Band names often give an inkling to what a performer’s music might sound like. However, indie rockers Mod Amish, who perform at Dream Street on March 26, take a different approach. According to frontman Mike Drake, the quartet went for something abstract rather than a name with deep meaning. Indeed, rarely have two less likely words been paired together than mod and Amish. The name was chosen after they found their original choice, Brittle Star, was already taken. “It’s nonsense, really,” said Drake. “A friend had a dream where she was the singer of a band called Mod Amish, so we went with that.” Though now considered a mainstay of the local club circuit, Mod Amish actually got its start in Louisiana during the late ’90s. It was guitarist Shannon Jones who first arrived in San Diego in 2004, with Drake making the move in 2007. “It was hard to get taken seriously back where we came from,” Drake said. “The bands which won ‘best of’ polls were always cover bands, and that used to really get under our skin. “We moved to California to pursue music professionally,” he said. “It just seems like a natural destination for musicians, and So-Cal has such a rich history of rock and punk music. Besides, who can argue with this great weather?” Drake said the biggest culture shock in the move was the set lengths, which average 45 minutes. “We used to do three-hour shows back in Louisiana and we were the only band playing,” Drake said. “I like it better here.” Ironically, both of the musicians Drake and Shannon added to the band upon regrouping in San Diego were also both transplants. Drummer Jim Benuska is originally from Chicago, while bassist Gerry Matthews hails from New Jersey. While the whole group contributes to the arrangements, the bulk of its material is penned by Jones. “Melodically, he regurgitates his influences into a sound that’s uniquely him,” said Drake. While Mod Amish plays original music, it also includes the occasional cover song like The Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.” “[Jones is] a big Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel fan and a fan of anything with great hooks,” Drake said. “He spent two years performing in a restaurant on Sixth Street downtown doing mostly covers, so there is a lot of melodic stuff deeply ingrained in his mind.” The band has released two albums to date, “Mod Amish” (2006) and “No Use for Sunshine” (2008). More recently, the band chalked up a minor college radio hit with the song “September,” chosen by the University of California, Los Angeles’ radio station for inclusion on a CD of the country’s top unsigned bands. The song has also been featured in filmmaker Armand Monteils’ movie “3 Ways to Sunday” and won first place in a Converse shoes song contest. Currently writing material for a proposed third album later this year, Drake isn’t worried about diminishing music sales worldwide. He said the act of creating music is the best part. “The fact that we just enjoy doing it is the main motivator,” Drake said. “Writing, rehearsing, recording and playing live are all really fun.” At most shows the group easily wins over its audience, but Drake acknowledges the occasional ups and downs of the music biz. “We have nights where we play and people come up afterward and ask us for an autograph,” Drake said. “Three nights later and three blocks away in a different club, you’re playing to a crowd of people who are looking at you like your very existence offends them.” Mod Amish performs on Thursday, March 26 at Dream Street, 2228 Bacon St. at 9 p.m. The show is for those 21 and up. For more information visit www.myspace.com/modamish.
