The Pneurotics are a musical ‘Match’

Many aspiring musicians turn to the Internet when hunting for a new drummer or bassist. Rich McLaughlin, lead singer and guitarist of Chapel Hill trio The Pneurotics, logged onto the Web in 2004 and found something more than a new band member — he found his future wife.

“We met on Match.com,” said Mimi McLaughlin. “We could be in one of those commercials. I joke that Rich was on Match looking for a new bass player, and our first date was an audition.”

Mimi isn’t just Rich’s wife. She’s also the other founding member of The Pneurotics, a band that the couple started as newlyweds in 2006. On Friday, the group is celebrating the release of their sophomore album, Second Skin.

But Mimi didn’t always intend to be a part of the band. “Rich has made music forever,” she said. “I could occasionally be talked into drunken karaoke, but actually was very shy about doing music in public.”

Rich remembers this well.

“One of the first things Mimi took me to do was to sing karaoke, and while I had performed a ton of live music, this was somehow horrifying,” Rich said. “One thing was immediately clear to me from that moment — Mimi was someone who was very musical.”

When the band lost its bassist, Rich asked Mimi to learn how to play bass, and The Pneurotics were born.

And though they’re happily married, they both acknowledge the challenges that come with being married to your bandmate.

“I think if I wasn’t in the band, and as involved with the music as Rich is, I’d find myself jealous or resentful of the amount of time and energy it takes, like the band was the other woman,” she said.

The couple, who have three kids, the band and jobs say that they always find themselves stretched for time.

“We’ve got really busy lives. I am a math professor at UNC, and Mimi is a physician’s assistant working in Burlington,” Rich said.

“You have to be flexible; you don’t plan to have to run off to the ER with your child who has just gotten hurt pogo-sticking right before rehearsal. But these things happen.”

One thing that takes up the McLaughlins’ time is their heavy involvement in the Chapel Hill music scene.

“If (the scene is) a family, Rich is the cool uncle. He’s the one you tell the dirty jokes to, and he likes to have a good time with the boys,” said Rusty Sutton, bassist for the Chapel Hill four-piece Rat Jackson that is sharing the stage with The Pneurotics on Friday.

“A lot of people refer to Mimi as the scene mother, in the sense that she’s always there to help you or offer an inspiring word. They both have very defined roles.”

And Mimi is thrilled that Rich drove her to be more immersed in the local music scene.

“I used to think that local music meant ‘lesser music’ or somehow not good enough for the big time. But I was wrong,” she said. “There is some of the best music from every genre being made right here.

“Local music is what I’m listening to and being inspired and moved by. Look in my car, every CD is a local band. The shows I see are local acts. It’s a way of life for me now.”


Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.