Fan of the Month!
Interviewed by Kayt

For the record, what is your name? Chris Mundwiler Where were you born, and where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Illinois. Grew up in a small town called Woodstock (the site of the movie Groundhog Day). What were your main interests, entertainment and otherwise, growing up? My father was a jazz musician and my mother loved classical music so as they bridged the musical gap, there

wasn't much my sisters and I didn't hear. So MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC was one of the foremost interests Ihad growing up as well as the usual stuff boys do in a small town....disturbing the peace whenever possible and cruising for girls.

Tell us about your musical endeavors and any musical instruments you play…
I got an old marching drum from my grandfather who had been a drummer and a vaudevillian (singer and piano player) when I was four and have played most of the percussion instruments along the way. I played in all the various school bands and orchestras but of course mostly loved playing rock and roll in a couple of bands. Now I don't play anymore except bongos in the safety of my home but I usually have something banging away on the stereo.

What accomplishments are you most proud of at this point in your life?
The accomplishments I am most proud of are my three sons. They are all fine young men that have turned out to be my three best buddies. Peter, 25, is in Italy doing art with his lady. The twins, Rory and Tristan, are 23. One is a musician, studying to open his own music business and the other is a paramedic. All three of them were in bands from the beginning and writing their own music since their early teens. I guess you could say they are fourth generation musicians.

What are your favorite movies?
My favorite movies go from “The Wizard of Oz” to “True Romance;” from “Animal House” to the “Buena Vista Social Club” and a lot in between.

Do you have any favorite books?
Books? Er, oh yeah, I still read... Occasionally I read some Carl Hiaasen for giggles and because he seems to hate the overzealous Florida developers as much as I do. For more serious stuff, Hesse and Huxley and for pure fantasy... Tom Mix and Pancho Villa.

What music are you into, in addition to Red Elvises?
My music wall, like that of each of my family members, is total smorgasbord (you should see my younger sister’s) I have sections dedicated to blues and jazz and classical and opera and mostly old Rock and Roll, but some new as well. My world music part has Colombia, Peruvian pan flute, Soca from Barbados but the part I am happiest with is the Cuban section which is growing daily. I cannot get enough music from the Oriente of Cuba. My son, Rory, and I visited Cuba this fall and got to see and party with the greatest living ( in my opinion) Cuban musican, Eliades Ochoa in Santiago. That was smoking!!!!

When, where, how, etc. did you first hear and experience Red Elvises?
The first time I heard a Red Elvises CD I was traveling with my oldest son Peter and I thought "Oh, that is nice" but when he left the Belly Dance CD I happened to put it on while I was driving along a deserted part of the Florida Atlantic coast and.......WAHOOOO, I GOT IT!! I guess I was listening to So Cal/Siberian surf music watching Florida surfers. Anyway, I almost drove off the road. A short time later I heard they were coming to Tampa at my favorite club over there (Skipper’s, of course) so a friend and I went to see them (the original group) . I remember waking up the next day and my cheeks ached and I realized it was because I had spent the night before smiling for about two hours straight.

About how many times have you seen them?
Between Skipper’s and the other venues in the Tampa Bay area and South and Central Florida, I just celebrated my 25th concert December 22nd. (Interviewer's note: That would be at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota. Chris' 26th show was Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa the very next night.)

What is it about Red Elvises that draws you to them, that you like the most?
Trying to explain what someone gets out of a Red Elvises concert is like trying to explain a painting but those of you who have seen them know these are really great musicians playing music with many roots and a sense of humor that I have not seen before in music. Besides all of that they are really good guys.

What’s the farthest you’ve traveled to see them? And do you have a good story around that?
The farthest I ever traveled to see a Red Elvises show... Well, actually I flew from Orlando to Seattle, picked up my kids (this was five years ago) and we went off to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, playing RE music with my oldest and raving about them to the twins as we went. After two days of flight and driving we arrive at the quaint fishing village of Campbell River, halfway up Vancouver Island. We were playing the “Belly Dance” CD when we went out to eat and as we got to our restaurant we noticed a little club with a familiar poster in the window... It seems that the guys had played there just the night before. Damn... And that is why, boys and girls, I always check the tour dates section before I travel in the US (or Canada).

One time we had seen them on consecutive nights in Tampa and Orlando and my oldest and I were back home drinking about our hundredth beer of the night when we got the bright idea to go on the Internet and see where they were playing the next few days. You would be surprised how many bars are still open at 4:30am on a Sunday morning and we called all the ones that were hosting the REs for the next few days and then we did the only sane thing a fan could do...sober up, kind of, and ROAD TRIP all the way to Key West, which I think is the best place to hear about "ocean of piña coladas, sea of Corona and lime" with the Gulf and the Atlantic side by side.

Which show is your favorite of the Red Elvises shows you've seen?
I have never seen a bad RE show; all have been really good to really great, but two best ones were... The first time all three of my sons and I got to party together (at Clancy’s north of St. Pete) and I think we accomplished a "12" out of a possible 10 that night. I still hear Oleg's “Telephone Call from Istanbul” but the whole night was magic.

Any other standout, all time great memories of shows you’ve seen so far?
The one show we actually got to help put together was the best. My friend Charlie, a huge RE fan from Daytona, and I had a vision of the perfect show. He and his organizers and I did a Daytona Beach Halloween party at the Plaza on the Beach and it was outrageous with costumes and a good time was had by all. My sons were all there to help with merchandise and hold up their end of the partying.

What are your favorite Red Elvises songs?
My favorite songs, well, I guess I am just an old standards kind of guy... "My Love is Killing Me" and "Gypsy Heart." Actually I really like almost all of their stuff....the more ethnic the better.

What would you like to see them do in the future? Any ideas? Anything you’d like to say to the band?
I would like to see them keep playing as long as they like doing it. I can't imagine the grind. Go on a road trip and see them 4-5 nights in a row and you get an idea. I would LOVE to hear a new album some time. Any thing I might like to say to the band—“Hey Igor, if I learn Russian, can I sell merchandise for you on the next Russian tour?”

Okay, last question… Do you have anything you’d especially like to say to all the fans?
As for the fans, I remember the first show I went to and it seemed like there tons of people wearing very wild and diverse RED outfits....from RED drag queens to RED mini-skirted model-types to just RED necks. So folks, if you are supporting the band get your red groove on and grab a bunch of people who have never seen them (newbies, by Lori's definition) and catch a show or two or three and they will be on the RED carpet. Hello to all the great folks I've got to meet at the concerts, Lori, K-dog, now Kayt and many others. See you at Skipper’s or the Green Parrot or maybe even at the 2006 Daytona Halloween party!!!!!