Miami’s Zest Kings: Mustard Service
Funk, jazz, beach-y pop, and indie rock. A myriad of different styles, yes, but together, they form the eclectic and layered music of Mustard Service, Miami’s own “zest” extraordinaires.
Hailing from many areas of South Florida, the musically sound group is made up of Augusto Di Catarina (bass), Gabriel Marinuchi (lead guitar), Marco Ochoa (rhythm guitar), Adam Perez (drums), and Leo Cattani (keyboard). They’ve recently grown their online and “irl” popularity after their 2017 Album, Zest Pop, and more recently, the single (and the music video), Daddy Dookie Brown, the boys now becoming local pioneers in Miami’s “indie rock” scene.
However, Mustard Service has been making serious moves. Just this week, they released their new song, Need, which is a smooth and perfectly flow-y slow jam. Further, they just announced their first installment of “Zest Fest”, which will be a local concert series with an array of local bands and artists involved.
My time with Mustard Service was surely an interesting one— I met them at an indoor Soccer field in the middle of Doral on a sunny Sunday in September after they played a scrimmage game with a few friends. I was so genuinely curious about how such busy guys make time for work, school, friendship, recording, writing, and playing music, and, of course, soccer. I was immediately greeted with smiles, colloquial conversation, and rowdy banter, and we settled into a dark corner of an unused field to chat, complete with a pastry made by one of their friends.
Finally, we began the interview!
So, I read an interview from KTSW that you all joined forces via a culmination of different bands, so that’s very interesting! I just have to ask: where does the name “Mustard Service” come from?
Marco: A band name generator, actually. I did it like three times, it was between Mustard Service, Milk and Equality, and like… Johnny’s Trashcan. So that was the winner.
I love it. Since there are quite a few of you in the band, how does the songwriting and general creative process work for you guys, and how has that kind of evolved since your formation?
Adam: Marco will kind of bring in an idea, he writes all the lyrics and all of that. We kind of just add all our parts and parts and see how it should be arranged.
Marco: Leo will tell us if anything’s wrong with it, so.
Augusto: He’s the harmony police.
How would you describe the dynamic of the band? Is it hard to balance the business side of the friendship/soccer playing side of things?
Leo: We don’t find too many complications with that. Not all of us deal with every aspect of the business, but we all sort of give our input for different moves, and we look at it kind of just us talking as friends. We don’t turn our serious faces on.
Marco: Maybe we argue over soccer sometimes, though. Soccer’s way more heated.
Band: * laughs *
Good to hear! So turning to the music itself, I feel like “Daddy Dookie Brown,” one of your most recent releases, creates a couple characters, and in turn, a story that’s pretty interesting. Could you break down the meaning behind this song?
Band: * laughs *
Marco: The backstory is that, when we wrote Zest Pop, I didn’t think that anyone would hear it, so I wrote whatever I wanted, kind of like a journal… and then I realized people started listening, so I said, I don’t want to write anything personal anymore. I wanted to write about a kid who liked to get peed on, so…!
Ha nice. So speaking of Zest Pop, you’ve stated that your sound can be described as “zesty” or zest, and I’ve noticed some funky, beach-y, and even some jazz elements in your discography. Who are some of your artistic inspirations?
Leo: I think we can all collectively agree that a lot of it comes from The Beach Boys.
Band: Oh yeah.
Adam: Brian Wilson’s biggest fans!
I’ve noticed that your social media presence is based off of connecting with fans in a comedic but also stylistically pleasing way. How do you guys think social media and connecting with fans in this way can affect your presence or even the way you handle yourself as a band?
Marco: I actually have a lot to say about that, because a lot of bands, especially local bands that we see… you see like 3-4 posts a day, like 20 stories, and I like it a lot more when it’s more genuine, when it’s something a person would post or just more casual.
Leo: We just want to keep it much more real. It feels like so much more detached when it looks like you hired a company to do your stuff, rather than our actual interactions as much.
Augusto: Most of the stuff we film and post is just like stuff we actually do!
Marco: Yeah, just on our phones, what we’re up to!
Augusto: We just kind of post what we want.
Adam: When we’re just hanging out.
I love that philosophy. Speaking of other bands, what are some local bands you could see yourself working with and some of your favorites that you have worked with?
Marco: Folktale San Pedro
Augusto: My favorite band is Fresh Esh.
Marco: I like Burgundy.
Leo: Well, we’re looking to work with Winona Forever, but they’re from Montreal, actually.
What are your favorite things about the local scene in Miami?
Marco: Well, it’s getting much better! Kids are finally coming out to more shows and supporting local bands, so it’s cool to see them come out and perform for them.
Nuchi: The Polar Boys, Palomino (Blond), we’ve had a lot of good shows with them.
Marco: It’s only going to get better.
And what are your favorite songs to play live?
Marco: Pleasantries.
Augusto: Need!
Adam: I really like (I’m Sorry I Hit You with My) Flip Flop, actually!
Obviously you’re playing III Points which is super exciting, but are there any plans for an upcoming tour or any shows?
Band: Zest Fest!!
Finally, are you guys planning any physical media release?
Band: We are, actually! We’re printing vinyl, actually. As far as visual arts, we’re wanting to make more music videos, and we hope to work with the same director as “DDB”. We’re excited for getting more into that and pinning down that style.
Wonderful! Anything else to say?
Leo: I guess as a closing note, to our fans, just expect big things coming soon.
Marco: Yeah, we’re trying to get our shit together!
All in all, especially after my meeting with them, I’ve found Mustard Service to be a group of genuine guys who love their craft and sharing it with others. With their single release and concerts coming up, there’s no limit to Mustard Service’s potential reach and impact!
Stream Need on an online music store near you!