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"People talk these days about a rock & roll revival, but for theMercurySeed. the music was not only never dead, it was always fiercely alive. These guys are true believers who play it and mean it from the depths of their souls. Listen to Dust, and they'll make a believer of you too." -- Anthony DeCurtis, Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone THE MERCURY SEED. Go spend some quality time with Dust., the second independently released CD by The Mercury Seed., and the essence of indie rock is unveiled. "Waiting," case in point, which starts off with authentic scratchy AM radio snow, is the kind of fast-folk pop tune that Tom Petty would be proud of, with Robert Smith guitar accents straight outta the Cure layered over a jangle of acoustic stronk associated with Whiskeytown, but chopped-up Keith Richards style. "Come Undone," a little two-chord rocker, works up a Beach Boys vocal harmony on the chorus, a bridge that pays homage to the Who, and an elastic James Burton West Coast guitar solo that’s redolent of Ricky Nelson’s Imperial years. Got the picture? It’s all about influences and inspiration, of course, who you know and who you knew. Formed in the outskirts of New York City in the late ‘90’s, The Mercury Seed. has the advantage of five lifetimes they brought with them into this enterprise. Lead singer Volker Lemmer, for example, is not above citing the energy of Kiss, even as the Seed. kicks off one of their well-chosen Gram Parsons-era Rolling Stones covers for an encore. Guitarist John Jackson, whose idea of a good time is fast action on a vintage Gibson Hummingbird, can serve up Johnny Cash and the Byrds at the drop of a hat, chapter and verse. Guitarist Joe Nemchek collects melodies and riffs the way some people collect rare coins, stores ’em away awhile, thinks ’em back up while he’s watching the amp tubes warm up in the corner of the studio. Bassman Gary D’Andrea has written only one song (so far) to be recorded by the MercurySeed. but it happens to be one of the fans’ all-time nightly favorites, "April Fool," from the first album. Drummer Rob Langer is a conservatory trained ‘musician’s musician’ who not only plays vibes as well, but reportedly owns nearly a dozen trap sets. When these furious five set to work recording the second MercurySeed. album at the Art Farm in the sleepy little upstate New York village of Accord, they had a backlog of 50 songs. The brand new studio, on an 80-acre farm, turned out to be the perfect facility. What was intended as a five song sojourn in the Catskills turned into a full album’s work. Overseeing the sessions was producer Rick Rowe, best known as a remastering engineer on scores of historic reissue albums in the ’80s and ’90s, especially the catalogs of Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke. Co-producer (with Rowe and the Seed.) was Art Farm owner Sean Boyd, formerly of Baby Monster Studios where Dinosaur Jr. and the Lemonheads laid it down. It was a far cry from the work that went into their first album, some 20-25 sessions over the course of a year. That recording took place at New York’s famed Right Track Studios where, like many a homegrown band, The MercurySeed. would often assemble for impromptu after-hours downtime sessions, usually on just a few hours’ notice, working until the sun came up. The resulting album may not have been 100% representative of the band, but it gave them an edge that was appreciated by the longtime fans who always showed up at their gigs. Now those fans were able to sing along on songs they knew from the CD, as tunes like "April Fool" and "Guilty As Sin" made their way to the top of the heap. In the early ’90s as Pearl Jam and Nirvana reigned, the members of the Seed. found themselves drawn more to the roots rock of Uncle Tupelo and the Replacements, the Jayhawks and the Georgia Satellites, and that classic post-’60s pre-disco period of the Stones and Led Zeppelin, the Faces and the Who. Nearly a decade has passed and those early influences haven’t changed much; but at the other end of the curve The Mercury Seed. now finds a kinship with the so-called Americana revivalism of Wilco, and the way that UK bands like Radiohead, the Verve and Coldplay have developed. This sort of British-American fusion raises its pointy little head in "Misery Loves Company" on the new CD, a depressingly romantic campfire folk song driven by a piano crescendo that gives a nod to Daniel Lanois. Similarly, the bouncing channel guitar mix characteristic of Aerosmith coexists with the sound of Radiohead in "Coming Down Again." Guest pianist Billy J. Stein of the Hatters gives a rollicking honky-tonk syncopation to "Two Steps From the Move," as a vintage mid-60’s Neil Diamond singalong chorus gives way to the stripped-down "Ooh-La-La" feel of the Faces at their peak. Everything old is new again in "Sky Is Falling," in which a classic guitar riff encounters the Synclavier clavinet sound; in other words, Stevie Wonder meets the Stereophonics. Pass the electric brownies, please. Initial word of mouth from strategically placed friends, confidantes and assorted tastemakers has assured The Mercury Seed. that their new album; which also includes the tracks "Learning To Crawl," "Last Trace," "Dust," and "Times Of Trouble"; has got legs. It was mixed down by Danny Kadar at Bryce Goggin’s Trout Studios in Brooklyn, another brand new facility where the final wiring was actually being installed while the mix was underway. With a second solid CD under their collective belt, the MercurySeed. are inching toward the goal of finding a wider audience for their music. A simple enough aspiration, but in a world of boy bands, bar bands, hair bands, jam bands, and digitally simulated, computer animated virtual bands; a real live rock ’n roll band has an uphill battle. Given the imagination and guts of Volker, John, Gary, Rob and Joe; pity the fool who stands in their way! For more information on theMercurySeed. contact: theband@themercuryseed.com Check out the artist's website: http://www.themercuryseed.com Track List: 1. Learning To Crawl 2. Come Undone 3. Last Trace 4. Waiting 5. Misery Loves Co. 6. Coming Down Again 7. Two Steps (From The Move) 8. Dust 9. Sky Is Falling 10. Times Of Trouble Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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