By: David Rachac
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Lead singer Michael Di'Greggario formed the electronic-influenced Mercurial Rage with bassist Chris Church in 2003. In this interview, Di’Greggario talks about their place in the local music community, working with producer Ed Ackerson and the release of their new self-titled CD.
HowWasTheShow: Tell me about your musical background—when you started playing music, early bands, etc.
Michael Di'Greggario: I have been a vocalist since grade school, singing in choir through my freshman year of college. I started writing and playing my own music when I was a freshman in high school, around 1991. At that time, I was more of an acoustic artist, influenced mainly by Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Posies and Big Star. I was fairly convinced that I was going to be the next Alex Chilton or David Bowie.
After a dry run at the acoustic gig, I started a band in Minneapolis around 1998 with Brock Landers from Mercurial Rage called Copperfield. We played music heavily influenced by post-punk emo bands such as Fugazi and Sunny Day Real Estate. I played electric guitar, sang and wrote all of the lyrics and melodies for that band. This project lasted about a year, but, sounding cliche as ever, musical differences drove us to break up the band.
After Copperfield, I joined Minneapolis-based band Seconds Before in the fall of 2001 as their second front man. This band was heavily influenced by more of a harder edge post-punk emo sound, reminiscent of such bands as Far and Thursday. It was my first experience on stage singing without playing guitar, which I instantly fell in love with. However, I never quite fit in with the music they were writing, which was very much due to the fact that my true influences as a vocalist came from Mick Jagger, Michael Hutchence, David Gahan and Brett Anderson (from Suede). Therefore, I quit the band inevitably to pursue a band that better fit my musical aesthetic. Seconds Before are still playing music with their third vocalist, and we continue to be good friends.
HWTS: How did the members of Mercurial Rage get together?
MD: The concept of Mercurial Rage started in the coffee shop that I was working at in 2003. Chris Church and I talked about starting a band that was completely unconventional from any other project that we had ever worked on. Chris came out of ‘90s Minneapolis bands Deep Shag, Lunar 9 and Medication. Our goal was to write music 100% electronically, without guitars, bass or drums. Much of what we were listening to at that time was bands like OMD, Soft Cell, Depeche Mode, New Order and The Cure. We wanted to channel and study synth-pop to its fullest extent in order to gain a better understanding of how to pull it off. So one random day in 2003, Chris Church shows up at my house unannounced, with a Casio keyboard to show me two songs that he had written. Although these songs were at there most elementary form, I could not get over how infectious and lyrically brilliant they came off. Chris and his Casio officially sold me on making this concept into an actual viable project. Therefore, we got out our credit cards and purchased midi keyboards, software and a microphone.
Being that neither of us knew what we were doing with this technology, there was a learning curve for writing and arranging these songs. At that time, we would double up on the various musical parts via keyboards and drum machines as a unit. After that, Chris would arrange, write the lyrics and the melodies of the songs. This was the first time that I started to call Chris the "Architect" of Mercurial Rage, which was due to his knack for turning anything into an infectious pop song, and he would hand you sad, but hopeful lyrics that would blow your mind.
Once we built up enough tunes to play an actual show, it became clear that we needed another person to start and stop the programmed tracks on our Apple G4 Powerbook for our live set. We asked Brock Landers if he would come and help us out and play some keyboards in the process. We played our first show in July of 2005, with no guitars, limited bass, no drums and Brock on some keys. Shortly after this gig, we asked Mr. Landers to join the band full time. After a year of playing as a three piece, we decided to expand and grow our sound by adding Butch McQueen on guitars. Chris and Butch used to play in Medication together, and he was always on the short list of prospective guitar players for Mercurial Rage, due to the fact that he could play most people under the table with one strum of his axe. Butch is also a master with the technology that we use for this project, so all around, he was a welcome addition to the band.
HWTS: Walk me through your writing process -- how do you get from the first inkling of an idea to a complete song?
MD: The writing process with our current lineup is like clockwork. Using “Moonlight” as an example, Chris had a drum beat in his head that needed to be laid down electronically. Therefore, he rushed over to Butch's place and they created the timing, sound and basic arrangement for the song. A few days later, we demoed this song as a band out in Butch's home studio, writing the bass, guitar and keyboards. Chris always has the lyrics and melodies in his head, so while Butch is doing his guitar takes, Chris is writing down the lyrics on a random piece of paper that he finds on the floor. After that, he brings me to the side of the room, sings it for me once or twice, and I lay down the vocals. We cut and print our template for “Moonlight,” listen to it at home and start jamming it out at practice the following week. This is often how it happens, but all of us have written things electronically that Chris the "Architect" turns into pop magic. If there was one thing that Mercurial Rage does not have a problem with, it is writing music. In fact, we are currently in the studio recording a full-length’s worth of new tracks that we wrote!
HWTS: Minneapolis is kind of a "guitar band" town. Do you feel well-accepted by fans and the music community?
