Reviews – Where Did All My Friends Go?

Photo 2023 by Mitch Ranger

DYING SCENE
by Tony Barnabe

I am very excited to be reviewing Mustard Plug’s latest release on Bad Time Records, Where Did All My Friends Go?. In my younger years, I spent a good amount of time with my terrible ska-punk band opening for them. The heroes of the Michigan ska-punk scene have been known to put on a very energetic live show that can be hard to capture in the studio. Let me tell you, that is not the case regarding Where Did All My Friends Go?. They have captured what has made Mustard Plug a force to be reckoned with in the ska scene. The raw energy can be felt throughout this entire album. It really does take me back to being crammed in the small basement of the Dolphin House in Kalamazoo, shouting along with horns being blasted directly into your face. It’s amazing.

Stand-out songs on this record for me include “Another Season Spent in Exile” which has the dynamic mix of the catchy ska verses mixed with more punk “whoa-oh-oh” choruses that I see becoming a staple during lives shows. “Why Does It Have To Be So Hard?” is such a catchy ska/reggae song and the melodica in the intro gives off serious Big D vibes and fits in so well throughout the rest of the song. My second favorite song on this record is “Distraction.” From the moment the horns come in, I am hooked on the intensity, and it’s a great juxtaposition to “Why Does It Have To Be So Hard?” Arguably, the hit here (and my personal favorite off this album) is the title track “Where Did All My Friends Go?” and it is the best way to lead off the record. This song will become one of the classic Mustard Plug songs and is sure to become played at every show.

Since I often listen to music in my car while the wife and I are out, I thought I’d get her take on this album. So, for my album reviews, I will be including the wife’s comments in a section I’d like to call “Wife’s Comments.”

Wife’s Comments: “This album is really hopping!”

THATSGOODENOUGHFORME
by Rizchex

A bright yellow polished call back to earlier Mustard Plug.

If you are reading this, I probably don’t have to tell you about this integral group to come out the third wave of ska. If you are by chance, not familiar with this act that has put out seven albums of ska punk classics over the last thirty plus years, then you are in for a treat. Writing for this album started before the pandemic hit, and Mustard Plug actually had 17 songs penned before they could even be in the same room as each other. The pandemic gave them extra time to work on new songs remotely online and it shows in the final product. Reuniting with the legend Bill Stevenson, who’s been like a mentor to them as with so many others, really helped cut the mustard on this new LP.

The record starts right off with the title track to the album “Where Did All of My Friends Go”. The punchy and tight horn section is showcased in full effect, with lyrics about the struggles of getting older, makes this a fun and classic start. The second track definitely does not suck, but takes a bite right into fun and zany lyrics about the lovable monsters known as vampires. Titled “Vampire,” it goes on to explain how the devious undead can trick you into letting them in your house.

“Fall Apart” was released as one of the first singles from the album and for good reason, captureing the energy and enjoyment Mustard Plug is known for. Full of powerful punchy horns, fun lyrics, snappy upstrokes, and everything you come to expect from a band with this much history in the ska punk realm.

As the album continues a few tracks have a little less catchy ska feel and take on a more melodic skate punk vibe. As Jim Hofer (trombone) said in our Roll of the Dice interview “there’s a bit less spontaneity and a bit more polish”.

Jim did pick up a melodica for the first time in his life for the song “Why Does it Have to be so Hard” and it cultivated into one of my favorite tracks on the album. The breakdown is very unique and really shows the creative juices (or mustards) are still strong.

If you like to skank a little more aggressive “Distraction” picks up the pace and I’m not talking about picante sauce, but this mustard has some spice. The record caps off with “Now Or Never” a slower jazzy number to finish things off.

“Where Did All of My Friends Go?” is a more polished call back to earlier Mustard Plug. Dave’s signature vocals are still instantly recognizable, with more added backing vocals and some extras thrown in give the tracks that extra polish. If you are a fan of their first five albums you may find this one to be a return to that sound with a little more refined feel. The songs may be a little less catchy, but the fun is still there mixed in with some new flavors and spice, Mustard Plug managed to squeeze out one of their best albums since the ‘90’s.

PUNKNEWS
by John Gentile
rating: 4/5

Here’s why Mustard Plug has managed to kick it out for more than three decades while their contemporaries (and even followers) have crumbled apart: High energy, melodic, smart ska punk. The band’s new album, Where Did All My Friends Go, their first in almost ten years, continues this trend.

