The Banters

Third time's the charm
By JOEY GUERRA
Houston Chronicle

Releasing a record is usually stressful. Just ask Prince, Fiona Apple or piano-rocker Joel Mercado-See.
The Houston-based Mercado-See recently unveiled Hitchhiker's Paradise, a funny, fragile collection of original songs. It's his third — and first successful — attempt at releasing a disc.


"The first time around, when I was living in New York, (a record label) signed me on for a demo deal. The producers that they hired changed everything," Mercado-See recalls. "They made it basically techno, dance. It was nice, it was groovy, but it was not me at all.

"It was just samplings of my voice over and over again. It was kind of scary. There were certain songs that sounded like Britney Spears or Madonna."

Mercado-See was dropped from his deal and ended up in Los Angeles, where he began work on another disc. That, too, ended in disaster.

"The last two years I was (in L.A.), I ended up homeless. I was living in my car or living in this motel room with these people," he says. "When I decided to leave, they decided to take all my stuff and burn it. Basically, all my masters were in there. I escaped L.A. with two bags of clothes, my guitar and my keyboard."

It's enough to make any musician want to crawl into a karaoke bar and belt out I Will Survive for the rest of his career. But Mercado-See remained undaunted.

He relocated to Houston two years ago and moved in with his parents, who are originally from the Philippines. That stability allowed him to write, record and release Hitchhiker's Paradise, fulfilling a long-stalled dream.

The disc was produced by local artist Spencer and draws inspiration from the likes of early Elton John and Rufus Wainwright — with some Tori Amos and Apple thrown into the mix.

Ultimately, Hitchhiker's Paradise is uniquely Mercado-See. Superman's Outta Town is about his self-professed "hero complex," and Jonathan is a moving tale of a homeless man Mercado-See met in Los Angeles. Vocally, he's polished and confident but still showcases a spirited rock edge.

Standout track Please Don't Call Me Kung-Fu shakes and shatters stereotypes with a smile. "I'd rather have pasta than broccoli and beef," he sings. "Maybe some fried rice as an occasional treat."

"You have to write what you know or it becomes fluff," Mercado-See says. That's what a lot of pop stuff becomes because you're writing formula."

Mercado-See was born in New Jersey and raised just outside Philadelphia. He also endured a college stint in San Marcos before leaving for New York to pursue a musical-theater career.

The boundaries of the stage, however, proved a bit too restrictive.

"I love going out and just belting and just going crazy. I couldn't do that with Kismet or Pippin. There's only so many times you can do Jesus Christ Superstar or Hair," Mercado-See says.

Doing original music, he says, "started off as an accident. I was trying to fake a Fiona Apple song, and nothing really happened. I couldn't get the song, but I came up with something really interesting that I liked. I started playing little cabarets in New York and building up songs."

Mercado-See has plans for a cross-country tour and studio work with other musicians. He is also in the early stages of new material, which he says is peppered with a melodic Motown flavor.

He's also taking a little time to bask in some hard-earned success.

"It's victory, and I think it's helped me a lot to know that I can actually go through and finish something. It's given me validation, not just as a songwriter but feeling where my niche was," he says.

"Basically this is what I do — music. I try to stay away from having a day job or a safety net, because you do fall back on it. People get stuck in it. I don't want to do that. No compromises — as much as possible." - Houston Chronicle

Piano popster Joel Mercado-See celebrated the release of his marvelous new disc, Hitchhiker's Paradise, with a rousing show at Helios in the Montrose area. Drinks were had, balloons were popped and harmonicas were played.

Mercado-See's disc is thoughtful, emotive and insanely catchy. It helps that he's got a clear, affecting voice and mad piano skills. (That's right, I said "mad.") I think I've found a new favorite. - Houston Chronicle

Piano popster Joel Mercado-See celebrated the release of his marvelous new disc, Hitchhiker's Paradise, with a rousing show at Helios in the Montrose area. Drinks were had, balloons were popped and harmonicas were played.

Mercado-See's disc is thoughtful, emotive and insanely catchy. It helps that he's got a clear, affecting voice and mad piano skills. (That's right, I said "mad.") I think I've found a new favorite. - Houston Chronicle