Local band celebrates “Cinco de Mongo” – Archive
Written by Crow's Nest Staff, Apr 25, 2011, 0 Comments
By now, everyone has heard of Mighty Mongo.
You haven’t?
You’re about to.
On May 5, now known as “Cinco de Mongo,” Mighty Mongo will release their very first album, “Let’s Make Serious Life Decisions.”
The album is a collection of their original “runk” music, a combination of reggae and punk. “It totally represents what we do,” said Alex Card, lead vocals and bass.
Despite the album title, serious is the last word that comes to mind when listening to Mighty Mongo, on or off the stage. They say, screw it. “We just want to have fun,” says Lindsay Vitola, lead vocals and keytar.
They want listeners to have fun too. On the very first Cinco de Mongo, the party will unleash at Vintage Ultra Lounge in downtown St. Petersburg. Not 21? Don’t worry. On this special occasion doors will be open to Mongolians 18 and up, with no cover charge.
“There were a few ideas we had that we found out were actually illegal,” Card said, talking about planning the event. Luckily, James Guttridge, the owner of Vintage Ultra Lounge, collaborated in the planning.
The totally legal event will consist of performances starting at 5 p.m. with a Mariachi band opening. Following is 10th Concession and Anchor Atlantic. Last but not least, Mighty Mongo. The night will hold lots of surprises. What we know for sure is that this is a red carpet event. DJs from 93.3 will be there, along with Dave the Dwarf. Rumors are circulating of surprise performances by other local artists. RedBull is one of the sponsors for the event.
“Let’s Make Serious Life Decisions” will be available for purchase. The CD is selling for $10, and Mighty Mongo may even sign it, if you ask nicely.
The 11-track CD unravels song after song of original, fresh music that totally captures the energy that Mighty Mongo sends from the stage.
USF St. Petersburg student Hunter Payne, with other local artists contributing, designed the graphic design work for the cover, along with an inside foldout poster. Scotty Chmura, drums and percussion, stresses that this CD is the same quality CD one would find in stores. It is legit.
“It has a barcode and everything,” Vitola said.
No instruments were synthesized during recording.
“It’s all our real stuff,” said Anthony Isoldi, lead guitar. They went out and found the instruments they needed to create the sound they were looking for, revealing the depth of their talent—a result of their dedication to and passion for music.
After all of that hard work, it will finally pay off. USF St. Petersburg’s Barnes & Noble bookstore agreed to sell the album, and any local music shops will be able to carry it. The music will be available on iTunes as of the May 5 official release date.
Card is the one who decided May 5 would be the perfect day to release their album. He knew the CD would be finished around this time and felt that it would be a good idea to piggy back their release party on a big drinking day. That’s when Cinco de Mongo popped into his head.
“I thought it was really clever,” Card said, adding jokingly, “I’m just naturally hilarious. I blame it on the gift of me.”
They decided on Vintage Ultra Lounge for the location because it was one of the first places they started playing as a band.
“They really believed in us when nobody else would take a chance on us yet,” Vitola said.
They’re also hosting a few more parties before the big one. They will be co-hosting and headlining “Bulls Save Lives” on Tuesday, April 26, hosted by the USF St. Petersburg Musicians Society. A Blood Mobile will be there from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m, and live music will kick off at 5 p.m.
By Lenay Ruhl, contributing writer
