Mondo Drag

Mondo Drag

Mondo Drag is a psychedelic prog rock band from Iowa, with origins in Davenport and Oakland. The group is active from 2006 and operates with a line-up that includes Zack Anderson, Cory Berry, johnnie cluney, John Gamino, Nolan Girard, and Jake Sheley. Its sound sits within heavy psych, krautrock, psychedelic, psychedelic rock, and space rock, with related tags including stoner rock and blues rock.

Formation and members

The band’s core members are John Gamino, Nolan Girard, and Jake Sheley. They grow up within about a mile of one another, attend the same schools, share the same local scene, and play music together for 15 years, which shapes the group’s cohesion.

Performances and touring

Mondo Drag builds a reputation through live performance and shares stages with Sleepy Sun, Dead Meadow, Witchcraft, Pentagram, Black Mountain, Wooden Shjips, and High On Fire. The band tours the United States extensively after the release of New Rituals and appears at major psych-rock events including SXSW, Chicago Psych Fest, Cincy Psych Fest, and Austin Psych Fest 3.

Recordings

New Rituals is released on Alive Records and helps establish the band’s wider profile. The group later prepares a second LP that features the rhythm section of the Swedish-American rock band Blues Pills, which records for Nuclear Blast.

Location

The band later settles in Oakland, California, after travelling across the country.