Michael Darling, Quintin Bovre, Beatrice Lawrence, Sigra DeWeese and now Jack Brahm are MQBS. Pronounced “mobs,” the acronym is a nod to the original members’ first initials.
Darling, Bovre, Lawrence and DeWeese formed the collective in January 2020 after meeting at an open mic night at the High Noon Saloon.
They booked their first gig for that March, or so they thought. One global pandemic and the addition of a fifth member later, MQBS is performing live shows and has appeared at The Bur Oak, Bos Meadery, Robinia Courtyard, Memorial Union Terrace, Communication and Crucible.
The band considers itself a collective, a distinction that has to do with shared creative control. “I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes,” says DeWeese. “Each person who made the music deserves to be the front [player] and direct the sound they envision. A collective allows this to work.”
Although the band members mainly stick to their instruments — Darling on drums, Bovre (the late Madison musician Marques Bovre is Quintin’s father) on guitar and bass, DeWeese on bass, Lawrence on trumpet, and Brahm on keyboards — all occasionally switch it up. DeWeese, Bovre and Darling trade lead vocals.
Over the last two years, the group has grown together to feel more like a band. Together, MQBS’s sound leans to alternative or indie pop. All five members continue to perform solo as well, and display a wide range of musical tastes — opera, folk, Americana, progressive pop, jazz.
“The music I tend to gravitate to is always the stuff that falls in between those cracks where you can’t really classify it easily,” says Darling. “I think that’s what makes it so intriguing, so that’s what I always strive to emulate.” Lawrence’s challenge is figuring out “how the trumpet fits into pop music.”
As an LGBTQ+ collective, MQBS fit right into Madison’s strong queer community. Band members cite Madison queer band Kat and the Hurricane as mentors. “It’s just a really good, supportive community,” Lawrence says. “Madison is definitely where we found our niche.”
Bovre says fellow bands “share tips and tricks and booking information. They’ll even give out cheap merchandise processor recommendations.”
Now on the rise after two years of pandemic-driven obstacles, MQBS is working on new recordings, with plans for an EP release during 2022. The band’s earlier single, “Humid June” and “Lady Disdain,” can be heard on Bandcamp.
A version of this story appeared in the spring 2022 edition of the UW-Madison music magazine Emmie.