The Mercutios

Who: The Mercutios
Where: The Marine Club
When: August 25th
With: Brodies Donation, Helcion

Nestled in between Pender and Dunsmuir on Homer street, the Marine Club looks a little dodgy from the outside. A mere sign and a
vaguely associated set of stairs lend little encouragement to concert goers, leading up to a door that requires a buzzer for entrance.
Once inside, things are a little more inviting, with a narrow galley-esque bar, featuring a small stage to the left, and a couple pool tables
to the right. As the show had yet to kick off, I headed to the bar (directly ahead) and grabbed a beer before settling in for Vancouver
locals, the Mercutios, and their two openers, Helcion and Brodies Donation.
It took all of five minutes of sitting and gazing around the lifesaver-decked room to figure out that most of the people there (a scant
thirty or so) knew each other. My friends and I appeared to be the only ones who were not somehow personally associated with one of
the three bands on that night, giving off a feeling of some sort of reunion, not helped by glow of a small disco ball and the town hall-ish
feeling from mismatched chairs and tables.
The handshakes and hugging settled down as Helcion took the stage, a three-piece hard rock band from Summerland, led by
vocalist/bassist Jessica who was sporting a Warped Tour inspired outfit, from black eyeliner to the obligatory long fishnet gloves and
black nail polish. The band was rounded off by a drummer and guitarist who obviously knew their stuff. Despite being able to play their
instruments, the only real spark in their menacing set list came in the form of a Tool cover, and while Jessica was an ominous presence



in all her brooding glory, her voice betrayed her when it came to the lower growls, weakening the dark effect. The crowd was enthusiastic enough, though I suspected a touch of bias
on their part as they hugged and kissed the descending members.
The second opener was the Vancouver-based Brodies Donation, a band that tended more towards the modern alternative rock side of the spectrum, with catchy hooks brought by
a promising guitarist, who managed to pump sheer innovation into his gun-slinging. Any brownie points gained here, however were watered down by the lead vocalist, a large
character who, although he boasted a rather powerful voice, missed a dozen keys for every one he hit. Even so, the crowd remained appreciative as ever.
Moments before the combination of a stuffy atmosphere and the drag of waiting for the next set had me sleeping peacefully in my corner booth, the Mercutios finally took the stage.
Unlike their warm up bands, the Vancouver quartet held an air of genuine unity, with their collective musical product, like any properly-gelled band, proving greater than the sum of its
parts. They simply meshed, resulting in a well-rounded, rock-based set of songs.
Though the majority of the supporters, proving to be friends/families of the first two bands, had snuck off before the last performance like bored relatives at a school recital, the
dozen or so who remained seemed entertained enough by the upbeat, original tunes presented to them. The guitar ranged from a bluesy babble in “Son of a Sorceress” to a plain
old solid rock wail, backed by sturdy bass lines and buoyant beats.
Their sound was defined enough, finishing with a nod to Van Morrison through a cover of the epic “Gloria” (helped by Helcion’s Jessica), but unfortunately, it was unable to cut
through the dulling fog of the late hour (and lack of obliging family members). Compared to the cheering gusto that erupted after the previous two finales, the Mercutios left the stage
to more of a fizzle than a bang, as those remaining politely clapped before quietly trickling back down the nondescript stairs to the street below, proving, yet again, that life never
ceases to be more than just a popularity contest. *

- kezine.com

Current mood: impressed

Who: The Mercutios
Where: The Piccadilly Pub 620 West Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C.
When: Saturday, July 8th, 2006

