Hey Mercedes' first release was a Self Titled EP on Polyvinyl Records. Soon after its release, they signed to Vagrant Records and started touring for support of their upcoming Vagrant full length. In 2001 alone, they performed 114 shows. After the release of the band's first full length at the end of 2001, Dawursk left the band and was replaced with Mike Shumaker. With 2 full lengths, 3 EP's and 358 shows under their belt, Hey Mercedes called it quits. Their final show (#359) was at the Metro in Chicago on April 23rd of 2005.
In a 2007 e-mail campaign, Threadless Tees reported that Hey Mercedes would play at the Metro, to celebrate the grand opening of the company's Chicago store.
Spread Eagle, Wisconsin is a place best known for water, wilderness and paintings of the local ducks. Now it can take credit for LOSES CONTROL, the long-awaited second album from Hey Mercedes. As powerful as it is melodic, the follow-up to 2001's "Everynight Fire Works" finds the midwestern foursome's sharp, wounded songs crackling in a guitar-driven bonfire set by producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Dinosaur Jr., Mighty Mighty Bosstones).
From the instantly catchy anthem "Quality Revenge At Last" to the more insinuating closer "Go Drone," LOSES CONTROL is remarkably tight and accomplished for a sophomore effort -- though not without good reason. Prior to forming Hey Mercedes guitarist/vocalist Robert Nanna, bassist Todd Bell and drummer Damon Atkinson played together in Braid, a band often referred to as "emo pioneers," though you probably won't find the trio pleading guilty to either description. Nanna and Bell have been musical compadres since 1993, coming together at the University of Illinois as fans of Chicago punk bands like Naked Raygun and Screeching Weasel, while Atkinson joined them in 1997. Braid broke up two years later with five studio albums and several hundred shows behind them, "but it was just so obvious that we needed to keep playing," Nanna says.
The trick was to go down a different path, not just in terms of music, but logistics -- having done everything themselves for years and years, they wanted to stay connected to that grass roots ethic while cutting down on both genuine despair and "Spinal Tap"-like moments. "It's hard to focus on writing honest music when you're 3000 dollars in debt or have three more shows to book, or the show just got cancelled 'cause the cops came," Nanna says.
This time, there'd be a record label and a more patient approach. Joined by guitarist Mark Dawursk, Hey Mercedes played their first show in August of 2000, put out an EP on Polyvinyl and spent the next year touring and developing their sound. Vagrant released "Everynight Fire Works," produced and engineered by old friend J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines), in April 2001. It earned rave reviews, including Audio Galaxy's Album of the Year and a Top 5 position on the CMJ chart. Along the way, the band racked up their usual 200-plus shows per annum, including the sold-out Vagrant America tour and bills with Jimmy Eat World, New End Original and Saves the Day. They also found the time to share themselves with fans on a regular basis via "Are You Wearing A Wire?" a collectively written "blog" that can be found on the band's web site.
2002 saw the release of "The Weekend EP," as well as a personnel change - Clevelander Michael Shumaker stepped in for Dawursk, adding an enthusiasm for AC/DC and an eagerness to merely play guitar after fronting his own band Sheilbound.
LOSES CONTROL was recorded at Slade and Kolderie's studio in Cambridge, MA. The band went into the session’s half-afraid the unfamiliar knob-twirlers would impose a different style, but the veteran duo made sure Hey Mercedes' particular quirks and uniqueness were always at the fore. They broke down every part of every song in pre-production, built an amazing set of drums for Damon and gave Robert and Michael access to some three dozen guitars. "Because they knew our songs so well they knew which guitars would sound good on different parts of every song," Nanna says. "The guitars are awesome, really layered -- they just sound big and fat.
"I think overall LOSES CONTROL is just more of a rockin' record than Fire Works," he adds. "It's really loud and in your face. Though lyrically, it's pretty bleak and desolate."
Nanna's vocals bridge the gap between those poles, whether he's locked into "Boy Destroyers"' riff-o-rama or bringing a melancholy overtone to the textured spaciness of "Absolute Zero Drive" (a song the band had earmarked as B-side until Slade and Kolderie convinced them otherwise). Another highlight is "Lashing Out," angry/catchy pop-punk that unexpectedly mutates into a sweet lyrical homage to Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" - a couplet Bob sang while the song was being written, then couldn't bring himself to drop.
And what of Spread Eagle? The band - three-quarters of whom currently reside in Atkinson's hometown of Milwaukee, with Nanna two hours away in suburban Chicago -- wrote much of LOSES CONTROL at a friend's home there, just a few miles from Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
"It was probably a drunk moment," Nanna says. "We were like, 'y'know, what we should do is find someone with a cabin or a trailer someplace far away in the woods, where we can be as loud as we want for as long as we want, in total seclusion." So they dragged all their gear and a little bit of soundproofing up to Spread Eagle for two weeks of playing, writing, cooking and canoeing. "And we didn't go crazy," he marvels. "It wasn't like 'The Shining.'"
