BeFilms

MezzRow is a South Jersey band that sounds more like Liverpool meets Nashville than Asbury Park, and their eponymous debut album is a treat. Coming up with some analogues for this band is a bit tough since they do an expert job of melding all their influences; "Brit pop meets Americana" as it says on their CD Baby page, and I hear a bit of everything from Steve Earle at one end of the spectrum to The Verve on the other end. Maybe I can best explain their sound in the context of Marah, who hails from the same general area: it's kind of like the songs from Float Away With The Friday Night Gods with the production values of Kids In Philly, minus the Springsteen worship.
The album starts off with a bang; the first three tracks "Blue & Red", "Pictures" and "Tear" are an impressive an introduction as any, and "Embassy Stairs" is where the Marah comparison really hits home. You can stream the first three, along with "Got Me All Wrong", at their myspace page. No mp3s I could find, so CD Baby is your best bet for the remaining samples and purchasing. These guys are only in their early 20s, and with a promising debut like this already on record, it'll be interesting to see where they go from here.
- Absolute Power Pop.com

Band: Mezzrow

Album: Mezzrow

First Impression: Pop Rock for post-teens

Album in One Word: Undeniable

Sounds Like: Alt. Country infused Pop

Makes Me Feel: Like moving and shaking

Why this Band is Unique: Even as they pursue the stereotypical teen dream of being in a band, Mezzrow also maintains a very mature feeling, often seen playing with their elders, Smash Palace.

Who Would Like This Album: From Kings of Leon fans to fans of the Stones’ “Beggars Banquet”

Recommended Song: Showed Me The Ropes

During any given Mezzrow performance, which is seemingly few and far between for me these days, the band lets their influences at the moment be known without hesitation. Though I myself have not seen the band since September ’05, even then their cover of Jumping Jack Flash gave some sort of idea of how they were feeling at the time. Though things must not have changed very much for them as this wasn’t deviating far from the poppy Kinks covers the band was featuring in late ’04 and early ’05 sets. Together, all of these influences are reflected in the bands ten song self-titled debut.

The album starts out with the track Red and Blue, which the lyrics would suggest as being almost haunting, but upon listening is found to be as poppy as the band ever was. Pictures, the CD’s second song, is easily just as upbeat and catchy as Red and Blue, but the album is still yet to peak. As far as Tear goes, it is without doubt as melancholy as the disc gets, with the title being taking from the line, “I wanna tear my heart out,” though this sentiment is doubtful as the song in no way reflects such doleful lines. Still though, it is slowed down from the first two tracks, but also continues with the intricate guitar work already displayed in the album. From here, Embassy Stairs must immediately be a fast paced listener friendly song. It is a good song, comparable to Blue and Red in some ways, but it’s tough when the next song is Showed Me the Ropes. This song isn’t meant to be catchy or fast, but even the harmonica manages to exacerbate everything about the song in an almost Dylan way, though by no means would I commit such blasphemy and make that comparison. It is more a calm song than a sad song, as is reflected in the lyrics that are by no stretch of the imagination as heartwrenching or revealing as those in earlier tracks. While all the parts come together, they just makes sense as one whole song and it is by far the easiest song to sing along to. Quit Me tries to follow suit, but it brings back everything that Showed Me the Ropes stripped all the previous tracks of and feels almost impersonal. Another Perfect Day, Got Me All Wrong and Too Many Situations are all just as pleasant to listen to as the rest, but not much can be said for them that hasn’t been seen earlier in the album. Waiting Patiently, however, is the Sweet Child O’ Mine to Mezzrow’s Appetite for Destruction. It is leisurely and sweet, but despite the emotion that one would expect an engaging, slow track to elicit, it remains more of a praise than a damnation and is just a nice note to end on.

All in all, a wonderful debut. It leaves absolutely nothing to be complained about, though without Showed Me the Ropes and Waiting Patiently, the consistently great sounds run the risk of becoming monotonous. However, the entire album is a new spin on old music and to be able to keep years upon years of writing fresh and new is praiseworthy all on its own. (Emily Getzinger)


- Mass Broadcast

"One of the best bands I've ever seen. The songs were so good, even my kids were singing along" - The Tomato Festival (NJ)

"An amazing live band! Everysong is a good one!" - Independence Brew Pub (Phila)

They've got a sound that lands perfectly between Classic Rock and Britpop, which is pretty amazing considering they're all in their 20's! Proof positive that a great hook is still something that appeals to music fans of all generations! - David Bash

Mezzrow brings rock music home to Haddon Township
By RICK MURRAY, Staff Writer12/01/2005

