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Event
Shitty Barn Sessions No.3: Meridene
The Sh*tty Barn Sessions proudly presents Meridene. August 18, 2010. 6 pm
Come one, come 80! An intimate, integrated and shitty event that will put Eau Claire's Meridene in your lap for an evening of down-volume rockin', rollin' and maybe even some chitter chatter. Open Grill at 6 pm (BYO Grillables, we'll provide condiments and paper plates). Show starts at 7 pm and features two sets with an intermission in between. Lights out at 10 pm. Then to The Shed, not bed!!!
$10, in advance either at brownpapertickets.com or at The General Store (extra tix sold at door day-of, capacity 80). Your ticket gets you a cup to fill with FmB and a seat on the cold, hard barn floor (brink a blankie, stadium seat or a chair if you wish). Family friendly - kids 6 and older, please. Dogs welcome outside and on a leash.
This performance will be videotaped.
For more info visit: http://www.shittybarnsessions.com/
More about Meridene:
Meridene didn't set out to write an album about the pressures and paranoia Americans face during economic and cultural turmoil in the early stages of the 21st century. It set out to write an album that improved upon You're Not Pretty, You're Worse, its debut effort that earned praise on college radio stations across the country with punchy rock anthems and hard-hitting hooks. Intended or not, Something Like Blood is the sophomore full-length that makes Eau Claire, Wisconsin's Meridene a dual threat, embodying both lyrically-focused themes of fear and doubt, and the progression of a band realizing its full potential after years of experience.
After its most recent year of writing and demoing, Meridene set out to create the best sounding record possible. The band went into the studio utilizing their influences and those within their immediate scene. Something Like Blood was recorded in the Northwoods of Wisconsin at April Base (home-studio of Bon Iver), produced and mixed by Brian Moen (of Peter Wolf Crier fame) and mastered by T.W. Walsh (formerly of Pedro The Lion and The Soft Drugs).
At their highest level of energy the songs attack with layers of charging guitars, sprawling keys and high-intensity percussion, while front man Trevor Ives soars over it all with warnings about trust and inevitable oncoming loss. The opening track, "Everyone's Waiting," is a lively, forward marching hit in which he declares that he's "not surprised to see we're settling on a modest wage, a modest life." Bright and charming as it seems on the surface, the quick-paced, poppy song, "Gone, Baby Gone" is brought back to a harsh reality by a familiar story of a family losing its home in Gone With The Wind-like fashion. Building into chorus, amongst a blazing, rollicky dance beat and a lightly pumping bass guitar, Ives heeds, "Now the dogs of war are barking out and shattering the peace." It's a heavy line to be surrounded by such a charming verse of sounds. "...And we must put them down if ever we want to get some sleep."
Although Meridene has brandished a tight pop-rock sound, the songs that make up Something Like Blood aren't all sprints; some find their stride at slower speeds and impress with well-developed songwriting and organization. The album's title track is a moody, down tempo stretch of song that forgoes the typical comfort of a chorus and nudges listeners into a sun-splashed ending, melting a trio of shoegazey guitars with a flowing bass line and a jazzy drum beat. Guitars lightly strum on the back porch ballad, "Bible Belt," in which Ives explores a nervousness he's felt toward religion since his youth. It's not surprising to hear Meridene pump out energetic hit after energetic hit, it has wielded that power of song before, but tracks like these showcase an impressive newfound maturity. This is the sound of a band that has realized the responsibility that comes with such a power.
Perhaps exemplifying the entire spirit of the album better than any other one song, "Written Like Mad Sonnets," begins with soft, echoing guitar chords and is met by a forward driving mix of colorful keys, bouncy drums and a rolling bass line. In just a few vigorous verses and bridge lines, Ives has guided listeners through a Great Depression-like outlook on modern day life in which we must push ourselves through our own sins as well as the inherit sins of the world around us. Unruly leaders, religious confusion, economic instability and the influence that an atmosphere of fear and doubt can have on one individual eventually lead to the emotional collapse that forces Ives to pose the question of why we ever even make an attempt at a better life. He finds solace and inspiration in the search, however, and as guitars and keyboards swell into a frenzy that becomes the album's most hopeful ending, his voice rises up in a harmony. "Learn your mistakes," he sings, "turn them to song, and those mistakes, they sing along."
If it wasn't already, Meridene is certainly working on all cylinders now. Equal parts intelligent and variable songwriting, as well as socially conscious inspired lyrics and themes, Something Like Blood holds its own amongst the finest of indie-pop records and serves as a true example of a band coming into its own in the best way possible.
http://www.myspace.com/meridene
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sponsored by: http://www.furthermorebeer.com/, http://www.yaharaguitars.com/, http://www.erinfullergraphics.com/, MJ Hecox, WORT, Lakeside Press, and http://www.sweepingdesign.com/
NOTE: No one under 6 years old will be admitted. Dogs permitted outside, on leash.
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LocationShitty Barn
506 E. Madison St.
Spring Green, WI 53588
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 6 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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