The Mockers

A broad roster of players drawn from every region of the American rock landscape has passed through the Mockers, yet the group’s core originated with two Beatles-obsessed preteens residing in Spain during the early 1970s. Tony Leventhal and Seth Gordon, sons of New York expatriates settled on Spain’s southern coast, first crossed paths as third-graders. Their shared passion for rock & roll sparked an enduring bond. After their families returned to the United States, each took up the guitar while staying in contact about the rock band they still hoped to launch. Decades afterward the pair reunited in Virginia and launched the surf-pop outfit the Mockers. A shifting lineup of lead guitarists and drummers propelled the group to the forefront of Virginia’s live-music circuit, where they maintained a grueling pace that sometimes included twenty shows in a single month. As they expanded across the East Coast and Midwest, local media began to take notice. Eventually the nonstop itinerary exacted a toll, prompting an extended hiatus so the members could recover their inventive drive. Years later Leventhal and Gordon resolved to commit the Mockers to tape for the first time. The resulting 1995 album Somewhere Between Mocksville and Harmony earned strong notices, among them a Billboard Critic’s Choice Award. Airplay proved heaviest in Spain, which led to extensive touring there and a return to the duo’s childhood haunts. The follow-up, Living in the Holland Tunnel, met similar acclaim both domestically and overseas. The Mockers remain active in the underground pop scenes of the United States and Europe, sustaining steady road work and solid sales. With the 2005 release The Lonesome Death of Electric Campfire, Japan joined the growing roster of countries where the band maintains a devoted audience.