MUGS (formally known as the Extremophiles) is an indie/alternative rock band in San Diego, California. Originally from Temecula, MUGS emerged from the scene relatively recently, and  this band has proven to be making its mark on the locals. Let's see what the band says about their start, what it's like playing in SD, and more!

MEMBERS' NAMES, WHAT EACH PERSON PLAYS, AND WHEN/WHERE THE BAND ORIGINATED.

“MUGS started in Temecula, CA in the summer of 2017, with original members Charles Kernkamp on drums and Aston Flores on guitar/vox. Since then, we have worked with Jaden Stodart for a couple of years but are now with David Minor from Cherrys and Stone Pellerin on bass for our current lineup."

TELL ME A BIT ABOUT THE START OF THE BAND. HOW DID MUGS FORM? WAS IT A CHALLENGE TO FORM THIS GROUP OR FAIRLY EASY?

"Coming from Temecula, we faced lots of adversity finding venues to play. SD is so fortunate to have all-ages venues for kids coming up. Before, we would have to plug in our amps behind sketchy buildings and throw secret shows at midnight to play until the cops usually rolled up. It was enjoyable to do it ourselves, drop longitude-latitude coordinates to everyone, and see who showed up, but it was never easy without someone calling the cops."

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF BEING IN A LOCAL SAN DIEGO BAND? WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART? 

"The fans are the best part of being a local SD band! Charles and I have played in Humboldt and even in NYC, but the most poppin crowds are always close to home, we love SD! Though we hate how expensive it is to live here, most of our focus outside of music is figuring out how to pay our bills. We've had to sell a lot of instruments and work manual labor 12-hour days to get by, but seeing people throw down at our shows makes it all worth it at the end of the day!"

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHOW MEMORY?

"Raising $2500 at F*ck Frats Fest for victims of sexual assault. There was a huge problem in SB with girls getting assaulted at frat houses, and UCSB did nothing to hold these people accountable. Many of our friends who helped produce shows were pissed, and we were too, so we got together to raise funds and awareness for SBSTESA (Santa Barbara Standing Together to End Sexual Assault)."

WHAT RELEASE THAT IS CURRENTLY OUT NOW ARE YOU THE PROUDEST OF?

"We're most proud of 'Old Ways.' We all share one last brain cell, and that brain cell worked hard on capturing a track with our live show energy, tomfoolery, and all."

WHAT TYPE OF MESSAGE DO YOU WANT TO SEND WITH THE MUSIC YOU MAKE?

"We want listeners of our music to have fun, take it easy, and overthrow our capitalist overlords with no mercy!"

WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM MUGS IN THE FUTURE?

"Since we changed our name to MUGS, we are releasing our FIRST single, 'Civil Liberties,' on May 27th on a new Spotify page. The release party is at Humble Heart on 5/27 with our friends from the bay! Expect a tour around July, and please be patient because we are making everything perfect! You can keep up with us on Instagram primarily (@mugs.0rg). The new single will be on Spotify on 5/27 as MUGS. Our old songs as Extremophiles will stay online forever, so follow and listen to both pages! So much more to come soon. Thanks for supporting!"

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