Interview with The Mudlarks

Hailing from Binghampton, NY, The Mudlarks consists of Eddie Compagnone (bass/guitar), James Baldassano (keyboard/trombone), Jeff Bagg (electric guitar), Jordan Finkelstein (drums) and Julie Quinn (guitar). The group performed at Wag-A-Roo 4: Tokyo Drift and became a definite crowd favorite. Afterwards, the band spoke out their music and other passions.  ​

How did you come up with the name Mudlarks?
A Mudlark is someone who searches for treasures at low tide. We look for Treasures in the world- people, positive acts of kindness, dumpsters, and in the beauty of nature. As the Grateful Dead said, "one man gathers what another man spills."

What inspires you to create your music? 
We just can't help but make music, it is a catharsis for us. We are lucky to work well together and enjoy each other's company genuinely. Many of our songs are focused on alerting our audience on serious issues that we face in our current day society. We sing about climate change, resource shortages, complicated love, adventures, and nature. Everybody has a unique song writing style within the group, and our collective efforts work in tandem to create songs that share elements across multiple genres.

What message do you hope to get across in your music?
We hope that we get people to dance to our music! The Mudlarks aim to get whoever is listening to be their best and help make positive change in the world in whatever way that means for them!

What other musicians/bands do you enjoy?
Hiatus Coyote, Gorrillaz, Frank Ocean, Thelonious Monk, Parliament Funkadelic, Pearl Jam, rage Against the Machine, Jimi Hendrix, No Doubt, and more things under the sun than we can possibly mention here. You know we live a good sea shanty though.

Do you have any upcoming tours/albums you want to promote?
Yes! We will be playing at the still grateful Fest at Mountain Sky in Jermyn Pennsylvania on May 12th from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. More shows in the works for the summertime! You can find us on Facebook, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp as the Binghamton Mudlarks. We will also be releasing an album shortly, so follow us on social media if you are interested! We had a blast playing at Wagner and we wish you all a successful close to your school year!