For Glenn Mercer, it was always about the simple and profound from day one.
Meet The Beatles was a life changing album for a young Glenn. The energy and enthusiasm that permeated from the needle hitting the wax connected immediately but it turned into something bigger. It became about chasing after what’s locked between the grooves. That undefinable element of atmosphere within music was something that set a nine year old Glenn on a musical path. The artistic statements he would go on to make proved enormously influential to generations of musicians as well as music fans.
Glenn started off with cardboard instruments but eventually upgraded to the real thing. After two guitar lessons where the instructor told Glenn to lighten up with his picking hand, it was all self taught from there on out. That percussive right hand his instructor criticized him for would form a key element of Glenn’s hugely influential guitar approach. Proof that you can become a game changer and express yourself outside of the box even though you’re not doing things the “right way”.
The fingerprints of the lush, layered guitar sounds Glenn put out can be heard on pretty much every indie/ alternative record released in the last couple decades. Weezer’s debut album provides homage to the debut album cover of The Feelies though Glenn says they could have got it from Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Shoegaze bands learned a lot from the multi faceted tones of Glenn and it established him as a player to learn a lot from.
The cool thing though is that Glenn still keeps pushing himself. Instead of resting on his laurels, he continues to push the envelope and further navigate the sonic waters. This experimental mindset can be seen within Glenn’s avant garde solo projects (Wheels in Motion and Incidental Hum). These are more conceptual releases and Glenn assumed the role of being more of a soundtrack composer as opposed to fronting a band. Glenn enjoyed these experiences because he didn’t have to account for other schedules and it was fun. This working environment of going at your own leisurely pace has reflected throughout Mercer’s musical catalogue and approach as a career musician.
The most recent record from The Feelies, In Between, was recorded in a home studio and came out earlier this year. The surroundings being intimately familiar to the band and the pacing being different allowed for a record that captured what The Feelies really wanted. A favourable environment to thoughtfully craft recordings that are as consistent with the band’s core feelings as possible. This desire for comfort is also found in their live shows. The Feelies are notorious for not embarking on big tours and often play gigs at Maxwell’s. The club was originally owned by their manager/ label rep Steve Fowler. They often book two nights back to back at this club largely because the band doesn’t want to lug out equipment at the end of their Maxwell’s set. In all fairness, I wouldn’t be keen on lugging out all of that gear after a two to three hour set. This is the norm for The Feelies and they omit a lot of material despite these lengthy, driving sets.
The Feelies were known for taking breaks all throughout their run that lasted for many years at a time. The Feelies could almost be seen as diametrically opposed to that oft repeated “Black Flag Get in the Van” approach. The idea of playing and touring at a relentless pace until everyone involved breaks. The Feelies were a band that were pressured to make certain artistic compromises for monetary gain/ greater exposure on a number of occasions. Constantly they strayed away from that and maintained their autonomy as a collective so as to never compromise their artistic integrity.
After their debut album dropped, guitarist Bill Million and Glenn wanted to put more effort into studio recordings. They were loving how bands got certain sounds at the time and were not interested in the typical big touring cycle bands generally go on after dropping an album. The kinship and desire to explore their art further and further was what bonded the two from the beginning. All the way back to when Bill and Glenn were in separate bands where they both played bass and also both covered “I Wanna Be Your Dog”. Their love for The Stooges inspired them which set the two on their own path to inspire others over the years. The beautiful cycle of inspiration and creation continues to perpetuate itself.
The 70’s CBGB’s scene and the music coverage in the Village Voice got Glenn hooked. The intrigue and passion seemingly have yet to wane at all. The respect for music extends over to how the lyrics for The Feelies have been presented. The band have never officially published lyrics and the reasoning was that it would seem bizarre to separate them from the music. The lyrics and the vocal element attached to the songs are an essential part of the tune and don’t function in nearly the same way as written lyrics. I respect that mindset. It’s this idea that lyrics have important emotive qualities that couldn’t possibly be translated to an inherently, emotionally limited medium like the written word.
Glenn was not and is not a traditional frontman. Glenn had mixed feelings about the debut record when it dropped and wasn’t ensconced in the realm of frontman bravado about the whole thing. He was a background vocalist who assumed the role of lead vocalist simply because no one else was eager to do it themselves. Glenn’s attitudes on the current socio-political climate are in line with this kind of temperament. He’s not as worried as some, more concerned than others, but cautiously optimistic about the future. I for one hope this mentality carries through in the years to come. I mean it’s worked pretty well so far for The Feelies and Glenn Mercer specifically.