So I received a little message in my Inbox the other day, from a local band by the nom de plume "The Mercutios". "Hey G! Wanna' come out to our show tomorrow at the Picadilly and review us for the G Spot?" The Piccadilly?? Thought I, That Place is still alive?? Haven't been down to The Pic in ages, last memories of it the place was quite a grunge hole filled with characters that I didn't exactly feel "one" with. I, personally, didn't make a habit of frequenting The Pic back in the day (80's/90's), but did land there on occasion. Probably to see a live band play, can't recall exactly, but I can't imagine I'd've been there for any other reason. I recall suffering with "floating teeth syndrome", brought on by a couple of pints and no desire to make use of the Ladies Room. It was like entering a scary movie, stepping into that bathroom. In fact, stepping into The Pic use to feel pretty much the same to me. Suffice it to say, when I received that invite from Ryan Murray, frontman for The Mercutios, I was a little trepidacious about heading out to The Pic. Who is this band, The Mercutios, thought I?? Worth venturing into the city, into The Pic for on a Saturday night?? Hmmm...well, the energy that coursed through Ryan's e-mails struck me as very positively charged. I was "Lucky Number 1000" on the Mercutio's friends list here in MySpace, a fact I was made aware of when Ryan posted a bulletin to say "Thanks everybody for the continued support!". When I paid The Mercutios MySpace page a visit, to have a listen and otherwise check these fella's out, I discovered that this local four piece band are self-described "full performance rawkers" "Drawing on influences like hard rock, blues rock, punk and ska...". Their fans leave enthusiastic and supportive messages in abundance on their MySpace page, leaving one with the feeling that The Mercutios are the kind of guys that inspire appreciation for their music, while making their fans feel very appreciated at the same time. "O.k." said I, "Slap g and Big Joe on your guest list and we'll be there, boyz! I'd be happy to do a review, but remember...I only review that which fires me up, so you better be smokin' tomorrow night. How's that for no pressure??" to which Ryan replied "No sweat! The Mercutios are hittin' the G Spot!". Again with that positively charged energy. :) So off to The Piccadilly Pub Big Joe and I went on Saturday night. Got to the pub, and it seemed that Ryan had forgotten to put us on the guest list. So while Big Joe and I waited for things to get sorted out at the front door of The Pic, the warm, friendly and ever so helpful manager of The Piccadilly "A.J." took some time to chat with us. We talked about The Piccadilly, and what A.J. has been doing to breathe new life into the Pub since he became it's manager in September 2005 (I believe). I was mighty impressed with the changes already evident in The Pic. Cleaner, for starters, much, much cleaner. The awning will soon be revamped, but A.J. promises the stained glass will stay right where it is. The clientele has changed dramatically, just regular peeps between the ages of 19 on up to 40, no scary biker types that look like they're eager to bite yer head off and eat ya' fer dinner, and the atmosphere, well...many t.v.'s throughout the pub (Ultimate Fighting on all the screens Saturday night, not my fave sport, but hey, to each his or her own) give it a Sports Bar feel as do the small stage to the back, and the missing dance floor. None-the-less, the environ is friendly and comfortable enough to enjoy yourself in. I couldn't help but notice the numerous posters by the front door, clearly a whole lot of local talent making it's way onto the stage in The Pic these days. As A.J. explained the various events that take place at The Pic on a regular basis, Open Mic Nights, Competitions (I believe these are sponsored by Russell Beer, and winners get restuarant gift cert's, press kits, promo photos, $1000.00 and/or recording time outta' the deal), Karoake Nights, Indie Tours, Acoustic Nights, and more, I got the feeling that he takes a great deal of pride in the job he's doing at The Pic, and he's a big fan of music, too. He spoke with definite respect and appreciation about some of the blazin' talent that's made its way onto the stage at The Pic over the past year, especially on acoustic nights. "Some of these guys have no idea how talented they are." he said, shaking his head "These guys should be signed. It's hard to believe they haven't been signed all ready." Just as I was thinking to myself: "I really like this gent, he's good people and he's doing a great job of picking The Pic up, indeed..." a tall, bearded feller wearing a straw cowboy hat stepped into our midst, apologizing for the