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Topaz, a native Texan, took up saxophone at an early age and was classically trained in jazz principles while attending the Duke Ellington School for the Arts in Washington D.C. Armed with a vast set of skills at a young age, Topaz further honed his chops on the horn with a move to New York City and landed a record deal with the Velour label in the mid 1990s. In the Big City, Topaz enjoyed a decade of remarkable success as a jazz saxophonist – performing on national networks such as BET, and sharing stages with internationally known artists including Norah Jones, TV on the Radio, and Widespread Panic.

As time progressed, the need to do more, to grow – to evolve – burned deep inside the musician. Often the first step toward eventual maturity in any spirit is a return to roots, and that’s where Topaz headed with a return to his hometown of Austin. Reconnecting with Austin’s free-flowing organism of sound, Topaz felt compelled to explore and add more to his traditional jazz/funk sax-only repertoire.

Vocals came first, and – despite initial anxiety – taking the mic felt right. Next harmonica, and eventually guitar were incorporated into his musical persona. With these new sets of developing skills came a new accompanying sound that brought out new emotions and gave the listener an experience that felt more … raw … dirty … real.

In the pursuit of band mates to add layers of sound and depth, Topaz first encountered bassist Bobby Perkins at a house jam session. Perkins, a native of Italy, Texas and veteran of Carolyn Wonderland, laid the foundation for Topaz’s roots-oriented vision.

Alex Marrero, lead singer of the alternative Latin group Ghandaia – provided the next piece to the puzzle. Having perfected his front-man charisma and vocal skills, Marrero was experiencing his own musical evolution by moving to the drums with a style as diverse as his former band’s Reggae, Afro-Cuban, and Brazilian influences suggest. Marrero, in turn, helped lead his fellow musicians to the final ingredient of what would become a most intoxicating brew. Guitarist John Branch, much like Topaz, had left behind a jazz background in the Bay Area to return home to Texas. Branch had recently turned his considerable skills toward perfecting sweet southern-drenched bottleneck guitar licks – a wonderful and mesmerizing way to tie this foursome together to form one dynamic, succinct unit.

Thus was born Mudphonic.

A new, sweaty, dance-your-ass off sound that fuses gritty blues and groove with the collective band history of jazz and Latin sounds. After a month spent recording in a barn on the river, Mudphonic has emerged with their debut album ‘Music for Dorothy.’

PRESS:

“While other bands have taken the templates of Americana and Southern rock widescreen since its halcyon days in the ‘60s and ‘70s, few have had any meat on their sonic bones. Not so with Topaz & Mudphonic, who like their peers in the Black Keys bring muscle to old-fashioned, head-bobbing anthems. In an age of digital dilettantes, the rural funk of this crew is refreshing—and much needed.”
-Metromix

“A torrid affair of percolating psychedelic funk and raunchy backwoods Texas blues produces Topaz & Mudphonic, a bastard child that could just as easily rock platforms on the streets of New York City as it could let its bare feet dangle in the Colorado River.”
-Jambase

“Music For Dorothy is Topaz and Mudphonic’s first studio release. It was reported to be recorded in an old barn on the banks of the Colorado River - a terribly fitting setting to produce such an organic, boggy Texan euphony. Calling this album gritty doesn’t do it justice. It’s dirty. A good dirty. Like a humid Texas summer night, dripping greasy fried chicken down your shirt and licking your fingers, canned beer, dancing with your shoes off on a sticky bar room floor and not giving a happy damn dirty.”
-Austin Sound

"Topaz & Mudphonic is canned Southern heat, a hooch brew of dirty bayou funk and redneck rock... bottling the down home soul of Bill Withers. "
- The Austin Chronicle

"This dusky, riff based Southern rock falls somewhere between Little Feat, Tony Joe White and the North Mississippi Allstars.
- All Music Guide