ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ~ WHOLE DAMN MESS

Nothing in the world feels better, Whole Damn Mess, Don Miggs, C. Todd Nielsen, Lawrence Katz, Greg Hansen , I'm Music Magazine, Artist Spotlight

Rock ‘n’ Roll causes a physical response. Hips sway, feet tap, heads nods, and hearts race. On stage and on tape, Whole Damn Mess – Don Miggs, C. Todd Nielsen, Lawrence Katz, and Greg Hansen provoke a primal reaction, packing a potent punch with timeless songcraft and unbridled energy.

Whole Damn Mess represents the union of lifelong musicians and friends with a mind-blowing collective pedigree. Don founded and led MIGGS to international popularity (in addition to collaborating with everyone from Billy Corgan to Mick Fleetwood- who happens to beat the hell out of the drums on a track), Lawrence has been the long-time guitar player for The Mighty Mighty BossTones, while C. Todd and Greg have found success in their side project Floyd Wonder.

Proudly identifying as “a group of four guys who aren’t teenagers but still fight like it,” they approach music with a clear perspective on reality and an understanding of the challenges to maintain a piece of yourself in the face of mounting responsibilities. Shocking this sentiment to life, they rallied around a shared vision. In 2018, they dropped their full-length debut The Queen and the Outcast followed by the Princes Turn to Thieves EP a year later.

Over the course of 2020, they wrote and recorded a patch of new songs relying on the perspectives of four singers, four musicians, and four producers, they reached the nexus of their respective talents through sessions in Los Angeles and Tampa, FL. Meanwhile, mix engineer extraordinaire Mark Needham [The Killers, Imagine Dragons] put the finishing touches on the new tracks.

With the release of their latest song and video for “Nothing In The World Feels Better” and more songs and a new album on the horizon Whole Damn Mess ignites a tried-and-true approach with a fresh fire and undeniable passion.

All superheroes and villains have an origin, and a band is no different, minus the secret government experiments and radioactive spiders. What’s the origin of Whole Damn Mess?

Don: I will start it and let the witty kids finish——— Born in the Laurel Canyon house that Mickey Rooney built, and Rick James destroyed…

Greg: He’s not lying. The house is also very much haunted and is a constant source of inspiration…

C. Todd: It’s rife with radioactive spiders to boot…

Lawrence: Funny thing is the first time we met at said house it was under the guise of us all meeting to discuss a secret government experiment.

What’s in a band’s name? It can be a cool story or sometimes just a random name picked. What about Whole Damn Mess?

Don: I wanted a band that felt like a whole damn mess. Like a punk show where there are too many people on stage banging into each other – smiles, hugs, and a lot of Clase Azul tequila. Too many cooks in the kitchen when in a studio and writing. A band of leaders willing to take turns following. A beautiful disaster. A Whole Damn Mess.

Greg: Exactly.

C. Todd: What he said.

Lawrence: Sounds about right.

All four of you are talented musicians, songwriters, and producers. That said what is the most useless talent you have?

Don: I may be the best kazoo player in the band. Definitely in the top 3. Or 4. For sure.

Greg: I do a half ways decent Ray Liotta impression. I would give it a B-.

C. Todd: I can name every member in Whole Damn Mess, usually.

Lawrence: I’m really good at music.

We’ve lost quite a few music icons over the last few years. If you could pick one or two to jam with who would you pick?

Don: Prince would be first. Dead he’s a better guitarist than almost any other player alive. Eddie Van Halen was a pioneer. Prince was a better guitar player. Try to wrap your head around that!

Greg: Definitely Prince. Would be cool to drop acid with Jimi Hendrix too.

C. Todd: I wanna get weird with Bowie!

Lawrence: Can you imagine being in the room with Neil Peart and EVH. I think my head would explode.

If your music were a mixed drink what would be in it?

Don: Long Island Iced Tea. If you’re seated it feels possible to drink a lot. Stand up and the world gets sideways quickly. That’s us. We play seemingly simple music, but it’s got more than you think in there and it will hit you soon enough.

Greg: Jalapeño Margarita. Simple, familiar but with a little kick to it.

C. Todd: I agree with the other dudes, but at the end of the day let’s be honest, we’re Clase Azul tequila on the rocks…or straight out of the bottle. One tour we killed 30 of them in a week.

Lawrence: Not sure what you’d call it, but all of the bottles would come off the top shelf.