Meeting in a music store and forming a band sounds like an early 2000s movie plot, but it’s the reality for Mudland.
It was while working in the Sweetwater Music Store that Braedon Menchhofer, Travis Johnson, Bryce DeCamp, and Patrick Losiniecki decided in 2022 to test their artistic abilities and write original music.
Although a newer band, they already have released three songs and are working on their debut album. You can catch the alternative band playing mainly in the Fort Wayne area, but they have plans to expand their audience and travel more in upcoming months.
Along with live shows at The Ruin on May 7 and May 21, you can catch them in the ALT 99.5FM/102.3FM Homegrown Spotlight at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 4, and Sunday, May 7.
Musical influences
Menchhofer (lead singer/rhythm guitar) and DeCamp (lead guitar) are from Fort Wayne, while Losiniecki (bass) is from Hammond in northwest Indiana, and Johnson (drums) hails from Arizona. Working at Sweetwater brought this unlikely group together, and their adventures in music started long before they formed.
When talking to them about their influences, it’s obvious Mudland have an interesting dynamic of music aspirations. While some like folk rock, others like classic rock.
Iosiniecki says one of his biggest inspirations is Good Charlotte.
“Growing up like I did, it was so comforting to hear what they were talking about and feeling like I wasn’t so alone,” he said. “I felt seen for the first time in my life. And damn is their music fun to listen to.”
For DeCamp, he mentions Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne as influences.
“Me being a guitar player, I look up to Zakk Wylde and Ace Frehley,” he said. “You can even hear in some of our songs the influence those bands had on my guitar playing.”
Johnson has a hard time choosing just one band, saying, “The first two bands that originally got me into music were Flogging Molly and The Aquabats. The first album I ever bought was Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly, which really appealed to me with its upbeat rhythms and mixing of genres. I love how naturally it blends traditional folk melodies and instruments into a heavier, punk rock sort of sound. Most of all, I love the sense of pure adventure and escapism in their music. This helped create my own passion for music, knowing that I can take it as far as my imagination will go.”
DeCamp’s musical tastes go back to ’90s artists such as Alice in Chains, Mazzy Starr, and Foo Fighters.
“As a child, bands like The Beatles and Pink Floyd started my interest into music,” he said. “As the main songwriter, I try to bring these blends of ’70s and ’90s to Mudland.
“The main band right now that gave way to a lot of the songs I wrote is Blind Melon. (Late lead singer) Shannon Hoon also is from Indiana, which is very cool, and I believe he is one of the most underrated voices and lyricists of the ’90s, and his songs currently really speak to me.”