MD: I think that we could not agree more that Minneapolis is very much a "guitar band" town, which truthfully, we have never resented. Being that all of us came out of bands that were driven by guitars, we have a place in our heart for that style of music. Bands like White Light Riot, The Alarmists, So it Goes, The Strange Lights and The Mood Swings are very much the kind of music that fans of Minneapolis can instantly adore and embrace. First of all, they are massively talented at their musical craft, and secondly they write some pretty out-of-this-world songs that can stay in your head for days. Although we are sonically different than those bands, our overall respect for music as a whole is what bonds us together with the music community and fans of Minneapolis music.
Mercurial Rage will put on an arena-type rock show whether we are playing in front of five or 500 people. I often channel vocalists like Mick Jagger and Michael Hutchence by putting on an animated rock show. Our music tends to stick in people’s heads like crazy glue, and given the right mood, our fans tend to dance their faces off. We had to work hard to gain respect from other bands and people in Minneapolis, but thankfully, our work ethic and drive to succeed has really paid itself off. I also think our willingness to grow and change as a band has made us only better, and expect more and more of that as we move forward.
HWTS: Your new CD was produced by Ed Ackerson—what was it like working with him?
MD: Working with Ed was like adding another member to Mercurial Rage for a brief period in time. His input as a producer and engineer, along with his amazing studio demeanor, made for an extremely pleasurable experience during the recording process. He really nailed the sound that we were looking for, and truthfully, it is the best recording I have ever been a part of. Ed brought out the best in me as a vocalist, and I can honestly say he also brought out the best in all of us as musicians and friends. Ed is a mentor, a friend and forever a part of The Rage family, and we were blessed to have worked with him on this project. Consequently, we are back in the studio with Ed as we speak starting the sessions that will become our first full-length album. These new tracks theoretically will be released to the public sometime in 2009, and we will make certain to keep you posted on the details as they arise.
HWTS: The new disc has a different feel than your previous disc, The Funeral Sessions—more rock guitar, perhaps a little less electronic. Was this a conscious decision on your part?
MD: The Funeral Sessions was a record consisting of songs written mainly by Chris and me from the early incarnation of this project. Butch came into these songs having to write guitar parts into our already established purely synth-pop songs. Therefore, we were very reluctant to go overboard with the guitars, being that it was such an abrupt change from what we were doing before he joined the band. However, “Star Star” and “Devil Girl” have their rock guitar moments, and I think I can speak for Butch by saying he was pretty proud of those takes.
The major difference between these two records is our overall growth as a band. I would not say that it was intentional that it is less electronic, but rather, we were writing and recording as a cohesive unit, where we were able to really shine as the players of our instruments. Butch is a great guitar player, and was fully prepared to show the world how amazing of a job he could do on this record. Working with Ed and all of his vintage equipment only enhanced the sound quality and level of Butch's already skillful guitar playing. That being said, I think the record as a whole is a step up for us sonically and musically. Not only did we enter the studio with songs that we wrote together as a band, but we had a phenomenal producer to push us in all the right directions.
Having Peter Anderson (Polara, Honeydogs) play drums with us on “Situation” and “Moonlight” was really a treat. It brought out a sonic element that really comes through well on those tracks, and without a doubt tend to sound more rock than electronic. We have consistently grown and changed, so enhancing those elements that once turned us off, such as drums and guitars, are far more appealing than ever. We never want to limit ourselves from becoming a better band, which is what has always kept this project so fresh and exciting for us.
HWTS: What song on the new CD best demonstrates what Mercurial Rage is all about?
MD: When I listen to this album, I honestly think that it is the greatest combination of songs that defines who we are as a band. I think “Give it Up” defines our love for in-your-face rock/new wave reminiscent of Depeche Mode's Playing the Angel. “Moonlight” brings out our love for gospel, soul and blues, with traces of INXS and Primal Scream. “Situation” is that pop song that you wish could leave your head, but no matter what you do, you cannot shake it. “Out of Control” is classic ‘80s new wave, with a hint of Wham! on top. This was such a collective effort on our part, I really do feel like these songs speak for themselves, and as a unit defines who we are.
HWTS: Your CD release party will be Saturday, June 7 at the Fine Line. What are we going to see there?
MD: Our CD Release Party promises to be a night of great music, phenomenal dance moves and positive vibes all around. I can also promise you that we will put on a show that will knock your socks off! As an added bonus, there will also be some additional live percussion during our set from our good friend Mark, drummer of White Light Riot.
We are honored to be sharing the stage with The Mood Swings, White Light Riot and The Alarmists. All of these bands have played a major role in our overall success, and this night could not have happened without their love and support. We will be hitting the stage at 11:00 right after White Light Riot's set. Closing the night will be the Alarmists, but you HAVE to come early to see the Mood Swings play at 9:00.
HWTS: Any final comments?
MD: I hope that all of our fans and possible new fans will be as proud of this recording as we were when we created it. I also want to give a shout out to all of the people who believed in us from day one, and have continued to follow and support Mercurial Rage. Without you, none of this would be possible, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Artist Info: Mercurial Rage
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