By John McElhenny
A hot new band called MOSSE will play at Minglewood Tavern this Saturday night. Andrew Luman, the band’s bass player and front man, lives in downtown Gloucester so Good Morning Gloucester sat down with him for an exclusive interview to get the scoop on the band, his rock star hair and whether he ever met Ric Ocasek from the Cars.
GMG: Thanks for talking with Good Morning Gloucester, Andrew. You and your family live across the street from the Cape Ann Museum in downtown Gloucester. Do you ever have to call the cops because it gets really loud over there? Museum people can be crazy.
Luman: You’d think it would be crazy over there but they are really chill people.
GMG: You play in this cool new band that’s playing at Minglewood Tavern on Saturday night — a band called “Mosse.” Your name sounds like ferns or lichen or something. Where’d you come up with it?
Luman: We went through other names that sounded like fungus but “Fern Notice” and “Shrooms With a View” were already taken. So we went with “Mosse.”
GMG: I’m trying to figure out the pronunciation of the band’s name, “Mosse.” Does it rhyme with “floss” like dental floss or “moose” like the animal with the big antlers? Somebody told me it rhymes with “Donna Ardizzoni.” Is that true?
Luman: Making our name impossible to pronounce was a savvy marketing technique. Not only does it not roll off your tongue, it doesn’t even make its way onto your tongue. (It’s pronounced “MOSS-ee.”)
GMG: Joey C’s favorite bands are the Bee Gees, Whitesnake and Loverboy. Does Mosse cover any of their songs?
Luman: No.
GMG: I’ve seen Mosse play out a couple times in Gloucester and you sound really good. When you play, I’ve noticed you do this rock star thing where you put your hair in a little pony tail that looks kinda ninja but also like the nub tail that’s left on a Doberman’s ass. Which look are you going for?
Luman: Definitely the ninja one.
GMG: What kind of music does Mosse play?
Luman: We like to bring Neil Young and Ryan Adams to the dinner table and have Wilco for dessert. Our originals are made from the same ingredients.
GMG: Good Morning Gloucester contributor Kim Smith’s husband Tom was a rock star and knows Ric Ocasek, the lead singer of The Cars. Do you know Ric Ocasek from The Cars?
Luman: No.
GMG: People should know you’re a legit musician who has performed several times at Carnegie Hall in New York, which is like the most famous concert venue in the world or something. What was it like playing there?
Luman: Exactly like Minglewood Tavern but bigger.
GMG: How did Mosse the band get started?
Luman: Mosse was formed by magic. And by magic, I mean we are all teachers who love music and wanted to play in a band without ego and frustration. One of our guitar players, Jerry Smith, was born and raised in Gloucester. Rich Lehrer is our other guitar player and Pete Koeplin is our drummer. We started playing together and slowly weeded through songs until we found the musical core that suited us. So basically magic.
GMG: Peter and Vickie Van Ness are going to be mad at me for encroaching on their turf and doing a concert preview. This is definitely going to lead to an all-out concert promoter war. Which will be hard because they’re smarter than me and I know zero about music. What time is Mosse playing at Minglewood Tavern this Saturday?
Luman: 9 p.m. Hope to see you there.
Good Morning Gloucester 