If you were a fan of local music in Wichita between 2003 and 2012, it’s likely that you saw Darlin’ Maudie.
Brothers Mike and Nick Evancho were regulars at venues such as Kirby’s Beer Store and John Barleycorn’s (as it was then known) and released a number of CDs in their initial run.
Since their final show roughly 12 years ago, the brothers have remained active in music, although with Nick living in St. Louis and Mike in Wichita, the opportunity to gig hasn’t presented itself that often.
But recent conversations between the pair changed some of that. There were hints that they might write some new material and then, the idea that a reunion show was in order.
Mike Evancho recently led a revitalized version of the group through a gig at Kirby’s. On Saturday, Sept. 28, Nick Evancho will join his brother and the rest of the lineup on a bill that also features Wichita’s Stars Go Cold and The Velvet Fever at the Shamrock Lounge.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What made this right time for a reunion?
Mike Evancho: It was just an idea that came to fruition, and Nick was willing to drive here.
Nick Evancho: It was probably a couple of things. Mike and I had always talked about doing something like [the band] The Postal Service [where we’d send things back and forth]. Mike started playing with a drummer, bass player and keyboard player. I thought we’d write some new music together through the mail or through [the internet]. Then it became one of those wild ideas: “Why don’t we just play a show?” Here we are.
One of the hallmarks of the band was that you used a drum machine. This time Mike has assembled a full band. Who is joining you for this show?
ME: It was really, really great to find such great musicians for this. As you know, Wichita is not short on great musicians. I was able to hunt down one of our original drummers, Ryan Oster. He was gracious enough to rejoin the band. Then, on bass, we have John Patton. I met him at music school, at Damm Music, where we’re both teachers. The keyboard player, Torey Learn, also teaches there. I am so spoiled. All I had to do was give them copies of the music and they said, “No problem!”
You’re doing this show with Stars Go Cold, and I saw both of you back in the day at Kirby’s Beer Store, and, I think, The Cedar. It’ll be interesting to see how many people from that time come out to this show.
NE: I think it’s going to be real interesting to see who shows up. We were just going to play a show originally without thinking about who was going to open and then, in talking to Matt Jansen [ex-10 Sugar Charlie] and Isaac Stanfield [Stars Go Cold], [we came up with a bill that would have had both of those bands]. There was an issue with 10 Sugar Charlie [being able to do the show] and so we technically have another person from the [old] scene with Jason Hendry. His new band, Velvet Fever, will open.
ME: [We recently did at show at Kirby’s without Nick] and after that I was excited to [meet] people who had never seen the band. They’d approach me and said, “What was that one song? Do you have a recording?” I sat down and went over the songs with him and said, “Was it this one? Was it that one?” We found the right one, and I said, “It’s on the internet. You can find it on Spotify.” It was the song “Radio Kaos,” which sounds a little different now.
Do you have any particularly vivid memories of things that happened at Darlin’ Maudie shows or that would happen on a regular basis back when you were together?
NE: Oh, man.
ME: We used to bring an old console television to our shows, and one time we actually saw another console television on the side of the road, so then we had two console televisions.
NE: I forgot about that!
ME: Some of the road shows got more interesting because we knew the information wouldn’t follow us home. There was that time when I gave my shirt to a girl. I was just hanging out in the bar, shirtless. You said, “What are you doing?” and I said, “I gave my shirt away!” Of course, there was more drinking then.
NE: We had a mini trampoline back then and many times people would come up. We’d invite people up on stage to jump on the trampoline. We went on a tour and went to Vegas. Here, there would be a set time for a show. You’d start at 10 and end at two. I just remember that when we got out there that was the first time we played a venue that was open all night. Bands were like, “Well, we’ll see how it goes. You might play at 3 a.m.” I don’t remember when we ended up playing, but I remember thinking, “Wow, this is really, really interesting.”
We were so used to the Midwest nice and then we’d play on the coasts. We played with Mike TV. I don’t know if you remember that band Get Set Go. When we played out there, on a show that he got us out there in L.A., I remember asking, “Hey, do we get any band beers?” The bartender was just, like, “What? What do you mean?” Then I remember that Mike bought us a beer. Ninety nine percent of the shows we played we’d get a PBR or Stag or whatever they had. In L.A. it was, “Nope. You can have nothing!”
You’re going to be playing some old material at this show, no new songs. What were the conversations like about what you were going to play?
NE: I think we’re going to play one of Mike’s songs that he wrote back in high school that we never played in Darlin’ Maudie so much. We did have conversations about songs that we just didn’t want to play, like around lyrical content. I wouldn’t say that we ever had a lot of offensive stuff in our music. It was more, like, “I don’t really feel like rehashing stuff from 15 years ago.” Of course, in my 20s, I was, like, “I’ll put this right in a song because that’s what I’m going through.” We don’t have to do any of that stuff.
You mentioned the mini trampoline and it’s my understand that right now neither of you has a mini trampoline. So, the question remains: Will there be one at this gig?
NE: You’ll have to show up to find out.
Well, we are all older, maybe wiser, so perhaps a yoga mat is more appropriate.
NE: Yeah. Let’s do some stretching and meditative breathing before this.
