts can be bought at our shows and also can be requested via our facebook page.

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today?  Unfortunately because of the way the industry has progressed, it is much easier to be inspired by the innovators of rock music throughout the 20th century.  There are plenty of good acts that exist in today's music, but most everything has been patterned off of someone before them.

What have been your biggest obstacles?

Two things.  Keeping a consistent lineup.  We believe we have solved that problem when our drummer, Dave Miklos joined the band early 2015.  Secondly, scheduling has been the biggest hurdle.  Because of the members full time jobs, we have not been able to gig as often as we might like.

What advice would you give other bands or artists?  Work hard. Rock harder. And most of all, be entertaining.

Do you have any new material?

We are constantly turning new covers for shows.  We have a song bank of over 70 cover tunes which grows weekly.  We always want to be fresh.  Our original material is also being expanded and we hope to be able to focus more on that in 2016.

What are your web sites?

Facebook.com/themudslingerband

How can people reach you?

We can be reached via our facebook page or also by calling Garrett Mudrick for booking at 724-513-1667

What are your plans for the future?

Our biggest goal is sustainability.  We want to be doing this to these crowds for 5 or 10 more years.  We want people to remember The Mudslinger Band had a hell of a run on the local Pittsburgh scene.

What do you think of my work?

You are doing an excellent thing by helping support the music scene in this area.  I commend you for that effort!

How do you think that this interview could help you in the local music scene and beyond? 

Any way that we can help spark an interest in what we do is always a plus.  We are always looking for new ears to entertain.