Deftly, the band is able to juggle their core style while moving into new territory. Of course, the meat of the album is pumping two tone and horn ska. And to the band’s great credit, it still sounds like they’re having a blast. This is probably due to the fact that they are seeing how much weirdness they can twist into that pounding blue beat. One of the album’s standouts, “Vampire,” throws a little Special’s “Ghost Town” and Oingo Boingo into the mix. The song is a metaphor about bloodsuckers, but it also has a sort of fun ‘50s sci-fi skip while keeping a bit of danger underneath. Also, I love anything that calls back to Jamaican/Rasta usage of Vampires and Duppies.

And that track alone underscores why MP’s new album is so well done. Sure, the music is fun and skippy, but every track has brains and emotion below. The title track contemplates growing older and dealing with the pressures of life when life isn’t so fun. “Why does it have to be so hard” is along the same lines and it sets that grey concept over a bouncy beat that reminds me of those classic instrumental Upsetter singles.

Mustard Plug have matured but stayed true to themselves. Just listen to “Rebel Youth Face” which could easily pass for a Madness track- which I consider to be a great compliment, mind you. Madness matured with grace, too, but in doing so, they morphed from ska to… radio adult contemporary? Mustard Plug is most definitely STILL ska, but they’re breaking new emotional ground all while staying true to that timeless beat. THIS is how you function as a ska band for three decades.

BEARDED GENTLEMEN MUSIC
by Dane Jackson

Growing up in Michigan and discovering ska music during the early days of the ’90s ska boom meant bands like Mustard Plug helped shape my musical tastes. My first exposure to the band came courtesy of Cinema Beer Nuts. Back then, compilation albums on cassette and CD were a crucial component for music discovery. Hopeless Records adapted the concept and released a VHS cassette full of music videos.

I watched that video tape over and over again instead of MTV because, outside of a few super-popular groups, this was the only way to see music videos from bands I liked. Mustard Plug’s offering for that tape was “You,” off Evildoers Beware! I bought the album at the earliest opportunity after that first VHS play-through. I was immediately hooked.

TWENTY-SIX YEARS LATER, I’M JUST AS HOOKED AS WHEN I WAS 17.

There are some bands you can immediately identify when a song you aren’t familiar with starts playing. Mustard Plug is one of those bands for me. One of the biggest reason for that is because of vocalist Dave Kirchgessner’s distinct singing voice. Colin Clive’s voice and the horn section are pretty iconic, too. They’ve got some power to them. All of this to say, when I heard the title track for Where Did All My Friends Go? for the first time, it felt like I was catching up with an old friend.

My friend is a little older than the last time we spoke. I was struck by their candid thoughts on getting older, how life changes with the passing of time, and how important it is to live your life without regrets. So, even though they sound like the same old Mustard Plug I know and love, they aren’t the same. The title track isn’t the only directly introspective track on the album. Other gems that touch on such themes include “Rebel Youth Face” and “Doin’ What We Do.”

MUSTARD PLUG DOESN’T WALLOW IN THE FACT THAT THEY’RE GETTING OLDER.

I say this with all sincerity as a fan of this band for the last 26 years. Mustard Plug is at the top of their game right now. Their entire career has led them to this point – the release of Where Did All My Friends Go?. It’s a shining light and message to seize the day now. Life will end eventually, so if you want things to be better, you should do something about it. In fact, the album ends with one of the more motivational songs I’ve heard all year, “Now or Never.” To make things better, all of the affirmations in the track are paired with extremely danceable ska music.

Also, I was thrilled to hear that Bill Stevenson worked on Where Did All My Friends Go?. Outside of his job with Descendents as the best drummer in punk rock (in my humble opinion), he’s also produced absolutely killer albums, including several from Mustard Plug. He produced Evildoers Beware! at his Blasting Room Studio in Colorado. Thus, with his stamp on the band’s new era, it feels like everything has come full circle.

IT’S NOT ALL SKA-PUNK THOUGH.

Since the beginning, Mustard Plug has been more than a collection of their musical influences. On this project, they deliver some amazing dance songs interwoven into the more punk-forward songs in their discography. One such song is “Vampire,” which borrows heavily from reggae and ska dancehalls back in the day. In fact, Mustard Plug is mentioned in the recent horror film Renfield, and since the film’s material fits the song, one of the cast members stars in the video.

THE MUSTARD PLUG LIVE SHOW HAS ALWAYS BEEN STELLAR.

