Chicago, IL (Top40 Charts/ novo.net) Chicago's Mutts, a piano-driven grunge/blues trio comprised of Mike Maimone, Bob Buckstaff and Chris Pagnani, have been riding a wave of good press (for last year's Pray for Rain LP) and have been landing high profile festival gigs at Milwaukee's Summerfest, Lost City
Music Festival in Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago's Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival. The band will be celebrating the release of their new LP, Separation Anxiety, with a show at legendary
Chicago punk venue Fireside Bowl on Thursday, August 2. Separation Anxiety is the most introspective Mutts release to date, addressing the coming out process of band leader Mike Maimone.
"Like most gay men who grew up playing sports, attending Catholic schools and aspiring to count beans for a living, it took awhile to get honest with myself" states Maimone. "Over the last [several] years, my self-perception evolved so drastically that change itself became a muse."
"Eventually, I felt comfortable enough with myself to write about homosexuality in [artistic] context. For example, [Pray for Rain album cut] "Blind Truth" is a satire sung from the perspective of a closeted public figure whose position rests entirely on the thing he's denying." On Separation Anxiety, Maimone is more direct: "
Uninvited" is about his experience with with his Catholic background as he came out; "Tire Swing Blues" was written about his apprehension in coming out to his parents.
Mike Maimone is feeling an increased sense of liberation as a songwriter: "With Separation Anxiety, I finally feel like no subject is off limits, and that I can write about my deepest concerns, sorrows and joys regardless of subject matter."
