Here Come the Mummies

5/3/2023

When interviewing musicians for CITYVIEW, we feature established musicians or up-and-coming acts, divulging the band’s personality through a series of provocative questions. 

But when interviewing Here Come the Mummies, I’m not sure exactly who I interviewed, except they were supposedly thousand-year old Egyptian mummies named Mummy Cass and Midnight.

Here Come the Mummies perform in mummy costumes, and the band’s identities have not been revealed since forming the band in Nashville in 1999. According to sources (a.k.a. the Internet), the band consists of musicians supposedly under contract with other record labels or could be Grammy-award winning musicians. The other story is the mummies were cursed after deflowering Pharaoh’s daughter.

Whoever they are, these musicians deliver a sold-out, high-energy performance with a soul, funk sound. With frequent visits on the Tom and Bob talk show, their sometimes-naughty lyrics ooze with inuendo, including “She Loves Dick,” “Walk of Shame” and “Booty.” Google the lyrics for an amusing, red-faced laugh.

Fans can hear Here Come the Mummies at the inaugural Greenbelt Festival in Clive on May 20. (See sidebar for more details on the festival.)

Mummies Midnight and Mummy Cass answered a few questions via email:

CITYVIEW: Where did the band form?

Mummy Cass: Back in ancient Egypt, when we were ordinary mortals, we played weddings and stuff. That was before we got on the wrong side of the Pharaoh, of course, before we were cursed to wander the globe forever.

CITYVIEW: What is the most difficult part of performing in a costume?

Mummy Cass: Is it a costume if you can’t take it off? If you did try to pull these rags off us, the flesh would come with ’em. But the hardest part is the little things, like when they get tangled in the guitar strings, or when it feels like there’s a moldy wet blanket on you when you’re trying to sing.

Midnight: Breathing.

CITYVIEW: How do you prepare for a concert?

Mummy Cass: Getting ready for a concert doesn’t take too long, unless you count the centuries that have crept by like a sandy glacier, that is. All we really do is a few “mi, mi, mi, mi, mis” and take a daily multivitamin.

Midnight: Don’t forget to eat a sensible breakfast, too, baby. Ribs, mmm.

CITYVIEW: What did think when “The Walking Dead” zombies debuted? Who would win in a battle?

Mummy Cass: When that show came out, we were like “huh, look at ’em go. Good for you, zombies.”

Midnight: We’d win at certain things. Staring contests, hot dog eating, battle of the bands, 5Ks. 

CITYVIEW: Do you do social media?

Mummy Cass: We do our best, but we are old and dusty, and our idea of technology was raising megaliths with our minds to build the pyramids. 

Midnight: And we can’t remember how that works.

CITYVIEW: What musical dreams do you have?

Mummy Cass: Baby, we are already doin’ it! We just wanna keep bringing people together to have a good time.

Midnight: Duet with Bruno Mars, ON Mars.

Greenbelt Music Festival

A first-ever Greenbelt Music Festival in Clive brings more than 20 bands to the Greenbelt Trail on May 19-20. The family-friendly event takes place in the grassy area off the Greenbelt Trail and by the Horizon Events Center. 

Tariq Lundy, operations and booking manager, says the Horizon Events Center is putting on the festival as a way to kick off summer with a community event and fundraiser. “It’s to encourage the bike trail. Clive doesn’t have a main street, and we consider the Greenbelt a type of main street.”

In addition to Here Come the Mummies, headliners include Infamous Stringdusters, a jam-grass band, and country singer Jameson Rodgers. Other bands include the rock band Big Wu, local bluegrass band Cardinal Sound and more.

Patrons can bring chairs, blankets and ride their bikes to the festival. It’s open to all ages, with food trucks and beverages, along with a silent disco, laser tag and games. Concerts take place on both indoor and outside stages. Kids younger than age 12 get in free. Tickets for each day of the festival are $35; a two-day pass is $64, VIP tickets $139; plus fees. For more information, visit www.greenbeltmusic.com. ♦