Whether it’s a 30-minute festival set, or a headlining set in a sweaty club, Mustard Plug consistently leaves it all on the stage for their fans. I’ve had the pleasure of getting more access to Mustard Plug over the years than most because of where I live. In fact, I’ve already seen them once this year, and I can confirm that these new songs make excellent additions to the band’s classic set lists. Also, even though the band is over 30 years old now, it doesn’t mean the members won’t outperform the younger bands on the bill. I don’t know how they have so much energy, but it’s damn inspiring.

I am extremely overjoyed that Mustard Plug has given the world new music for the first time in almost a decade. They’re back with an absolute bang, and I truly hope Where Did All My Friends Go? gets the attention and praise it deserves. Everyone involved with the creation of this record should feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

It can be easy for veteran bands to phone it in and put out albums with no heart for a mere paycheck because they know fans will buy it. Thankfully, Mustard Plug didn’t take that route. Instead, they’ve given their current (and future) fans an album that is equal parts thought-provoking, introspective, and modern. It will be in my rotation for a long time.

PUNKUATION
by Gimpleg

90s ska punk legends Mustard Plug are back with their first new album in 9 years. And it’s the perfect blend of old and new….

With the blast from a trumpet, a catchy horn line dissolves a 9 year absence of studio music from Mustard Plug as their signature sound fills the air. The namesake song for this album is the opening track, and it is very reminiscent of the Mustard Plug songs we know and love. ‘Where Did All My Friends Go?‘ could have fit seamlessly on ‘Evildoers Beware’ or ‘Pray For Mojo’ and nobody would have questioned it. The upstrokes, the bass being in the foreground, the horns….are all classic Mustard Plug and it hasn’t lost a beat. The backing vocals are even better than before! Fittingly, the song is about getting older- as they have been a band for over 30 years now, and it has references to rising costs and being harder to make ends meet.

Going back 6 weeks, on July 28th Mustard Plug shocked the world with a new music video and the announcement of a new album.

What felt a little more shocking was that the new album would be on Bad Time Records. Bad Time Records might be the biggest label in the current ska scene, but Mustard Plug is a giant from the 90s ska scene. This is the kind of collaboration that has the potential to bring veterans from the 90s ska scene into a new and thriving environment that they seem willingly oblivious to.

The video in question is for ‘Fall Apart‘- the third track on the album.

The video begins with the band’s vocalist Dave Kirchgessner running from a masked serial killer, jumping in his convertible to escape, but turning the key to no avail as the convertible won’t start. Looking behind him, the serial killer can’t get his chainsaw to start. The car is old, the scene they are fleeing is run down, the chainsaw is old. The killer takes off his mask to reveal himself to be bassist Greg Witulski, they share a laugh as they drive off together.

The video itself is great, a nod to horror movies and to time gone by. The song has the musical triumph of the best of Mustard Plug. It’s gonna have you on your feet and dancing with all the frenetic energy of their early music- the play of the guitar off of the horns- it shows that there has been no decline in the band’s song writing. The song is about things falling apart- mostly relationships- but where the early albums might have had a tinge of anger, it now seems to have a touch of melancholy in its place.

Two weeks later the band dropped a second video- this one for the second track on the album, ‘Vampire‘.

Keeping with the horror and comedy themes from the first video, the second video features Bess Rous reprising her role as Kaitlyn from Renfield. She was the girl who complained that what she hates most about her boyfriend is that he loves ska. In this video she receives her boyfriend’s ska album in the mail, puts it on the record player, and plays ‘Vampire‘. After 30 seconds she is dancing along to the entire track.

This is my favourite song on the album- it feels fresh and new and carves out a different sound for the band. The production is great, the energy is great, organs, horns, bass, guitar, vocals…everything comes together. The first video told us that Mustard Plug was back and gave us the comfortable feeling of something familiar. This one told us that they are still creating and exploring new sounds instead of just sentimental nostalgia ska.

The third and most recent single for the album is ‘Doin’ What We Do‘. This song sits somewhere between the other singles. It’s a lot more familiar to the Mustard Plug sound than ‘Vampire‘ but has a nice jazzy horn solo, some guitar parts that don’t feel like they belong on the older albums, but the overall feel is familiar. It also features a nice clap portion and a catchy chorus to encourage crowd participation. This song was definitely written to play live, and I can’t wait to catch them on tour to promote the album!

The album seems to alternate between familiar and new music with different influences, much more than I remember from their older albums. ‘Why Does It Have To Be So Hard‘ feels like it has some Rancid influences early in the song- but feels more two-tone later in the song, and ends with a repetitiously whispered begging of the question from the song’s title.

