The members of Mercury City are talented. They are great writers, singers, and musicians. Mercury City’s music can put you in the mindset of a kid eating ice cream on a sunny day. It really is that uplifting. Their song “Between Us” was played on MTV’s “Real World Cancun” to set the mood for the burgeoning love between two cast mates. Lady luck is definitely on this band’s side.
Other than having the seal of approval from the music channel, Mercury City is also well on its way to the winning the heart of its native Canada. After taking the time to pick their brains, I can see why. Beyond their musical prowess, the members of Mercury City seem to be genuinely nice guys. They gave One2One a refreshingly inspirational look into their past, present and future. Read on to learn more about the Canadian quartet.
O2O:What’s the origin of the name Mercury City? Have you changed the band’s name before?
M.C.:Yeah, for a couple of years, we were called PÜR. There is another popular band in Germany called PÜR, so we decided to change our band’s name due to legal issues.
Just before going back to Quebec, we were in a restaurant in Toronto talking about the new album, the new name and then we proposed Mercury City. As soon as we heard it, we knew that was the right one.
Music has a power over people. For us, Mercury City represents a place that only exists in everyone’s dreams. A place where everything is possible, a place where you can realize your dreams, a place of faith, hope, serenity and sincerity.
For a lot of people, music is entertainment. There is a lot of music in 2009 that talks about the superficial aspect of the human experience…having fun today without thinking of tomorrow. We need music like this but I think we also need to talk about the real things. For us, this is our first goal. In each song, we talk about real things that happen to each of us. It’s all about emotions. Mercury City wants to share their life experiences with the world. Mercury City’s first album is about having sympathy for others. We talk about death and how to get through it. We also write about people living with mental disorders, even touching on the issue of suicide. We’re not encouraging it though. Obviously, we talk about that subject ‘cause we need to. People have to know they are not alone. We need to communicate; we need to stand together. It’s all about those things.
O2O:How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?
M.C.:We have been friends for about 14 years. We met at school and have always been passionate about music. That’s what we’ve been living for.
O2O:What’s your definition of success as a band? In your opinions, have you reached that point?
M.C.:For us, success has many definitions. Each time we go through another challenge or a new step, or reach a goal, that is success. Obviously, there are many dreams to accomplish and it’s only the beginning of the journey. We haven’t realized our biggest dream yet -which is to do music for living, travelling around the world, touring with bands that we love, playing before thousands of people.
O2O:Who writes your songs? From where do you draw your inspiration?
M.C.:The songs often come to me. They are playing in my head for months before I decide if what I heard in my head is going to become a good song. Then I start writing lyrics, working on the structure, and try to find some new colours, etc. At that point, I call it a draft.
When I think a song has a potential, I’ll record it in my home studio and share it with the rest of the band. The rest of the band works on it and when they think they have something, we start to practice it in rehearsals. Sometimes, the song is completely different after a few months. When we all agree about the direction its taking, we start to re-work the bass, drums, guitars and vocals parts. This is a long process but it is necessary.
So I can say I’m bringing the draft and after, Mercury City is bringing a song.
O2O:What’s your biggest challenge as a band? What has been your approach in facing that challenge?
M.C.:Our biggest challenge is to get heard and seen by the world. Our biggest challenge is to convince the industry that Mercury City has something to bring to people. For now, we are living in the moment and taking things one step at a time.
O2O:Congratulations on your song “Between Us” being featured on MTV’s Real World Cancun. How did that come about? Do you feel like the moment in the episode fit the message in the song?
M.C.:Thank You. We put in the request over a year ago. We didn’t hear about it for many months and then it happened. We found out the day before. That was a real surprise. We were so happy. “Between Us” is a simple love song that speaks through the heart, so yeah, it fits totally in that episode. That was a great feeling to see it on television. Also, it brought us a lot of new fans around the world and stimulated album sales.
O2O:What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
M.C.:Believe in yourself. Write songs every day. Listen to people around you and take notes on their feedback. Only listeners decide what is a good song or not. When you think you’ve got a hit song, record it and then do your best to let everyone know about it.
O2O:Where have you performed? What has been your favorite venue so far?
In the last year, we played in many different places. We want to have the best concert we can offer to people. Our best venue was last May. We played in a big arena in Quebec in front of thousands of people. That was absolutely a magical feeling.
O2O: What’s next for Mercury City?
What’s next is simple. We want “I’ll be There” playing in most of radio stations in Canada. We will also have our album available in music stores and then do our first major tour in Quebec next summer.
Recently, Mercury City has just signed with a Montreal-based label Big Fat Truck, and also inking a publishing deal with Pacifica Music in Los Angeles. Pacifica Music is affiliated with Pig Factory USA.
What does Bruno and the others of Mercury city have to say about this?
“We are really excited about this new association. We all have the same vision, the same passion, the same ambitions and we are ready to face new challenges. The team is growing up and we’re looking forward to what’s next.”
So are we. One2one pro media wants to let everyone know to keep an eye and ear out for this band…they are rising fast!
Mercury City's Album will also be available in France on Monday October 18th.
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