The Madonnabes

The Madonnabees was one of Mike Watt's first project bands, and the first band in which he would work with keyboardist/vocalist Pete Mazich and drummer Jerry Trebotic.
Initially, the group was only a practice band Watt was using to stay in shape musically after the breakup of fIREHOSE, where Watt, Pete and Jerry would convene at Watt's practice space at the Angel's Gate Cultural Center and jam on Madonna songs. After a while, the trio decided to perform some occasional live gigs, and debuted at the Sacred Grounds Coffee House in San Pedro in April of 1996. The lineup soon gelled into Watt, Mazich, Trebotic, and Mazich's wife Ljiljana on vocals. Live, the group would be accompanied with three dancers, Glenda Sherrell, Miranda Molen and Daniela Eden.
Many of the early Madonnabees gigs saw Watt performing in a mouse costume, since Watt felt the band was "sidemousing" Madonna. (He has since lost the mouse suit.)
The Madonnabees have not performed in over a decade, but the core quartet of Watt, the Maziches, and Trebotic recorded a song for a Doctors Without Borders benefit album under the name Mike Watt and Masina. Watt, Pete and Jerry would later comprise the original lineup of The Secondmen in 2002.
Category:Mike Watt project bands