A Chat with Sons of the Mellow Mafia (26.08.25)
Blending jazz, soul, pop and Americana into a cinematic self-titled album, Sons of the Mellow Mafia pay tribute to the legendary 1970s studio musicians known as the Mellow Mafia. Without uttering a word, the instrumental release evokes feelings of nostalgia and reminiscence to contemplation and connection. We speak with band member David Lockeretz about Sons of the Mellow Mafia, the self-titled debut album, what music means to him and more.
OSR: Rather cliché, but how did Sons of the Mellow Mafia come about? What drew you to music?
Lockeretz: I was fortunate to grow up in a house where a lot of music was being played. One of the first things I remember getting into was hearing the baroque F-trumpet on Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #2. I also remember, in junior high, a rock band came to our school and did a concert, playing some Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, and I ate it right up. That music had an energy, especially live and up close, that got me wanting to do that.
Fast forward many years later, and I had the idea to put together an Americana-influenced jazz quintet of harmonica, mandolin and piano (the three main instruments of the many that my dad played at one time or another) with upright bass and drums. I started writing music for this combo and after trying to record some of it live, I decided to shift to recording it remotely. Each individual player recorded themselves and I edited the tracks and sent them to Anthony Fesmire, whom I have known since we met at Berklee in the 1990s, and with whom I have another band, Outside Pedestrian, that does guitar-oriented instrumental music. He mixed and mastered the record.
The band name is a homage to the Mellow Mafia, aka the Section, which was a group of 1970s studio musicians similar to the more famous Wrecking Crew. They played on records by James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Carly Simon and others in the soft rock/AOR genre, earning them the nickname Mellow Mafia.
OSR: Your self-titled album is an 11-track journey through different styles like jazz, soul and Americana. Do you think it’s important for musicians and listeners to explore diverse genres? If so, why?
Lockeretz: For me, it’s been very helpful. I think of the expression “What do they of London know who only London know?” You can get really good at the technical side of one genre of music by focusing exclusively on it, but by at least familiarizing yourself with other genres, you get a different perspective. You learn different ways of solving challenges that come up in music, such as having enough variety to keep it interesting but also enough consistency that the listener doesn’t feel lost or overwhelmed. I think any good musician can learn from almost any genre.
OSR: Lyrical songs can capture the emotion and theme of a song with words and music. Do you think instrumentals can be as emotional and powerful? How so?
Lockeretz: Yes – the power of suggestion. The title of an instrumental piece of music might be designed to evoke a mood or feeling or place or thing, but the rest is up to the listener. Sure, a lot of song lyrics can also be open to different interpretations, but even so, it’s still more of a prompt for the listener than when there are no lyrics at all. I don’t think one is better or more powerful than the other; they’re just different, like comparing a black and white photo to color. Sometimes color is the best way to tell the story; sometimes black and white is.
OSR: Do you think instrumental music is underrated, particularly in the mainstream music scene?
Lockeretz: Yes. Maybe it’s my own bias, because most of what I’ve written is instrumental, but I do think there’s a lot of instrumental music, more than many people realize, that has embedded itself in our collective consciousness. You don’t have to be a Julliard graduate to know the beginning Beethoven’s 5th symphony, and there is a lot of other classical music that people might not know by name but still recognize, like ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusic’ by Mozart or Bach’s ‘Toccata and Fugue in D Minor’. A lot of instrumental music from film and TV has become part of our fabric too. The imperial march from Star Wars has almost become shorthand for anything ominous or villainous. Instrumental TV themes like The Simpsons and Law and Order are just as quickly recognized by many people as songs with words.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Lockeretz: It means a lot of different things, and sometimes it can mean different things to me at the same time. I’d sum it up by saying that music is what I do. Sometimes it’s what I do for work, sometimes for pleasure or creative release, sometimes it’s how I socialize and interact with people. I’m not exactly the most socially adept person, so sometimes by playing music, I can connect with people with whom I might not have that much in common. Saying music is “what I do” might seem like a simplistic blanket statement, but I think it works. It’s also a reminder to myself to be flexible about the role music plays in my life.
OSR: If you could change anything about the new album, what would it be and why?
Lockeretz: I’m pretty happy with how it came out. No, it’s not perfect, but by the time I decided to sign off on it, I really believed I had taken it as far as it could go, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life editing it. That said, one change I would have made in hindsight was to use a different bass on ‘Shade from Burned Oaks’. The bass I used was better suited for orchestral playing, while my old workhorse, which I nickname the $900 Wonder, is easier to get around on for jazzier stuff. I like the tone of the bass on ‘Shade’, but my playing doesn’t sound as fluid as I’d have liked. Oh well, lesson learned for next time.
OSR: Which is your favourite and least favourite tracks on the album?
Lockeretz: I’m proud of all of them, and I don’t think I have a least favorite or favorite. All of them have strengths and all of them have things that could be improved upon. Compositionally, ‘Limestone Jesus’ is a little simplistic (same chord progression over and over again) but I think it’s one of the more fun tunes to listen to – it’s high energy and somewhat chaotic at times – and it represents a somewhat different way of writing from what I’ve usually done, so even if it’s not going to win a Grammy, I’m glad it’s on the album.
‘Inflection Point’ is probably the least accessible tune, because it doesn’t really have a melody and the chords are kind of murky, and it was a tough one to record remotely (mainly because I did it in a way that in hindsight didn’t make much sense), but the tune also represents a stretch for me out of my comfort zone as a writer and player, and I think both David Oromaner (drums) and Scott Smith (piano) sound great on it, so I am glad that that one, too, is on the album.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music?
Lockeretz: I hope people have an emotional response and connection. For example, the tune ‘Seafarer’ was dedicated to a friend of mine who died a few years ago, and my goal was for that tune to feel more like a celebration than a lament, but to still have a touch of melancholy, and I hope that comes across to listeners, whether or not they, too have lost someone. On the other hand, a tune like ‘Rule 34’ has a kind of mischief to it (if you don’t know what Rule 34 is, you probably won’t WANT to know). It’s deliberately clunky and awkward, and maybe people who don’t identify with a lot of the safe and formulaic music out there might appreciate its quirkiness.
OSR: Do you have any advice for new musicians entering the industry?
Lockeretz: Think about “how” and “why”, not just “what.” Maybe “what” is, “I want infinity followers on TikTok.” Fair enough, but “why” specifically that goal? How will you leverage those infinite followers after you get there? Yes, “what” is important – goals give us direction and motivation – but for me, in hindsight, I often let myself get distracted by an easier, shinier prize that ended up feeling good in the moment but not helping me in the long run. Often when I did achieve a long-term goal, I felt a sense of let down afterward because I hadn’t thought enough about what I wanted next. Success is intoxicating, but it’s also a poor teacher.
OSR: What can we expect from Sons of the Mellow Mafia in the future?
Lockeretz: I’m starting to lay the groundwork for the second SMM album, but in the mean time, half of us – myself, drummer David Oromaner and mixing/mastering engineer Anthony Fesmire – will be working on the next Outside Pedestrian album. O.P.’s music tends to be a little more intense and unpredictable than Sons of the Mellow Mafia, and I enjoy being able to go back and forth between the two.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Lockeretz: Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy it!
Many thanks to David Lockeretz for speaking with us. Find out more about Sons of the Mellow Mafia on their Spotify and SoundCloud.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
