The four piece power pop band from Rochester, New York known as Muler has been playing around Manhattan recently and Consumable caught up with them at the Greenwich Village club Under Acme. Lead singer Dave Baumgartner bounced around like a pogo stick - and his main schtick is his hand down his...pocket. No, really, it's not his pants - although this writer wouldn't swear that there couldn't have been some pocket pool going on down there...
Of course, that sort of thing grows old quickly, and it's the music that matters. Some of the music hark back to the sounds of Material Issue or the Rake's Progress, without the immediate radio accessibility. The pair of slower songs which the band played had the chords from some of New Order's non-commercial tracks, but played solely on guitar. Although "On The Rug" is the current single, it seems likely that "Sneaker", an infectious pop tune, will be put on vinyl soon. It set fans in the tiny former Greenwich Village club dancing as Baumgartner made everyone feel tired just by watching him bounce all over the stage.
We'll see what Muler does when they put out their album. But, for now, they're fun live - with or without a pocket.
