There’s Greenwich Mean Time, Eastern Standard Time, Pacific Standard Time…
…And then there’s Feelies Time, a recording and touring pace stubbornly set by the New Jersey rockers. The band released its classic 1980 debut, “Crazy Rhythms,” and then came to an immediate halt when the members wanted to extricate themselves from their record label.
Running down a musical line that goes from the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed, the Feelies’ propulsive sound gave the impression of constant forward motion fed the starved interests of critics and created long-term fans. Both were forced to wait six years for the group’s next effort. After writing, recording, performing and collaborating with others, a new (and permanent) lineup got together – guitarists/vocalist Glenn Mercer and Bill Filion along with Brenda Sauter (bass, vocals), Stanley Demeski (drums), and Dave Weckerman (percussion) — and released The Good Earth. That was followed by Only Life (1988) and Time For A Witness (1991).
Another hiatus then took place as Million bolted for Florida for a more stable non-music life. Once again, the members took part in other projects – Mercer and Weckerman started Wake Ooloo, Demeski became a founding member of Luna and Sauter played in numerous outfits including her own Wild Carnations. Mercer also put out a solo album in 2007.
With the welcomed reunions of Mission of Burma, Gang of Four, Wire and others, 2008 became the year that the members got back together. Long time admirers, Sonic Youth, requested the band to open a show at Battery Park. Several reunion gigs preceded that date while several others followed. The following year saw re-issues of their first two albums and a special performance consisting of the entirety of Crazy Rhythms at All Tomorrow’s Parties. The show also provided the opportunity to perform new material.
Now, two decades after their last studio effort, the Feelies release the all-new Here Before, an album that sounds as a worthy addition to their ever so slowly growing catalog. The songs are self-aware of the band’s status, the winking lyrics on “Nobody Knows” acknowledge the passing of time but, overall, the group perpetuates their signature sound while showing no signs of rust.
Located a mere 23 miles from Manhattan, and allowing the freedom to leave home and travel for work only when needed, I discuss the renewed Feelies with Glenn Mercer from his North Haledon, New Jersey home.
JPG: Can’t help myself because it’s just so obvious. I want to bring up the opening lyrics of the new album’s first song, “Nobody Knows.” “Is it too late/To do it again?/Or should we wait/Another ten?” Considering the situation it’s a perfect line. Tell me about that particular song and setting things up in that way.
GM: Well, with the first song I wrote for the record. The way I write is I get the chord patterns down and they suggest a melody and I’ll improvise words and take it from there and refine it. So, that just kind of popped in my head. I didn’t really set out to write a song that dealt with the reunion or anything like that. If you’re going to take that line for reference then the line that follows is really part of the whole picture — You never know how it’s gonna go (slight laugh). You kind of approach these things with optimism but you want to be realistic about it, too. Don’t want to take it for granted. It’s a good opportunity, and just make the most of it, really. You never know?
JPG: Yeah. I did write down those next lines – “Nobody knows/everyone cares/ everyone’s asking/for answers to prayers/well, you never know/how it’s gonna go/no one ever knows/how it’s gonna go. In a way the answers to prayers are as much for fans as for the band members themselves.
GM: Yeah, I guess. I try not to be too specific.
JPG: Is it something where when you wrote it you recognized how it dealt with things on so many levels or has it gained significance because of people like me focusing on it and bringing it up?
GM: No, no. I think we kind of recognized that. That’s why we put it there first. Not only was it the first song we wrote, which kind of made sense. So, there’s a little bit of humor in that. You don’t want to come off – although we’re serious about what we do – we don’t want to be too serious about it.
JPG: I’m looking over your catalog of releases and over that time I always thought it was pretty cool that the Feelies stuck to its own pace of when to put out a record. But there was a line in the recent “Village Voice” article that described you as the “ultimate hobbyist band”, and I don’t know if you find that humorous, a good description or offensive?
GM: You can’t take something like that too seriously. It does kind of suggest that we don’t take what we do very seriously, which isn’t the case. We approach it the same way anybody would dealing with something creative and artistic. You have an idea in your mind, and you work hard to realize that and bringing it about. I think it’s more of a case of just working on a timeline that’s comfortable for us. It may look unusual to other people but for us it’s a natural way.
JPG: It’s quite fortunate that you’ve been able to keep your name out there without getting pushed around by outside sources to release albums quicker or tour more frequently.