Except maybe for this: Whether you're talking King or Kubrick, "The Shining" stands the test of time. LOSES CONTROL is a dynamite rock'n'roll record that's bound to do the same.
Eleven To Your Seven
Hey Mercedes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sets the mood within the room
All bets are up and
We keep looking down
To try and find
The will to turn this around.
I spent the last three months
Woeing all I could forsee
I slept myself free and
Cursed at all awake
The medicine I'd take.
I broke down
On the train to southtown
Midway inbound
Eleven to your seven
I held out
Carrying this crutch around
Angry words came rushing out
Eleven to your seven.
Now I could pound on the keys so hard and
Make the mallets slap the strings and
Pump the pedals till I'm breathless and
Sing off key and
Wouldn't that be just like me?
Now people in the back yell hey
When they see me today
I got a smile so wide it stems offstage
They say go go you gone soul and
For all I know
They now know
Oh no.
You broke down
As I tore the pages out
During all the painful parts
Eleven to your seven
You held out
Carrying your diary around
Angry ink came rushing out
Eleven to your seven.
So we finished the night and
We laud the long ride
Because it leads to my own bed
So at least tonight
My head will be alright.
We broke down
Miles out of Morgantown
A midnight rainstorm crashing down
Not one breathing soul around
Eleven to your seven.
The song "Eleven To Your Seven" by Hey Mercedes is an emotional track that talks about the troubles faced during a breakup. The lyrics suggest that the couple is trying hard to work things out, but it seems like they are not getting anywhere. The sunset described in the opening lines of the song sets a forlorn mood as the couple tries to find a way to turn their relationship around. The singer reveals that they spent the last three months in mental traction, feeling hopeless while trying to figure out what they could do to save the relationship. The medicine they took did not help.
In the chorus, the singer talks about breaking down while on the way to meet their partner. They were carrying a crutch that they relied on heavily, but they end up erupting into a fit of anger (angry words came rushing out) in front of their partner (eleven to your seven) instead of finding a way to reconcile. The partner, too, is carrying their emotional baggage around in a diary where angry ink rushes out (eleven to your seven). The song ends on a bittersweet note with the idea that going home might not solve all the problems, but at least, for now, their head will be alright.
Line by Line Meaning
A complicated sunset
The setting of the sun creates a complex and confusing mood in the room
Sets the mood within the room
Creates an atmosphere that affects everyone in the room
All bets are up and
Everything seems uncertain and unpredictable
We keep looking down
We feel discouraged and lack the confidence to face the situation
To try and find
We seek a solution or a way out of the current situation
The will to turn this around.
The motivation and determination to change things for the better
I spent the last three months
I endured a difficult time for the past three months
In mental traction
I was emotionally stuck and unable to move on
Woeing all I could forsee
I worried and imagined the worst-case scenarios
I slept myself free and
I found relief and peace in sleep
Cursed at all awake
I resented being awake and having to face reality
The medicine I'd take.
The coping mechanism or distraction that I relied on
I broke down
I couldn't handle the pressure anymore and lost control
On the train to southtown
During a journey that was supposed to take me to a better place
Midway inbound
Halfway on the journey towards my destination
Eleven to your seven
The odds were not in my favor
I held out
I persisted and didn't give up
Carrying this crutch around
Dependent on something to get through life
Angry words came rushing out
I expressed my frustration and anger towards someone else
Now I could pound on the keys so hard and
I have the ability to express my emotions through music
Make the mallets slap the strings and
Play the piano intensely and passionately
Pump the pedals till I'm breathless and
Put all my energy and effort into my performance
Sing off key and
Imperfectly express how I feel
Wouldn't that be just like me?
This is how I cope with challenging situations
Now people in the back yell hey
People express their enthusiasm and support for me
When they see me today
In my current state
I got a smile so wide it stems offstage
I'm genuinely happy and can't help but show it
They say go go you gone soul and
People are encouraging and supportive of me following my dreams
For all I know
In my limited understanding
They now know
They understand something about me that I may not even realize
Oh no.
A realization that something may not be as it seems
You broke down
You couldn't handle the situation anymore and lost control
As I tore the pages out
While removing parts of your diary or inner thoughts
During all the painful parts
The times when you experienced the most pain and difficulty
Eleven to your seven
The odds were not in your favor
You held out
You persisted and didn't give up
Carrying your diary around
Dependent on your diary as an outlet for your emotions
Angry ink came rushing out
You expressed your frustration and anger through writing
So we finished the night and
The night came to an end
We laud the long ride
We praise the journey even if it was difficult or challenging
Because it leads to my own bed
It brings us back to our own comfort zone
So at least tonight
At least for tonight
My head will be alright.
I will be able to find peace of mind and rest tonight
We broke down
We encountered a major problem or challenge
Miles out of Morgantown
Far from home or a familiar place
A midnight rainstorm crashing down
A storm that creates chaos or danger
Not one breathing soul around
Complete isolation and feeling alone
Eleven to your seven.
The odds were not in our favor
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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