There's an old saying that all politics is local.
Maybe that saying ought to apply to other things, too - say, rock and roll.
When you think Liverpool, you think Beatles. When you think Seattle, you think Nirvana.
And years from now, who knows, when you think Haddon Township in the context of rock, you just might be thinking Mezzrow.
Anthony Bezich, 23, is the lead singer of Mezzrow, and he says such an eventuality isn't so far-fetched.
The band celebrated the release of its first CD - its title named after the band itself - last Saturday.
It is, Bezich said, a self-published, self-produced venture.
"We're releasing it ourselves and we're hoping to eventually get picked up by a label," said Bezich of the ten-song CD. "It's the same quality CD you'd get anywhere."
The band put it all together, Bezich said, at the "Smash Palace," an independent studio based in Merchantville.
If this band is on the ladder to success, they're admittedly on the first rung, but Bezich claims the group is moving up fast.
"We played our first show Nov. 26th 2004, at the local Three Beans Coffee House," Bezich said. "Coincidentally we're doing our CD release one year later, so we've made a lot of progress."
Indeed, said Bezich, the band is fresh because it has its roots in pop while reaching for the edge.
"It's really poppy, rooted in basic rock and roll, very 60s influence," Bezich said. "Oasis did 60s influenced but it was a little edgier and that's what I think we have going."
Bezich promises "songs that have great hooks that get stuck in your head."
"We layer the tracks up to make them big sounding, so there's tons of guitars, organs pianos, harmonica, it's all on there," he said. "Everything that we can actually play, we did."
Mezzrow, though, is structured like your basic rock combo of old. It has Bezich on lead vocals and guitar; Fran Tagmire, lead guitar; Mike Schraeger, bass, and Erik Sooy, drums.
"We grew up in Haddon Township and Fran and I have been playing music together in one form or another since we were 13," Bezich said. "We both went to college in Philadelphia, me at Temple, and Fran at La Salle. I majored in film and Fran, in criminal justice."
Ah yes, shades of a suburban Lennon and McCartney. All these years, the two boyhood pals have been writing songs together.
"We've been playing on and off, but didn't get serious 'till we started Mezzrow," he said.
If there's any justice in the world, the band should score big. Its members work hard.
"We've had 25 gigs in the last year," Bezich said. "We'll occasionally do a cover but 99 percent is original."
The band has played all over the Philly club scene, touching down at, among other places, the Khyber Pass, the North Star, and the Pontiac Grill.
"All the places that have original rock music, we've made the rounds there," Bezich said.


©Haddon Herald 2005
- Haddon Herald

It seems like an awful lot of folks are starting to listen to Wilco these days. Those folks would be well suited to pick up this self-titled album by MezzRow. Prairie rock with U.K. vocal snarls collide to forge a nice marriage of collaged rock-n-roll that the Rolling Stones would call inspiring and Oasis might try to copy.

3/20/06 - Smother Magazine

Jesus, what a refreshing album this is! Never in a million years would I imagine hearing an Americana record with blatant Britpop tendencies. If Oasis had decided to record a country record, the resulting LP wouldn't be far removed from this.

Ah, but do not let the "country" tag turn you off. Mezzrow (http://www.mezzrowmusic.com) are more along the lines of alternative roots acts such as Wilco and the late, lamented Uncle Tupelo. In other words, it's old-school country fed through a post-punk perspective. The opening number, "Blue & Red," is winsome jangle rock; don't be surprised to be playing air guitar to those driving riffs.

Mezzrow is clearly infatuated with the guitar. All throughout the record they are either chiming, ringing, rocking, and jamming. What one of the things that I despise about emo is how they torture their guitars. Mezzrow use them like they should, weaving shimmering, hypnotic webs of jangling ecstasy. Good Lord I got drunk from these lads' riff sex, especially on "Pictures," "Tear," and "Another Perfect Day." Bliss, I tell you!

As far as Americana music goes, Mezzrow mix different flavors in their sound, mainly European ones. For example, "Tear" has New Wave bass lines that wouldn't be out of place on a New Order 12". And there are similarities to U.S. modern rock, too, such as the Foo Fighters-ish "Quit Me."

But enough already! Get off your bum and purchase this magnificent beast immediately!

3/22/06
http://www.whisperinandhollerin.com/reviews/review.asp?id=3599 - Whisperin & Hoolerin.com

Mezzrow breathes life into a stagnant Americana scene with buoyant vocal hooks, breezy guitars, and two-fisted drums. This charming, infectiously energetic young band take the Byrds' trademark jangle into British rock territory, a combination of geographic styles that hook the listener in from the first second and mercilessly refuses to stop being catchy.
 
I warn you now: Mezzrow doesn't just write songs. Rather, they're drugs. You will be addicted. This is a group that knows how to craft the perfect pop, from the British Invasion-meets-country melodies of "Blue & Red" to the Eric Clapton-ish bluesy licks of "Too Many Situations." The band - consisting of vocalist/guitarist Anthony Bezich, guitarist Fran Tagmire, bassist Mike Schraeger, and drummer Erik Sooy - have intoxicating chemistry. Witness the dueling riffs on "Tear" and how they're propelled even further by the pounding percussion.
 
Mezzrow is what the Posies should've been but never were. From top to bottom, the material here is so strong that a major-label bidding war should be just around the corner. Seriously. Even when Mezzrow slows the tempo on "Showed Me the Ropes," the toe-tapping never stops.
-Kyrby Raine - INK 19