Mummies to rock the Bluebird

Fresh from the tomb, wrapped in bandages and ready to rock, Here Come the Mummies is playing March 14 at the Bluebird Nightclub. The band from Nashville, Tenn., is touring with its new EP, “A La Mode.”

The Bluebird’s doors will open at 8 p.m. and the show is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $22 and attendees must be at least 21 years of age.

Here Come the Mummies is a band constructed around the concept that the members are actual mummies. They bring a mummified appearance into their live performances, with eight live performers dressed in mummy attire for each show.

The band members’ true identities remain shrouded in anonymity. The band members say they are real mummies with musical inclinations. They claim they once toured nomadically as minstrels, and chased women more than three millennia ago.

Java, one of the band’s eight live performers, stuck to his story when questioned about the band members’ obscurity.

“We were not always anonymous, but it got old explaining to people that we were actually 3,500 years old and had names like Teknet, Horakhty and Sekhmet,” Java said.

While the band’s musical influence tends to lean toward funk-induced rock, Java said they sometimes also venture into other styles such as Latin and ska.

Beyond dressing like mummies, the band incorporates some dance moves and props into its live performances. The Freak Flag prop routine involves members of the band waving a flag out to the audience.

There is also a prop called a “cowbelt,” which is an apparatus members of the band attach around their waists and thrust their hips in a lewd manner in order to play.

Essentially this prop keeps beat much in the way a cowbell would.

This is not the band’s first time playing at the Bluebird. Java said the band has been filling the local Bloomington bar for years. He described the energy of the venue as being profound due to the intimate nature of the establishment.

Here Come the Mummies released its first album in 2002, entitled “Terrifying Funk From Beyond the Grave.” The band tends to write lyrics about adult themes.

“Our lyrics tend to be slightly naughty and all about getting it on,” Java said.

The band soon made regular appearances on the “Bob & Tom Show,” a radio program for WFBQ Indianapolis. The first time on the show, Java said the band was initially scheduled for just four songs, but by the time they finished, they had played eight.

The new EP is free and available on SoundCloud. William Garraty, the band’s manager, said this EP is only the first of a series to come.

“We want to give back to the fans that support the band,” he said.