Mercy Music have been in the pop/punk game for over a decade, and their recent album, What You Stand to Lose, is a well-crafted, banger of a record.
The album release tour ended earlier this month. I was meant to cover one of their performances here in Southern California, but caught a cold, sadly missing out on their superb live show. Thankfully, Brendan Scholz, the bands lead singer/songwriter and guitarist, took the time to respond to some questions I had for him regarding touring, the new album, and his overall attitude, perspective on music.
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Indy Review: I hope the tour went well! The Las Vegas punk, DIY scene is still around, but proximity to other areas in the Southwest makes touring fairly attainable. What have the shows on this recent tour been like/do you have any favorite spots you played in California over the years?
Brendan Scholz: Tour went great! Shows exceeded my expectations, as I’m generally a glass half empty kind of guy. Ha ha ha. Generally California has always been great to us. I’m really excited we got to go back to San Francisco on this run as we haven’t been there since 2020.
IR: What is the biggest difference in working with Bill Stevenson during the Absent Minded days versus now, working with him on the current album?
BS: This time around it was definitely redemption for me on a personal level. I was an 18-year-old kid the first time I worked with Bill, and myself, and the band was a total shit show. It was kind of like trying to show your dad that you’re not a total loser after all, ha ha.
IR: I appreciate your honest background/deep dive into each track on the new record. Can you describe your unique outlook? It is nice to read no bull shit takes from artists regarding their own material.
BS: I really try to be no bullshit in general. I’m definitely a heart on my sleeve type of person. Life‘s too short to beat around the bush, or not be honest about things. Even if at the time it’s extremely painful. Sometimes you need to go through the pain to grow.
IR: You’ve been writing songs with a personal/autobiographical touch for nearly your entire adult life. What are some of the joys and pitfalls of putting such personal material out-there?
BS: I wish I had the ability to write about things that aren’t personal and or close to me but I never have. It just doesn’t feel real when I’ve tried in the past. The benefit to me, is that I think we all go through a lot of the same things, so in that sense, it shows the listener they’re not alone and their struggles. Pitfalls being, I have to sing about things that still may be incredibly painful night after night. Ha ha ha.
IR: Album variety is obviously an important factor on each of your records. Can you describe the arrangement of tracks on the new record and give some behind the scenes on selecting a final sequence?
BS: Honestly, we just wanted the record to flow as much as possible. Between Jared and I and Jeff and Em at Double Helix, I think we have something that we’re all happy with. Listening now I think we may have accidentally created a plot line with the songs though which is kind of a cool accident.
IR: Three areas of punk culture I think may resonate with everyone in the band are skateboarding, tattoos, and horror movies. Do you guys find inspiration in any of these areas? (I think your music would be killer on a skate or horror movie soundtrack!)
BS: As a kid, skateboarding and punk music always seemed to go hand-in-hand to me. Additionally, I wanted tattoos and liked horror movies as far back as I can remember. I can’t really say I draw inspiration from those things but they are things I truly enjoy and love.
IR: Mercy Music started as sort of an acoustic/solo project. Are there any outlaw country/folk bands that you draw inspiration from?
BS: Not necessarily outlaw, country or folk, but Hank Williams Senior is one of my favorite songwriters of all time, definitely in my top five. He was really one of the first “Rockstars.” I also love Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris and The Flying Burrito Brothers a great deal.
IR: That’s it for now! Thanks so much and sorry I couldn’t be at the show.
BS: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us!
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What You Stand to Lose is streaming everywhere, and you can listen to the album here. Better yet, catch them live as they continue to play shows across the American West Coast!
The Indy Review 