For many upcoming musicians, playing out in well-known venues can become a goal in and of itself.
But making a name in the music industry doesn’t just depend on booking high-profile gigs. If it did, every band that ever played at CBGB, Arlene’s Grocery, or Maxwell’s would be stars.
Yet, the Hoboken based-band “mere” (which prefers to keep their name lower-case) doesn’t concern themselves with industry reputation – they care about their fans.
Mere’s local appeal is similar to that of another Hoboken based band – the band formerly known as eugene, now called The Fave, who built a reputation from the grass roots level up.
So it should be no surprise to locals that both mere and The Fave, who crossed paths at open mic nights, are playing together at Maxwell’s on Sept. 21.
Mere will play songs from their latest album, “Switches & Dials,” which was released in May.
Who is mere?
If you’ve been away for the summer, it’s possible you’ve missed shows by mere, who just recently played an acoustic night at the Goldhawk and packed the house in June at Maxwell’s.
Mere is made up of five guys with storied and mixed musical pasts. They include Brian Bason (guitars), Marty Supple (drums), Kyle Monson (bass), Brett Reilly (rhythm guitar) and their lead vocalist who is known simply as “Braz.”
The guys played in other bands before coming together to form mere in 2005.
Reilly was part of the Rock Reilly Show, a cover act which played regularly at the Gaslight in Hoboken from 2003 to 2005.
Singer Braz was raised on gospel music and put out a CD of his own before mere.
Monson formerly played punk music in New York, and Supple played in jazz bands in Seattle.
Guitarist Bason wrote the single “Saving Your Regrets,” which was featured on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
Although all five have very different experiences, together they play original rock songs with catchy, guitar-driven rhythms.
Local scene
According to Reilly, this is the fourth time they will play at Maxwell’s.
“We’ve had [at least] 150 people there every single time,” said Reilly. “And that’s without bands that are from here.”
Reilly thinks that the upcoming show will be even bigger with two local bands at Maxwell’s.
Reilly said that initially when they first played at Maxwell’s, they were given a weekday slot, but because of their draw they were moved up to a coveted weekend slot for their upcoming show.
In addition to the local venues like Maxwell’s, the Goldhawk, and the Whiskey Bar, mere has played at many of the well-known clubs such as the Knitting Factory, Arlene’s Grocery, Kenny’s Castaways, and others.
“But out of everywhere that we play, Maxwell’s has the best sound,” said Reilly.
Something familiar
According to Braz, he and Bason write most of the music and then together the guys tailor the songs to their own specifications.
“We are really starting to gel as a band,” said Braz.
Reilly agreed, adding, “When we first started out, we were a little stiff. Everyone was trying to prove themselves back then, but now we do less.”
He added, “We all have our established role and it sounds so much better.”
Braz said that their sound has changed in the two years they’ve been together.
“I’m a little looser with my melodies – it’s a little more creative,” said Braz about the band’s live shows. “I feel a lot of the stuff I do is more off the cuff. There is a trust. That to me as a vocalist is very important.”
Reilly described their sound as a pop/alternative rock sound.
Braz agreed about the alternative twist, yet added that songwriter Bason was influenced by the Beatles.
“So he is big on [songs having] an engaging melody,” said Braz. “I think you could listen to the whole album on a drive and be like ‘Yeah!’ ”
Upcoming projects
In addition to mere’s upcoming show at Maxwell’s and other New York shows, the band plans to put out another album soon.
Braz said that in addition to the latest album, they have about 10 new songs that are ready to go and even a few producers lined up for the next album. He said that the CD will probably be released early next year, but at the same time they don’t want to sell themselves short.
“We may consider putting out a live album,” said Braz.
The songs “Through Me” and “Falling” from their latest album are different on the band’s website. Fans can hear the songs in a piano/acoustic version.
According to Reilly, the band has an energy at the live shows that just isn’t duplicated on the album. Braz agreed that the band likes to change up songs when they are performing live.
“We’ve started to play around with the different ways of doing the music,” said Reilly about live shows. “There are 11 songs on the album, but you want to give the fans a little something different.”
Mere will play at Maxwell’s on Friday, Sept. 21. Copies of the new CD will also be available. For more information, visit: www.mere.net or www.myspace.com/mere.
Comments on this piece can be sent to: DSchwaeble@hudsonreporter.com.