The Mummies

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The Mummies were a garage punk band formed by Trent Ruane (organ, vocals), Maz Kattuah (bass), Larry Winther (guitar) and Russell Quan (drums). Originally hailing from San Mateo, California, they soon tied in with San Francisco's burgeoning Phantom Surfers to create that city's renowned garage punk (or 'budget rock') scene. With influences of surf rock, 1950s and 1960s garage rock bands such as The Sonics and more contemporary garage punk bands like Thee Mighty Caesars the Mummies eschewed the contemporary rock music of their time. Their first show was at the Chi Chi club in San Francisco in December of 1988. The Mummies are especially known for their matching mummy costumes they wore on stage and their impertinent attitude that they brought with them. They created and promoted the concept of 'Budget Rock' which rejected professionalism and star status in favor of a simplified do-it-yourself aesthetic. As part of this concept they performed and recorded only on outdated (often damaged) equipment and used a garishly painted 1965 Pontiac ambulance as a tour vehicle. The budget rock concept was carried further when, inspired by Billy Childish, the Mummies created the 'lo-fi' movement with their intentionally low fidelity recordings. As part of their lo-fi manifesto, they released their music only on vinyl for many years, allowing 'official' CD format releases only in the 2000's.

The Mummies broke up on New Year's Day 1992, but reunited for two european tours. Their last lp, 'Party at Steve's House,' was recorded without Maz Kattuah. Kattuah has been involved in several bands since the demise of the Mummies, with his current project being Christina and the Bippies. Russell Quan has been involved in numerous projects since the early nineties, including the Count Backwurds, the Dukes of Hamburg, the Flakes and the Bobbyteens. He is somewhat of a celebrity amongst garage aficionados both for his playing and for his discovery/promotion of the band Supercharger. Larry Winther has played sporadically with an indie rock band called the Allen Clap Orchestra. At one time Trent Ruane played with the Phantom Surfers and the Untamed Youth, but has maintained a very low profile since shortly after the end of the Mummies.