The spin on Mere Mortals

Band set for return after shooting video for the song `Unreal.’

By ALAN K. STOUT
MUSIC ON THE MENU
JULY 3, 1998

Mere Mortals might not have the highest profile, play the most shows, or draw as big a crowd as some of the other bands on the local music scene. They are, however- out of all the unsigned groups in the area writing songs andmaking records- clearly the best.
   
The band’s music offers clever lyrics and arrangements, sometimes edgy and sometimes slick instrumentation and an unwavering sense of purpose. On the group’s CDs the production value is full and glossy, and as a live act the band has a quiet charisma and a polished yet driving sound.
   
If you’ve seen them play, you will undoubtedly go again.
   
And if you haven’t, you should.
   
Now - after laying a bit low throughout much of the winter and spring – the band is set for a return. The group’s members recently shot a video for the song “Unreal,” and while doing so, received the royal treatment from their hometown of Pittston. And in August the band will begin putting the final mix on a new album, tentatively-titled “Mondegreen Dreams.”
   
In addition, the group has begun to play more shows, plugging in at area nightspots several times each month.
   
“I’m more excited about this band than I ever have been,” says guitarist and vocalist Eddie Appnel. “Everybody that we have working with us on the album and with the video are true professionals. … “Everything is in place this time.”
   
Not that things haven’t gone pretty well in the past. The band’s 1992 debut, “In Search of Simple Things,” was followed by a Songwriters Achievement Award from Billboard Magazine, and the band’s 1996 release, “Grin,” was met with a rush of critical acclaim and was preceded with the band being voted the area’s best original act in The Times Leader’s annual “Sound Choice” readers’ poll.
   
Appnel says things are continuing to move forward and positively for the group, and that drummer Marko Marcinko- a talented and schooled musician with a jazz background who joined the band in January 1997- is working out wonderfully.
   
“He’s turned out to be a huge asset to the band, bringing his expertise and his musical knowledge in for this recording,” he says. “He’s got a terrific sense of humor and he’s a fun person to be with … As far as our live performances, he’s really tightened things up. He’s making us better musicians.”
   
Equally exciting to the Mortals - which also feature guitarist Pat Flynn and bassist Mark Kiesinger - is the new album, which is being produced by Jerry Hludzik of Dakota and recorded at Sound Investments studios in Scranton.
   
“This had been a giant step forward,” says Appnel. “I think we’ve matured as writers and there’s a polish that Jerry adds to the production end. A lot more detail was put into the structure of the songs and with the vocal harmonies to make them as radio-friendly as possible. … It’s a pretty slick record.”
   
Song titles include the aforementioned “Unreal,” plus “Feeling You” and “Fat White Dawg.” There’s also re-recordings of Mortals’ favorites “Killing Me” and “Funny Animals” and “Mountainslide.”
   
“There’s a little bit of restructuring, mostly due to Jerry’s pop-sensibility,” says Appnel. “A pop song is a pop song, and you go for those hooks and you hang on to ’em. It really seems to be making these songs a lot catchier.”
   
Still, Appnel says fans needn’t fret that the group will lose its rock edge.
   
“The elements of the band aren’t being altered in any way, but strengthened,” he says. “Every group matures, and that’s what I believe is happening with us. But the basic elements of Mere Mortals are still the writing and the line-up of the band. We’re a guitar band and we have our own style. … I don’t think anything’s going to really alter that.”
   
The video, shot last month in the downtown area of Pittston, was directed by independent filmmaker Sam Daley. While on location, streets were blocked off and fire crews splashed down storefronts with high-powered hoses, helping simulate rain for a few water-drenched scenes. The video will be used as a promotional tool for the album and will be sent to some of the band’s contacts at MTV.
   
“It was a blast,” says Appnel. “Just from seeing some of the rough footage, I really believe we’re going to have a top-notch piece.”
   
Appnel says the group plans to continue performing more regularly in coming months, and that “Mondegreen Dreams” should be available in stores and at the band’s shows by the fall.
   
“With each record, we’ve come a little bit further along, and at this point, it’s certainly making the last seven or eight years all worthwhile,” he says. “Not to take anything away from the last two recording we did, but this is what Mere Mortals always wanted to be.”