Home / Events / Mosco Rosco, Clockwise

Lineup: Mosco Rosco, ClockwiseFormerly known as Harper Blynn and having had a damn good 2013 on the road and co-writing a single with Sara Bareilles, this is a band you'll hear more about this year. Here's how Mosco Rosco's Pete Harper describes the band, their sound, and how they came to collaborate with Reggie Watts: "Mosco Rosco is inspired by an Alan Moore comic from the late-'70s. The detective gets a call from the coroner telling him they've discovered the corpse of rock 'n' roll. In this allegory he puts together a team composed of characters resembling Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Brian Eno to find the culprit. His first suspect is Kraftwerk. "At this point in 1979, Kraftwerk and dance music were continuing their ascent, and it was important that someone represent this art they feared was being lost. Soul music and rock music, imperfect and human, contain the elements of struggle and emotion that lead people into relationships with themselves and others. Technology and its ability to create 'perfect' sound became the enemy. Punk music was doing its piece, but was reactionary, and as a result was an extreme response that disposed of many useful and timeless elements of the craft. "We realized in making this first Mosco Rosco record that bands like the Talking Heads and The Cars and records like Michael Jackson's Off the Wall were our biggest inspiration — people who knew how to play their instruments, singing well-crafted songs. For us, music exists as something we engage with as individuals, from a vulnerable and individual space. We think it's only fair that as those making the music we do the same. "Reggie fell into our lives when he came over to our band house with friends. Then we ended up stumbling into a Lionel Richie concert with him at SXSW. A few months later he came to a show, helped us load out, and brought us some carrot cake. Having his freedom and personality on this song just fit right in." Catch Mosco Rosco in their new residency at The Satellite in LA, with special guests. - ESQUIRE MAGAZINE