An eight-piece funk band consisting of 5,000-year-old Egyptian Mummies isn't a hard sell for most music fans looking a spooky thrill at any time of the year. To offer said band up in October is the equivalent of selling wet wipes outside of a BBQ festival.
Don't let the macabre makeup of Here Come the Mummies fool you, however, as the band isn't just here for a quick cash-grab timed for Halloween.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Carefully-curated musicianship awaits those who witness the funk-rock band take the stage at Durham's Carolina Theatre, with a multi-sensory showcase of talent that only further muddies the waters of whether the group's members are truly the victims of an angry ancient Pharaoh or are in fact made up of disguised Grammy-award winning studio musicians stoking their creative fires anonymously to get around pesky record label contracts.
Supporting HCTM on their current tour is Saxsquatch, a Bigfoot-costume-wearing saxophonist who has become an online viral sensation since first posting videos on YouTube in 2019. Behind the furry mask is local musician Dean Mitchell of Chapel Hill, who had already garnered fame for his talents as a member of southern rock outfit The Marcus King Band before going solo as his woodland creation with a penchant for covers performed in forest settings.
Lead vocalist-guitarist Mummy Cass took a moment during HCTM's ongoing tour to discuss tonight's Carolina Theatre stop, whether playing music behind bandages is actually freeing, and much more.
Isaac Weeks: Does the band feel a difference in the atmosphere surrounding a show when it takes place inside a venue that has nearly 100 years worth of history to it, like the Carolina Theatre, as opposed to a stage that may have just opened recently?
Mummy Cass: We like to see some classic places, some of the old [venues] we've played around the country that they are reviving, because they have a cool feel to them. The backstage areas have a slightly more funky feel to them than new ones. We like playing there, and the audience digs the vibe, too. We're historical, anyway, being thousands of years old.
IW: What's the backstage area like at a HCTM show? Is it just eight guys screaming for someone to help with their bandages?
MC: We come pre-bandaged; we've been mummies for thousands of years. The backstage usually looks calm, with everyone subdued, looking for a cup of coffee. Closer to showtime, we become a little more amped up, with various shenanigans happening that involve brass instruments.
IW: As someone who has attended a HCTM show in the past, it's always fun to overhear folks leaving the venue state how surprised they were at the musicianship onstage. Do you find that the bandages cause some audience members to overlook the talent within the band?
MC: We try really hard, and we have some heavy hitters in this band that can really play, so I can see people [in the audience] turning their heads in disbelief at some of the talent. There's that element of novelty, because we don't look the same as other bands, but our playing can make some loins feel uneasy by the end of the night.
IW: Your supporting act on the current tour is Saxsquatch, who has managed to become a phenomenon online in a short amount of time. What has it been like to share the stage with a humanoid?
MC: We've been having a blast with that guy. The audience digs the crap out of him, he plays great, and he's a great dude. He's been with us for weeks at this point, his schtick is hilarious, and he knows how to play his instrument very well. We've been having a good time.
IW: Considering the band features eight mummies onstage, October has to be a huge month of touring for you. While you take dates on the road year round, is there a concentrated effort on HCTM's part to make sure that all members are available during this month each year?
MC: October is our time. We're always looking forward to it, and we stay pretty steady [booking gigs] in September and October. It's definitely our time to shine.
IW: There have been rumors over the years that, beneath the gauze, members of HCTM are actually well-respected musicians with quite a few Grammy Awards between them. If we can pretend for a moment that the rumor could possibly be true, do any of the members ever think about how strange it is that the same award-winning talents playing onstage are somehow overlooked when wrapped in gauze?
MC: It may take a unique personality to do what we do, but I don't think any members of this band ever began playing music with awards in mind. It's nice to be recognized, and everyone is happy when that happens, but we're all playing music because we like to play music. The magic happens when you get onstage with a bunch of guys who like playing music, too, not when you're putting a trophy on a shelf.
Tickets start at $25 and are on sale at the Carolina Theatre box office and online.