After this, the album slips to ‘Everyday Wait‘ which feels like it was influenced by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and other East Coast ska bands. While I am not a big fan of nostalgia, this manages to all sound both familiar and fresh in just the right doses.

Another favourite on the album is ‘Distraction‘. The drums are fast and the bass is so incredibly good. It is juxtaposed by vocals that feel like they are perfectly broken up and slow to offset the fast paced drums. The song just feels right. It is followed by ‘Rebel Youth Face‘ which is so lyrically driven and designed to sing along with its anti-corporate messages. The two styles are so different, yet flow so well together.

Throughout the album no two songs feel the same, but they all seem to build into one another in a way that is seamless.

While the album lacks some of the edge and the anger that might have been present in their younger music, the quality and production of this album, along with fresh styles and influences on many tracks makes this stand tall among Mustard Plugs excellent discography.

There are some fun songs that make you want to dance, but the lyrics aren’t all light hearted- some are political and social commentary while others are personal. This is exactly what I needed from a new release from one of the greatest ska bands of the last 30 years. Something vibrant and fresh, that doesn’t reinvent the band, but doesn’t rely on nostalgia.

SPUTNIKMUSIC.COM
by Lakes
rating: 4/5

It’s plainly obvious that in the year 2023, the third wave of ska has long since receded. Since the release of Streetlight Manifesto’s The Hands that Thieve ten years ago, there haven’t been any major releases in the genre that have been received with similar critical acclaim. While some bands of the 90s continued to soldier on with mixed results, such as Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, and Goldfinger, others like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones have bowed out entirely. Mustard Plug as a band were never as well-known as those names, but they’ve had a consistently quality discography. What’s so refreshing about Where Did All My Friends Go? is that they’re not trying and failing to reach the highs of their glory days; Mustard Plug is just "doing what they do." The opening song and title track lays it out in the clearest terms possible. They know that most of their peers aren’t around anymore, that time marches on and the late 90’s peak of ska punk’s mainstream popularity is long gone. It almost doesn’t matter.

One listen to the singles "Fall Apart" and "Doin’ What We Do" immediately made it clear that I was in for a quality experience. Every song on the album feels like a celebration of the past, a warm summer breeze of nostalgia that isn’t a pale imitation of an older sound, or an uninspired retread of the 90s like so many new ska punk albums tend to be. Nothing has changed with Mustard Plug but the passage of time, and getting older hasn’t made them any worse at pumping out catchy tune after catchy tune. If you have never liked the genre, Where Did All My Friends Go? isn’t going to change any minds. There is no new sonic ground broken here. Nonetheless, it’s a welcome addition to their catalog and one of the best ska punk albums of the last decade, as low as that bar may now be. Opining about the specifics of the sonic landscape of this record is wholly unnecessary. It’s a simple fun ska punk album, and about as good as anyone could possibly expect from a band that’s been doing this for thirty years.

KEEP TRACK OF THE TIME
by Rene

Ska punk band Mustard Plug is back with a new album. And along with the Diesel Boy album, we get a little ‘90s revival in 2023. Not much has changed for Mustard Plug’s style since the ‘90s. The majority of songs are catchy and joyful ska, often with minor chords in the verses, while the choruses are horn heavy punk rock, often with “Whoahs”. Some songs are more pop punk tunes with horns than ska, however. But few songs stray from the formula. Good formula, though. “Another Season Spent in Exile” is kind of mysterious and scary sounding. There’s something chill about the verses to “Everyday Wait”, and the rest of the song is just so incredibly catchy. “Fall Apart” has a nice melody, almost like a ska version of the Church. The lyrics are a lot darker than the genres usually is, “All the things I love the most/Are slowly, slowly killing me” and “Drowning in my waste”. “Another Season Spent in Exile” has a protagonist asking if everyone is a little lost and reckless, and that have lost their purpose. “Everyday Wait” has this positive vibe to it, that everything’s gonna be alright, and we should just take one day at a time.

We get some cool homages. Both “Vampire” and “All That’s Left Behind” show similarities to “My Boy Lollipop” and “Everyday Wait” is more reminiscent of “No Woman, No Cry” (another song promising everything was going to be alright). “Vampire” tells us that we let a vampire into our houses. I feel like the lyrics could be both taken literally and metaphorically. It could be interpreted politically and the house symbolizes a country at large and a vampire is some sort of dictator. It could be about an abusive relationship. It could simply be about letting an actual vampire into your house. Simple as that. I guess I also hear some “Nite Club” bass in there. “Doin’ What We Do” gives me an early Goldfinger vibe and has some great handclaps. I feel like there’s a meta aspect to it. In the sense that the band is just doing what they do. One highlight of the album is the intro to “Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?”. There’s a cool instrument there that I can’t tell whether is a harmonica, a saxophone or a trombone, or something else. The song tells the tales of a women riding the bus and seeing sadness around her and a man finding comfort in a bottle. Both of them wonder why things have to be so hard. And it’s a legit question, to be fair. The song is also ska all the way!

