MGMT

MGMT videos

Most bands get together to play good music. MGMT got together to play bad music. Founding members Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser formed the band in 2002 as freshmen at Wesleyan University, a prestigious liberal arts school in Connecticut. The band began as a joke; the pair would play music together in their dorm room, strumming improvised bass and guitar over hastily-created electronic synthesizer loops. Eventually Ben and Andrew decided to take their experiment to the next level, originally naming their act The Management and playing gigs at local bars and school functions. Their intention wasn’t to be a serious band - purposely stringing together annoying songs - but they began to build a fan base nonetheless.

Though the pair originally began making music with the intention of weirding people out, the left-field popularity of their post-post-ironic brand of disco and psychedelic-infused synth pop convinced the duo to hit the recording studio, independently issuing the We (don’t) Care EP in 2004 and the Climbing to New Lows CD in 2005. They also scored a spot as the opening act for Of Montreal’s 2005 tour, further increasing their visibility. By the end of 2005 the band signed to a record deal with Cantora Records (a New York-based label formed by NYU students for the express purpose of issuing MGMT releases), formally changing their name from The Management to MGMT after finding out that the name 'The Management' was already in use by a UK rock band.

Time To Pretend, before major labels began knocking at their door. Time to Pretend came to the attention of Maureen Kenny, a Colombia Records executive, who immediately signed the band to his label in 2006. The band hit the studio with acclaimed music producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Weezer) in 2007, eventually emerging with their major label debut Oracular Spectacular in October of that year.

Billboard Top Heatseekers index and #12 on the UK Albums Chart - not bad for a college joke band. The duo’s debut received praise from fans and critics alike for its eclectic influences and tongue-in-cheek lyricism, obvious in singles "Electric Feel" and "Time To Pretend" as well as other standout tracks like "Kids", which originally appeared along with of a handful of other songs on the Time to Pretend EP.

The Late Show With David Letterman and as the opening act for a Radiohead gig in early 2008, MGMT has gone on to appear at a number of major 2008 music festivals including SXSW, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, and Lollapalooza. We recently had a chance to interview MGMT; take a look at our UnCut interview and see what the band had to say to us!


From Discogs:

Previously known as The Management, MGMT is a duo formed at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.


From Lastfm:

MGMT is a neo-psychedelic/alternative group which formed in 2002 in Brooklyn, New York, United States. The band consists of s Andrew VanWyngarden (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums) and Ben Goldwasser (vocals, keyboards, synths, drums), both alumni of Wesleyan University. Recently confirmed as official band members are Matthew Asti (bass), James Richardson (Guitar, Backing vocals), and Will Berman (drums), who also played and wrote parts of Congratulations.

MGMT Videos


MGMT Photos


    Views: 32,193
    Views: 6,224
    Views: 4,892
    Views: 4,832
    Views: 2,408
    Views: 2,037
    Views: 1,862
    Views: 1,733
    Views: 1,680
    Views: 1,568
    Views: 1,560
    Views: 1,555
    Views: 1,521
    Views: 1,481
    Views: 1,444
    Views: 1,425
    Views: 1,407
    Views: 1,352
    Views: 1,341
    Views: 1,339
    Views: 1,317
    Views: 1,302
    Views: 1,271
    Views: 1,246
    Views: 1,236
    Views: 1,228
    Views: 1,215
    Views: 1,178
    Views: 1,177
    Views: 1,157
    Views: 887
    Views: 788
    Views: 759
    Views: 755
    Views: 742
    Views: 730
    Views: 712
    Views: 677
    Views: 639