GM: Well, we kind of started to toward the end. Our label that we put The Good Earth out on, Coyote Records, had a deal with A&M. The first album we did for them, Only Life, went real well. We had a really good relationship with the company. They weren’t really major but kind of independent. They got bought out. A lot of people left the company, a lot of people quit or were fired. And people we had a relationship with were gone. So, it became more about dollars and charts and comparing to other bands and a lot of pressure was put on us to go to the next level. We were happy where we were. And that’s where a lot of the problems set in and frustration and tension, really.
JPG: Do you think that was why Bill took off for Florida and took that job?
GM: Well, that was one element of it, one component. The economics of it, too. We found that to go to the next level, you need more people in the crew. Towards the end we had as many people working on the crew as in the band. It was really hard for us. We were starting our families around that time. That was another element, too.
JPG: Just checking up on this. I’m pretty sure that I saw you open up for Lou Reed. Would that have been from the Only Life tour?
GM: We had actually pretty much finished touring for that record but it was between Only Life and Time for a Witness. So, I guess it was in support of the Only Life record. That was cross country so it was a pretty long tour.
JPG: I see how you’re taking things slowly with scheduling dates now, was that type of cross country touring appealing for you at that point in your lives or was it something you grudgingly did because the record company or management want you on the road?
GM: Yeah…I think it was a little bit of that. But what made us feel that way is because we, basically, had covered the country on our own on tour for Only Life. So, it was kind of going back. Although, we knew we’d be seen by different people. We saw the value of it. So, we didn’t do it too grudgingly. It was a little bit of, it kind of felt a little bit like a grind, I guess. When you’re the opening band, you’re low on the totem pole, and a lot of people would come in after we were done playing.
JPG: Unless you are known commodity, the people showing up aren’t really there to see you while there’s a small percentage who are willing to give you a chance.
GM: Well, Lou’s audiences are notorious (slight laugh) for their mistreatment of opening bands. Having said that, we actually did pretty well. We were never booed.
JPG: I was going to say, Lou’s audience is likely to give him hell. I guess, it goes with the territory on both sides of the stage. I see a few dates listed on your website, are you doing any summer festivals? Have you been approached for that?
GM: We’ve had a lot of offers to play in Europe, but we’re really not that interested in traveling that far on a plane. We’re going to be doing an outdoor show in Brooklyn, Celebrate Brooklyn.
JPG: This kind of goes with having a serious mindset, I’ve always felt that an artist has to have some degree of arrogance in their makeup, kind of a ‘This should be heard’ or ‘This is great and I want it to be heard.’ Is that part of the Feelies mentality as well or is it less so because you aren’t putting out an album a year and touring nonstop and not promoting yourselves constantly on American Idol and Conan and all that?
GM: Well…I guess, you know, it’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. I think, first and foremost, we do it for ourselves as a means of expression, But obviously it’s much more satisfying to reach people through the music. I think, irregardless, I did some albums with Wake Ooloo after the Feelies. I didn’t have a huge audience, obviously. I still did it and found enjoyment in it.
JPG: As an artist, you still had something to say. You still had something dancing in your head that you still wanted to get out…
GM: Yeah. Exactly. I can’t really see that stopping.
JPG: In regards to the reunion, it was the Fourth of July when you opened up for Sonic Youth…
GM: We did a few warm up shows prior to that. That was the big event, publicized one.
JPG: Now, at that point, were you considering a reunion or talking about it or did the Sonic Youth gig push you to finally go through with it?
GM: We actually started talking…Bill and I hadn’t spoken, it was probably almost 10 years. And then we had a business matter come up. Had a request for some licensing. Had to get in touch with him for that. Had a real nice conversation. I also found out that his son was going to school in Princeton. So, he’d make occasional trips up to Jersey. Basically, very low key, informally, ‘If you ever want to stop by to jam…I’m sure everybody would love to get together again.’ And then we’d have more and more requests for use of the songs. Requests for reissuing the back catalog. Requests to play shows. So, it was something we talked about since early 2002, I think.
But it was, really, Bill had some personal things he was dealing with at the time. His son was very ill. It seemed like something we knew we would do when the time was right. We were patient about it. I was able to do a solo record at that time. Played with all the other ex-Feelies including Anton [Fier] from the Crazy Rhythms record. It was really just a matter of timing. When Sonic Youth came, we wanted to make sure we had a 100 per cent focus on it. We knew we didn’t want it to be just about nostalgia. In order to avoid that you really have to write songs. To write songs, you’re thinking about recording. Making an album was really something talked about right from the start. Kind of a goal all along.
JPG: Does the technology of email and internet make it easier since Bill is down in Florida and everyone’s spread out around the country? Use that in advance of actually getting together.
