Mikki and The Mauses meet the VCR

(photo from the band's MySpace)

Remember when Laserdiscs happened? Those LP-sized shiny movie discs came to techno-trump the VHS tape into format oblivion. As we know though, it didn’t work.

VHS continued and shortly after the LD bubble, the DVD showed up to the party laughing all the way to the top. Los Angeles foursome Mikki and The Mauses might be helping the VHS’ party cause with the release of their record, The Problem With Male Sexuality, for $9.99 which was released last September, on VHS tape via White Noise Records. A raw combination of music and video footage that harks back to the work of bands like The Residents.

MATM were formed by Anthony Anzalone, who, after escaping suburban LA life, set off to Japan—sans job or a solid place to stay— where he lived illegally, taught English, bartended and played with a band called Gokon and then returned again to The City of Angeles and formed Mikki, named after his obsession with Walt Disney, whom he considers a hero. They have since released split cassettes and hand-decorated, construction-paper-covered CDRs and established a name for themselves in the LA DIY and house party scene. Anzalone’s thoughts on the band and their goals are, well only fitting for a band with songs like “You Are an Asshole” and “World’s Biggest Trashcan.” “There’s no real goal when it comes to playing music like we do—it’s not like we’re going to make money or that it’s a goal that we have,” the lanky singer was quoted as saying in a recent LA Record interview.

The future for Mikki, again holds a venture into the throwback. The foursome, who play snotty, traditional rolling punk rock that oozes with a sound you would’ve found blaring from grungy 70’s NYC clubs the Lower East Side over, plan on releasing a Valentine’s Day VHS of love songs, as well as some singles and a 12” split with Japanese raucaous-rollers Deracine.

--Matt Draper