Eurovox making authentic British mod rock in Mesa
by Chris Hansen Orf
Get Out

Among the last things you'd expect to hear on the East Valley music scene, other than an authentic polka outfit made up of Poles, is a band of mods with a native Londoner making powerful, bar-chord pop in Mesa.

Influenced by The Jam and early Who, Eurovox began when singer/guitarist Mat Hammond, who grew up 10 miles south of London, began making demos of some new material he'd written with local music impresario Robbie Watson, a native of London's Shepherds Bush neighborhood. The idea was to record some of Hammond's new songs and see where they went, but a band sprung from the sessions.

“We were about halfway through the recording when we figured out what we wanted to do with it,” says Hammond, who previously played with local pop quartet Living Daylytes. “We decided they would be perfect for a trio. We recorded six songs right away, and only one of those original six made the record.”

Hammond called upon former Daylytes bassist Steve Flores, who also played for local legends Dead Hot Workshop, to round out the recording, then set about finding an appropriate drummer to handle the aggressive mod/pop tunes.

“We auditioned 35 drummers before we found one,” Hammond says of drummer CJ Van Wuffen.

“It was actually 33,” laughs Watson, who, in addition to producing the album with Hammond, set up European distribution through Seattle's Rusty Metal Records and co-owns Saville Row Recordings with Hammond.

“It only felt like we auditioned 35 drummers.” “CJ's an animal, a psychotic freak behind the drums,” Hammond says of Van Wuffen. “He's very much got that (original Who drummer) Keith Moon sort of thing where at any minute, he's just going to come completely unglued and lose his mind — he's got that sensibility. Steve keeps him under control as much as possible and helps drive the bus.

“I'm just out there .. well, I don't know what the hell I'm doing,” Hammond adds. “Panicking mostly. We're all a bit nuts, and it's flat out the whole time.”

What Hammond adds to Eurovox is an array of catchy, three-minute power-pop songs delivered in his English accent and growling Rickenbacker guitar, adding up to some of the finest mod music being made anywhere.

The band is looking forward to touring the UK later in the year, where their record is enjoying a growing popularity, and next up for the band is a Fourth of July festival in Seattle.

“Mat and I think it's really ironic that Eurovox is playing a huge show celebrating America's freedom from the Brits,” Watson laughs. “It's like, what Boston Tea Party?” Will Eurovox say anything about the holiday from the stage in front of 10,000 to 15,000 American revelers?

“Oh, you can guarantee that!” Hammond laughs.