GM: We don’t use Skype or anything. Some bands use technology to actually rehearse. We don’t do that. Bill drives up for that.
JPG: As far as song ideas…?
GM: We don’t send any mp3s either. Usually, just make a CD and mail it. It’s old school, yeah. The internet is a good tool for promotion and to keep touch with the fanbase.
JPG: Did it, I guess you could say, boost your confidence as far as the interest of a reunion when you saw bands like Gang of Four, Mission of Burma etc. etc. reuniting and then getting a good reaction?
GM: Probably a little bit. The general feeling of enough time has passed from the late ‘80s for people to look back fondly on it. The time is right, really.
JPG: Is it that type of thing, as far as reunions go, where band members working together are at such a combustible atmosphere that it’s rare to actually stick together? So, in the end time heals all wounds.
GM: Well, we were lucky. We didn’t have a lot of wounds to heal. When we ended, I think we all kind of felt like it was time. And yeah, we didn’t really have to make amends. We were all still friends.
JPG: When you did the entire “Crazy Rhythms” album as part of All Tomorrow’s Parties were you a bit reticent to do that due to the idea of not wanting to be nostalgic?
GM: Well, it’s a different rhythm section that we’ve been playing with, the band that was on “The Good Earth,” “only life” and “time for a witness.” So, whenever we play those songs it’s always a little bit different. We still play a lot of ‘em when we play live.
JPG: Now, you made a solo album between those initial talks of getting back together to actually reuniting and playing live, when writing songs do you distinguish between a Feelies song and something that’s not right for the band? What makes it a Feelies song?
GM: Well, really, the people playing it. As I was writing the songs, I would send Bill demos. So, all along I had in my mind that it would be a Feelies record. When it was possible for Bill to get involved I just went ahead and had Brenda, Stan and Dave…. So, to me, I didn’t make a real distinction.
JPG: I think of someone like Pete Townshend who, at one point, was splitting his songwriting between solo material and Who material, and how to him there was a different approach to writing a band song versus one just for him to record. But, as you said, the players are what make it a band song.
GM: Yeah, pretty much. Also, I do collaborate with Bill on some of the Feelies stuff.
JPG: I read where you mentioned how important the track listing is for “here before,” and you moved things around so that the songs flowed nicely from beginning to end. I found that interesting because it starts off more pastoral until you get to track four and it kicks in to a more patented Feelies type of rhythm.
GM: Yeah, we hoped that people would buy it in its full form rather than, they call it ‘cherry picking’ nowadays, downloading specific tracks. We put a lot of effort into the sequencing of it. I look at it as a whole musical statement whereas one song can make a strong statement.
JPG: “here before” holds up well next to the last Feelies album. Is it a matter of the songwriting and the people involved because it doesn’t contain any modern sounding elements? Was that a conscious decision or things just flowed in a certain way and this is the result?
GM: Yeah, basically the way we write, and the way we play. We could sound different if we really wanted to. And not being really feeling very connected to what’s going on anyway, we’ve kinda always been in our own little world.
JPG: I asked this of Gary Louris of the Jayhawks. Like the Jayhawks, the Feelies are a band that has received much acclaim and achieved cult status, but would you rather trade that in for commercial success? Or do you think that things happen just the way…
GM: They’re supposed to?
JPG: Yeah, as they’re supposed to.
GM: Of all the bands that we liked when the Feelies were starting out, the bands that we kind of modeled ourselves by — the Stooges, MC5, Velvet Underground — none of those bands sold a ton of records. They all had a pretty big influence. So, we’re comfortable with that. We preferred that it wasn’t about how many people we could reach. It was how deeply we could reach people.
JPG: Was there ever a concern about confronting your history via the live dates or the new album, as far as, ‘I hope the people still like us when we play live.’ or ‘Oh, I hope this new music appeal to them just like the old music’ or did you not even consider that?
GM: Well, you want it to be successful, to what degree I don’t know. It probably changes from day-to-day anyway.
JPG: Besides the summer concert dates listed on your website, how much further do you think this will all go? Beyond 2011?
GM: We’re just take things as they come up. It’s a little bit more comfortable, reactive versus proactive, I guess. Take what comes our way. Either accept it or not. We don’t really have major touring plans or anything. We really haven’t talked about beyond this record.
JPG: Hopefully, it won’t take another 20 years. Then again, I don’t want to give you the impression that I’m rushing you, so, you can come up with it when you can. How’s that?
GM: We always do it at our own speed.
