A band from Brisbane, the collective grief of the last couple of years and associated lockdowns had the unintended consequence of allowing Mermaid Avenue's chief songwriter Peter Clarke the extra time to become super prolific.
Formed in 2015 and peddling a fluid brand of indie rock, country-rock to alt country, indie folk, and bluesy Americana, Mermaid Avenue released their debut album 'Temptation And Half The Truth' in 2018.Studio work then began on the follow-up album 'Sugartown' in late 2020, with recording sessions happening throughout 2021 at The Barn Recording Studio in the Lockyer Valley.
'Sugartown' was released in late July this year, though the group's third longplayer 'Darkest Hour' will drop 30 September with the band already signalling a return to the studio to commence work on album #4.
Clarke is joined by Chris Wong and Mike Kearey (guitars), Mark Egan (bass), Casey Lee (keys) and Nathan Poetschka (drums).
The history of Mermaid Avenue; the band's been around since 2015 but how has it evolved during that time building towards its current incarnation?
[Pete] Like a lot of bands, Mermaid Avenue has evolved over time as members joined and left.
The Brisbane indie band scene is quite small and we see ex-members popping up in bands such as Leichardt, Woodshed, Flint. and Cody Jones & the Lost Company (all great bands that you should definitely check out). We have now expanded from the standard four-piece to a six-piece band with three guitars and keys.
The band recently released its second album; there's also been a number of personnel additions to the band since the first album was recorded; how does 'Sugartown' showcase the current sound of Mermaid Avenue?
[Pete] The sound is a lot fuller. Our two lead guitarists (Chris and Mike) are quite different in style and this reflects in the music.
A boutique gear-head, Chris is a widely experienced player who brings a range of modern techniques to his playing and solos. Equally experienced, Mike is more of an old-school feel player, whose antique gear is older than most of the band. He also brings pedal and lap-steel skills. They complement each other beautifully and listening to them trade solos is great.
Another 'new' addition is our keys player, Casey. Casey is a trained musician and a sensational player. From Hammond organ sounds to grand piano, she adds a depth and breadth to our songs that is apparent when you compare with our first LP.
Our latest addition on drums, Nate, is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, which adds a lot of depth. We are also focussing a lot more on harmonies (as you can hear on a few of the new tracks).
Pete is the band's chief songwriter; how does a new song come to life usually? And how much input does each member bring to the project?
[Nathan] Pete usually puts together his ideas in a Garage Band recording that he shares with the band. We then play through the song in our own individual styles, with each player adding something/ changing something to give it a little more 'flavour'.
Mark (bass player) has suggested it is a bit like chipping away at a sculpture till you get the final result. Pete gives each member free rein to add what they think works for the song, as long as the song stays more important than the player. We discuss arrangements etc. a fair bit.
The recording process for 'Sugartown'; was it as simple as plugging in, hitting record and playing? Or is the recording process more layered for Mermaid Avenue?
[Chris] Typically we record live in studio, maybe three or four takes. The best of these is used as a bed track and vocals, backing vocals and solos are dubbed as required. If Casey is playing grand piano, we tend to layer that to minimise bleed.
Is there a story behind the album artwork for 'Sugartown'?
[Mark] 'Sugartown', the song, is a reflection of Pete's time working in country towns that were built around Queensland's sugar industry.
As the song was about a snapshot in a period of time, we tried to reflect that in the both album cover and the single cover (which are variations of each other). We used an image of country pub because they are iconic and often part of the social fabric of the town. And we love drinking in them.
The cartoony/ sketch type nature is kind of a nod to the music videos we've been producing, which have those type of effects.
Lyrically, you've said Mermaid Avenue songs are about 'relationships from all the angles'; can you expand on that a bit please?
[Mark] That was a comment made by a reviewer of the first album 'Temptation And Half The Truth'.
Pete's lyrics tend to be about personal relationships, the 'human condition' as it were. This theme has continued on the new album. The first track 'Turn The Page' asks whether a long-term relationship can survive infidelity.
The second tune, 'Philosophy', reflects his frustration when a beloved sibling moved overseas to follow his muse (and we think is probably the only Australian song to reference drinking under the clothesline). This continues throughout the album.
The band remains relatively genre-fluid strolling all the way from indie rock, country-rock to alt country, indie folk, bluesy Americana; does that sound emerge from the influences of the collective or is there a more concerted effort to maintain a range of tones across the group's catalogue?
[Pete] Our sound is definitely influenced by the players in the band, but probably more subconsciously than intentionally.
We certainly don't write for an outcome, the process is a lot more organic than that. The songs end up where they should be – given the lyrical content and melody – without any premeditation. While we would love to sound like Wilco, Drive-By Truckers, Halfway or Tom Petty – we don't think we can (or should).
The band is also prepping a number of new singles from the group's third album, 'Loveday No. 9', including first single 'Darkest Hour' on 30 September; what has instigated this super productive period for the band?
[Casey] COVID! The lockdowns and isolation allowed all of us to spend time on the creative process. Pete has always been a very prolific writer and the new line-up is probably a little more motivated. One of the band is a project manager by profession, so he pushes us along a bit.
And if that wasn't enough new music, the band will soon return to the studio to record album number four; is it a case of striking while the iron's hot or is Pete always this prolific?
[Mike] Pete is very, very prolific. We have a huge backlog of songs that we need to complete and get out there. We think that they are all good songs (we tend to cull the bad ones) and deserve to be released into the wild sometime.
I'm also told some of the band's music will feature in a local indie film; what can you share about that?
[Mark] We've recently been told by the director to stay a bit quiet about this, however it is scheduled for release in late November so we'll no doubt shout about it on the socials then.
The band also recently recorded a live video at BDJ Sessions for their YouTube channel (that's in post production); can you tell us a bit more about BDJ Sessions and how they're creating something similar to NPR Tiny Desk Concerts/ KEXP Live Sessions?
[Pete] Greg Tuck and his team and BDJ Sessions have been around for a few years now. He is an avid music lover (and a songwriter himself).
BDJ started life in a friends warehouse whilst it was not being utilised (we think). Unfortunately, the warehouse was needed and Greg and team have rebuilt the video studios in his own house. With two recording rooms and some great gear, Greg is trying to capture the live performances of original music in front of a live audience. It's a great experience.
We ran across it a few years ago when our mates August River Band did a session at the old studio. Some other great artists have played there including McDermott and North, Hugo Stranger and The Rattlers and a range of others. We played there a few weeks ago with Pepper Jane (whose performance had us all entranced!).
The depth of alt country, Americana-styled bands at the moment seems at an all-time high; do you guys sense the scene is blooming into something a little more significant presently?
[Mike] It's hard to judge. Brisbane bands like Halfway have been releasing sensational songs and albums for over two decades and we hope they are getting more recognition.
Newer bands like Good Will Remedy (who we played a gig with recently) are also on the rise and playing a lot more. Our friends in Woodshed are starting to do well on the festival circuit as well. With new albums from major international acts like Wilco, Drive-By Truckers and Jason Isbell selling strongly we hope that it is an indication of a resurgence of the genre.
Although the band has had a number of live shows recently, can we expect more gigs upcoming from Mermaid Avenue?
[Pete] We don't play a lot of live shows, and certainly not as many as we would like. Space requirements-wise, we are a reasonably sizeable act – possibly too large nowadays for a lot of our usual live haunts.
That being said, we are on the bill for Rock Beats Depression in November and are heading back down to Ewingar to play some more for that community in early 2023. However, if any venue manager reading this wants to book us. . . :-)
