OREGON COAST- The faces behind Mondo Mundo’s rocking tunes may seem familiar to some. That’s because quite a few of them also lend their talents to other local projects.
Jeff Eikamp is the mastermind behind Mondo Mundo, an instrumental band that some have defined as “Surf Rock.”
“It is kind of like the sound of the ocean, you know it has all the different moods,” Jeff said. “It can be chaotic and violent, it can also be mellow and serene, you know. So I get why it’s called surf music, it should just be called ocean music. Doesn’t sound as cool though.”
Jeff has been playing music since high school, starting with the trumpet, then moving on to the drums, before finding his passion for the guitar.
“Mostly just (played in) cover bands until I lived in Portland, and joined a band called ‘Country Trash,'” he said. “That was the first time I played in a band that had nothing but original music and it kind of changed my perception on what kind of music to play. Because if you can make people, like, rock out to your original songs it’s way better than just playing covers all the time.”
Despite having played in multiple bands that have been categorized as “Surf Rock” or “Surf Punk,” Jeff himself is not much of a surfer. Though he said he did stand up on a board once, he doesn’t actively ride the waves.
Eric Feliciano not only lends his talents as a bass player to Tiller of the Moon, and Mondo Mundo, but also sings and plays guitar in his own band “The Planet Of” made up of himself, his brother Ryan, and drummer Scott McTaggart.
“I would just say that like guitar has always been my main instrument, but I also play some drums and bass, and keys,” he said. “I do a lot of midi programming.” Eric has also been playing music most of his life, starting with the guitar and branching out from there.
You may recognize Jake Allegar from Tiller or the Moon, but lends his guitar skills to Mondo Mundo as well a jazz group based out of Florence, Oregon. For Jake there’s no such this as being a part of too many bands.
“It is purely a way of continuing to try to express the thing I have inside of myself that I have to get out,” Jake said. “Whether that be from live performance, from production, from mixing and mastering, I just love the whole process of music.”
Drummer Ben Horton, who is the only member of the band who is an avid surfer, said he’s played in about eight bands so far this year.
“I think I started when I was 10,” Ben told NBC5.
Ben says he has been playing the drums for about 26 years. He and Jeff have played together before, being two of the core members of Pigasus Trio.
While it can be hard to find venues in smaller communities like Coos and Curry counties, Mondo Mundo has certainly made their rounds, playing in a variety of locations.
“We just played a house party,” Jeff said. “We play at Mr.Ed’s in Port Orford fairly frequently. Played a couple venues in Winchester Bay: the Blue Box and Crabby’s.”
Ben said one of the more unusual location’s they’ve played was in Winchester Bay, Oregon, a gig that Jeff recalled as well. “Crabby’s is pretty cool, they set us up out on the dock, with a dumpster right behind us.”
Whether it’s at a bar, a house party, or even next to a dumpster, you can catch the groovy dudes behind Mondo Mundo doing what they do best, on the Southern Oregon coast.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.