This week on Chasing Artists with XENJA, we chat with Shannon Noel and Stacie Burrows about the creation of their musical comedy duo Mommy Tonk where they've taken the first decade of motherhood and turned it into a hilarious musical comedy act!
Guest Bio
Stacie Burrows and Shannon Noel of the LA-based musical comedy duo Mommy Tonk electrify the stage as they sing outrageously funny songs about, of all things, the monotony of domesticity. These two saucy moms have taken the first decade of motherhood and turned it into anthems about lost youth (We Used To Be You), battle-cries for big-box stores (Gotta Go To Target), ballads about marital strife (Last Fight), odes to organic produce (Farm Box) and love songs for husbands (Here’s Me Communicating My Needs). Their comedy and music are both evergreen and ever-changing. Each stage of motherhood is inspiration for the next song, sketch or live show. Their harmonies are as tight as The Everly Brothers, but the lyrics are more akin to Tenacious D.
It takes a village to raise a kid, they say, but this is no ordinary village. This village is racy, outspoken, and unabashedly authentic. MOMMY TONK wasn’t born yesterday. They’ve been at it for over a decade. And by “it” we mean they’ve been sitting in bars writing lyrics on cocktail napkins while the Xbox babysat their children and their husbands. Stacie & Shannon met while getting drunk backstage at an Expressing Motherhood show. Burrows, from Texas and Noel, from Kentucky have Southern sensibilities in that they will look you right in the eye and give you a firm handshake as they politely tell you to, “Go fuck yourself, ma’am” as they do in their song Bless Her Heart. And they will do it with such a sweet harmony that it will make you forgive them instantly.
It’s been said that Mommy Tonk is not suitable for work, children, or anyone with standards. But Mommy Tonk is suitable for any audience hungry for ballsy originality.
Often backed by their Americana Roots trio, The Assless Chaps, Mommy Tonk has toured the U.S., packing clubs such as: Zanies Nashville, Throckmorton Theatre Mill Valley, House of Blues Hollywood, Flapper’s Burbank, Stagecoach Country Music Festival, The Boston Comedy Festival, Three Clubs Hollywood, The Comedy Store Hollywood, Mohawk Austin, The Laughing Derby Louisville, and Wow Summit 2018. And when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down live entertainment, the ladies kept on cranking out new quarantine-inspired music like Never Been This Close (to leaving you), MyLuftPalloon, My Mumu, and My Wifi Hates Me. They continue to stay connected with their audience through Zoom shows and social media.
Their debut album NAILED IT is available on Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.
People who have seen their live shows have compared them to Tenacious D, Flight of the Conchords, and Garfunkel and Oates.
Links to Guest
@mommytonk
https://mommytonk.com
New Special Out 5/8 - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/wearemommytonk
Show Notes
@iamxenja
www.xenja.org
www.xenja.bandcamp.com
Produced by XENJA
Music by XENJA
Audio Editing by High Noon Audio
