Get To Know : Mo Dotti
Where does your name come from?
The Fugazi Song “Recap Modotti.”I though the name sounded cool (like Madonna, Mo-Dottes, The Durutti Column etc) when I actually learned about the artist they were referencing - Tina Modotti - I fell in love with her photography,
Her work reminds me of Edward Weston’s, but more socially conscious and inspiring - capturing working class imagery with a glorious and dream-like gaze, like one of Edward Weston’s seashells or flowers.
To what extent is the Modotti reference a conscious influence for your band’s aesthetic, and how has that evolved over time?
It’s not conscious, while we are a working class band. The reference is more personal to us in the way we move through the world. We work really hard. To me the name feels like a guardian angel. When we aren’t working at our jobs we try to play music as much as possible.
Most of the visuals or lyrics are subconsciously invoked… I think it’s cool that our releases to date are names Blurring (2020), Guided Imagery (2022), and Opaque (2024)… All visual references, which was unintentional. I wish we could be more intentional with the imagery, but I don’t want it to be over styalised. I’d rather that time on music, but I am open to any possibilities.
In your earlier days you talked about working a lot with friends in the theatre environment in LA (screen-printing you own merch, self-releasing, embracing DIY, ETC). As you gain more visibility, how do you guard or preserve that DIY ethos?
It’s fun… even though it’s lots of work. When we sell records ourselves verses through a label it helps pay for the studio time or touring expenses. We still have a lot of out of pocket expenses.
Like most bands, I don’t know if our band will ever get to a point where we wouldn’t preserve a DIY mentality. we are also lucky to be a part of a community that lifts each other up, that’s been a really big part of us growing as a band.
You’ve said your live shows sound a lot like your recordings. How do you keep that consistency?
We want the live show to live up to the recording, or hopefully be even better? It’s always a bummer to see a band that doesn’t sound as good as their record. I guess we never let things get too wacky in the studio where we wouldn’t be able to recreate any moments live. We do have some backing tracks here and there of synthesizers.
Is there somewhere in LA you go to for creative inspiration, or a venue that still feels “yours”?
Being in nature… especially the ocean, walks in the dark, shows at non plus ultra or permanent records.
Your release strategy has been self-released in many ways. What are the advantages and challenged for you in styaing independent right now?
The plus side is we get to keep the profits to fund future releases / merch / touring. It’s pretty hard to get people to know about your band when you’re fully independent but we are grateful for the reach our band has had without a label so far. I think we will have a label for the next LP though so that the record is distributed more widely.
What’s next in line for Mo Dotti?
Releasing LP2 either late 2026 or early 2027.