mix up at the door and introducing himself. I speak of Robbie Regeer, lead guitarist for the Mercutios, who impressed me at once by actually knowing my name, and pronouncing it correctly. This is a very rare occurrence, peeps, so yeah. It caught my attention. At any rate, this big gentle bear struck me as both an interesting character, and one well endowed with social graces. I know more than a few musicians out there who could learn a little on that front from the boyz in The Mercutios, to be sure. Introductions and apologies made (no need, fella's, I figured it was just a wee mix up) on into The Pic we went. (Thanks for the beer, A.J. and keep up the excellent work. You've made a fan of me, and I'm definitely into supporting your efforts because clearly your hearts in the right place.) Upon entering The Pic and taking a seat, Ryan Murray (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) soon found his way to our table, having just arrived at the pub himself. More apologies and introductions. Gee whillackers those Mercutios are fine upstanding young gents. You can't help it, you like these boyz pretty much instantly. 9:30 ish rolls around, and up onto the stage they get. Ryan on Les Paul, Robbie on Strat, not sure what kind of electric bass Blacksmythe Kelly was playing, and Larry O'Connell on drums. I liked that The Mercutios bring humour up onto the stage and into their set, it's every bit as much a part of their stage presence as...well, that positively charged energy they seem to exude at all times. These boys don't take themselves so seriously that they forget to have fun doing what they love, Fun is the very essence of this band. Clearly having a great time, and spreading the joy quite liberally. Not only that, but they're anything but self-involved, and make every effort to promote other bands/shows when up on the stage. I'm not a big fan of self-serving types, so it pleases me to meet bands/musicians who grasp the concept "you get what you give in life", and practice the same, to boot. As I sat back and listened to The Mercutios first couple of songs, I couldn't help but see a little ZZ in Robbie Regeer, who makes playing that strat look like such a blast, at times the neck vibrates so vigorously in his sizeable hands you imagine it snapping, yet Robbie maintains an unrattled and constant cool throughout the set. He's quite a character to watch, indeed. I imagine he's an interesting and very entertaining feller to party with. As a front man, Ryan Murray does an admirable job of holding your attention and making you feel like this show's for you. He's so gosh darn cute and seemingly sweet you just wanna' pinch his rosy cheeks. Sorry, Ryan! That's the Mom in me, can't help myself sometimes... At any rate, The Mercutios fans have a definite connection to this band, and it's not hard to fathom why. Sound wise, The Mercutios are a blend of 70's rawk and 80's punk, with a shake or ten of Chilli Peppers flavouring the mix, and a sprinkle of ZZ on top. Great punk energy, good fun to watch, nice phat bass sound, lyrics you make the effort to listen to, rawkin' electric wall of geetar, and clearly a whole lot of potential still untapped. The best is yet to come, I have absolutely no doubt. These boyz have only been working together for about a year from what I understand, which says alot to me. I'd like to hear a little more originality in The Mercutios sound, but I'm confident this will come over time. I'd also like to hear Ryan dig down deep into gut level when he sings and really use those pipes to belt it out. As a vocalist, Ryan has passion and emotion down, intensity is still a wee bit shy right now. Don't be shy, Ryan :) I liked the lyrics, I liked your voice, and I look forward to following your progress. Overall, The Mercutios have made a new fan of G. The show was well worth the trip downtown, I would definitely pay to catch these boyz live another time, on down the road. Maybe on a night when they're the featured band, so I can catch a longer set. It was a pleasure to meet The Mercutios in the flesh. You Hit the G Spot!!! And something tells me you'll hit it again. Best of luck boyz!

For all those who've had their interest peeked, this is the Mercutios MySpace link: http://www.myspace.com/themercutiosCheck these boyz out live some night. I'm betting you'll wanna' follow their progress from that first show forward, just like me.


For all those musicians out there looking for venues to do their stuff, please be sure to check out The Piccadilly Pub, 620 West Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C. Phone: 604-682-3221 and ask for A.J. or visit the following web-adress http://www.thepic.ca/index.html

And that my friends is a wrap. Until next time...

- G Spot