Mondo Topless were an American rock band from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

History

Mondo Topless formed in 1992 in Philadelphia, and take their name from the 1966 film of the same name.

Mondo Topless ''Mondo Topless'' is a 1966 pseudo-documentary directed by Russ Meyer, featuring Babette Bardot and Lorna Maitland among others. It was Meyer's first color film following a string of black and white " roughie nudies", including ''Faster, Pussycat! ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

The group's Stooges-inspired

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

is distinguished by their use of a

Vox Continental The Vox Continental is a transistorised combo organ that was manufactured between 1962 and 1971 by the British musical equipment manufacturer Vox. It was designed for touring musicians and as an alternative to the heavy Hammond organ. It supp ...

electric organ. Their debut single was the 1995 7" release, "I Want You To" b/w "Real Gone Girl", with their first full-length following the next year. They followed its release with touring across the United States for two years, until breaking to release their sophomore effort, 1998's ''Get Ready for Action''. ''Go Fast!'', the group's third full-length, appeared in 2002. Further touring around the U.S. followed the album's release. ''Take it Slow'', was released in 2006, and features

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

s of songs by

Paul Revere & the Raiders Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was known for including Revolu ...

and

Solomon Burke Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1936 or 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been ...

.Review of ''Take it Slow''
''

Tucson Weekly The ''Tucson Weekly'' is an alternative newsweekly that was founded in 1984 by Douglas Biggers and Mark Goehring, and serves the Tucson, Arizona, metropolitan area of about 1,000,000 residents. The paper is a member of the Association of Altern ...

'', August 17, 2006. Accessed January 26, 2008. Their most recent LP, "''Freaking Out''", is an all covers album, including interpretations of songs by

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

Camper Van Beethoven Camper Van Beethoven is an American rock band formed in Redlands, California in 1983, later based in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Their style mixes elements of pop, ska, punk rock, folk, alternative country, and world music. The band init ...

among others. After nearly 20 years, leader Steinig retired the Mondo Topless name in early 2011 after the departures of Kris Alutius, Scott Rodgers, and Steve Thrash. The three performed briefly as The Mud Falcons before dissolving. Rodgers continues to play with Philadelphia-based country/roots band Hank's Cadillac, with whom he has performed since 2005. Steinig formed a new band - The GTVs - in late 2011. The GTVs have an album slated for release in late 2013 on the Italian Label 'Teen Sounds'.

Former members

*Sam Steinig - vocals, organ, percussion (1992–2011) *Rick Halter - guitar (1992–1994) *Craig Surgent - guitar (1994–1995) *Vince Friel - guitar (1995–1999) *Kris Alutius - guitar, vocals (1999–2011) *Bob Dicks - bass (1992) *Juliette Watts - bass (1992–1995) *Jamie Mahon - bass (1995–1996) *Scott Parker - bass (1996) *Scott Rodgers - bass, vocals (1996–1999, 2004–2011) *John Loxterman - bass (1999–2004) *Eddie Beinlich - drums (1992–1993) *Tom Connors - drums (1993–2007) *Alex Beisker - drums (2007–2008) *Steve Thrash - drums (2008–2011)

Discography

*''Fifty Thousand Dollar Hand Job'' (360 Twist, 1996) *''Get Ready for Action'' (

Dionysus Records In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Roma ...

, 1998) *''Go Fast!'' (

Get Hip Recordings Get Hip Records is an independent Pittsburgh-based music label and distributor formed by Gregg Kostelich in 1986.Theiner, Manny (1999-06-02), "Still Hip After All These Years". ''Pittsburgh Newsweekly'' Kostelich used the label to release music b ...

, 2002) *''Take it Slow'' (

, 2006) *''Freaking Out'' (

, 2010)

References

External links

Official Myspace
{{Authority control Musical groups from Philadelphia Garage rock groups from Pennsylvania Musical groups established in 1992