The album cover is pretty great. It depicts a head being covered in duct tape. All in all, this is a good album. Catchy and great songs in the band’s familiar style. Maybe a bit long for this type of album. Production is great and the songs are played competently, and the musicianship is amazing. It’s a good bop to come out of 2023. Probably an album one might have to listen to a few times before it truly sits. Light music, dark lyrics.

SONIC GEOGRAPHY
by Tyler Sonnichsen

True to form, I posted this over a week ago to Instagram with a pretty skeletal caption that “we don’t deserve Mustard Plug.” Today, I’m going to add to my (unfortunately paltry) volume of ska-related posts on Sonic Geography by explaining why. The band also posted to their social media yesterday that it was “National Ska Day.” No idea how that one got by me.

When I moved to Michigan, I stumbled upon a local performance by Brian Vander Ark, which motivated me to buy tickets to see Mustard Plug that Fall. Both are artists embedded in Michigan who I’d known since my adolescence due to exposure bumps that both got in the 1990s (inevitably, Mustard Plug covered “The Freshmen” before that decade/century ended). As it happened, a one-off concert by the Verve Pipe at the Michigan Theater in Jackson was the last performance I saw before the COVID lockdown. As soon as it was safe/sane to do so in 2021, Mustard Plug re-emerged with a pair of shows (one in GR, one in Kzoo) packed wall to wall with vaccinated fans. Dave Kirchgessner, never one to back down on what’s right (see DVD extra of him destroying swastika graffiti with a hammer), led the crowd in a massive chant of “sci-ence! sci-ence! sci-ence!” while half of Michigan was still whining about having to wear masks in public.

Considering how no member of Mustard Plug in its three-decade long history has ever earned a steady living solely from the band, their longevity as a touring and recording entity is not merely remarkable – it’s almost ahistorical. Other veterans of ska’s 3rd wave (at the party well before Sublime and No Doubt made everybody famous; still there decades on) have been enjoying considerable post-COVID touring success, but Mustard Plug feel like the only one still operating at a clip they were 25 years ago, well before their marriages, kids, and varying careers in industries like real estate.

Last month, they released Where Did All My Friends Go? on Bad Time Records, and to say I enjoyed it would be putting it mildly. As much as I’m sure I’ll hear something in 4 years that came out this year which buries WDAMFG, it’s oddly reassuring to write that Mustard Plug are my current Album-of-the-Year front-runners.

How did they pull this off? Foremost, the songs are thoughtful, fun, and catchy. Even the minor-key singles like “Vampire,” which I didn’t love the first time I heard the advance release, are awash in hooks that sound better with each listen. Most of the tracks, though, including the title track, “Fall Apart,” “Another Season Spent in Exile,” and “Everyday Wait,” beautifully match the band’s early moments of synergy (e.g. their 1995 single release of encore-fodder “Beer (Song),” a moment that guitarist Colin Clive cites as the moment they found their sound).

“Everyday Wait,” in particular, is one of the most life-affirming songs I’ve heard in years, flying in the face of the inevitable existential crisis that comes with middle age and informs a lot of the record. Hearing the gang-harmonies declare “everyday wait, it’ll get better,” recalls the sensation of first hearing Ginger Alford belt out “just keep moving, you’ll find solid ground” at the end of Good Luck’s Into Lake Griffy. Both are the type of songs and lyrics that people need to hear at a time when it feels like the entire world is conspiring to make you feel powerless and worthless. It’s just socially conscious and responsible songwriting.

Along that line, perhaps middle age has helped the band come to terms with how they don’t owe anybody anything. Where Did All My Friends Go? is the soundtrack to that epiphany. I’m almost inclined to say that it rivals 1999’s Pray for Mojo as their best album, which is a weird juxtaposition. Mojo documented the band at their arguable commercial peak, but it was hard to suss anything like that out at the time when ‘normal’ people were buying ska CD’s. Now, three albums and two decades later, it feels like listening to a band at their artistic and personal peak. They stayed true to their sound and their home state, and as Clive sings on one of the many WDAMFG? highlights…

“with all we’ve had between us, we’ll keep doin’ what we do.”