We’ve still got a month left before we say “goodbye” to 2015 but our friends in Mercy Music are already thinking ahead. The Vegas punk band has announced plans for a tour supporting Israeli singer/songwriter Yotam Ben Horin (also of Useless ID) that will kick off at Kirk’s House in Bakersfield on Jan. 17 and wrap up a few weeks later at the Creek Monkey Taphouse in Martinez, CA on Jan. 31, with a hometown Vegas show snuggled right there in the middle on Jan. 22 at 11th Street Records.
Despite coming from geographically different backgrounds, the musicians found common ground on the art of songwriting after gigging together last year:
Yotam Ben Horin:
“I met Mercy Music when we had a show together in Vegas a year ago. Seconds before they went on stage I asked Brendan what they sounded like and he said ‘Elvis Costello and Thin Lizzy.’ I didn’t know if it was a joke but it definitely drew me to them right away. Once they hit the stage and ripped into ‘Repeat’ they totally blew me away by how great and honest they sounded and made me feel like I took a time machine to CBGBs of the late 70’s.”
“We kept in touch and did some more shows together and eventually became good friends. I told them I’d be back to tour the release of my 2nd solo album California Sounds (Hardline Entertainment) around January and that I would love to have them tour with me. There is no other band I would love to tour the west coast (and in general) other than Mercy Music. It’s just a matter of time till the rest of the world catches on to these slick dudes.”
Brendan Scholz of Mercy Music:
“I first heard Yotam when I heard Useless ID on the Let it Burn split they did with the Ataris. I thought they were awesome from the second the first song started. Definitely stand out for the skatepunk genre. They were faster and had more clever changes than most. Also fantastic melody. ‘Too bad you don’t get it ‘ is only 30 seconds long and it gets stuck in your head immediately. I remember seeing them open for the Vandals shortly after and they brought the fury live as well. “
“Last March, Brock [Frabbiele, singer/songwriter] invited me to play a solo set with Yotam at The Dive. As a Useless ID fan, I was intrigued to say the least. His performance was super powerful. Like not giving a fuck in the best kind of way, giving it everything. Got the entire bar involved and I’m positive everyone there left a fan, and that’s not an easy thing to do with an acoustic guitar in a bar. His songs were super catchy with subject matter that I can relate to. Real life type stuff. I came up to him after and told him I was a fan. He later told me he thought I was a psycho ‘British’ bar goer.”
“We played shortly after and long story short we just kind of hit it off. We’ve been planning on doing a tour since that night so I’m really stoked this has come together.”
And if January feels too far away, don’t fret. Vegas Mercy Music fans still have a few times to catch the band in their hometown before the year is up, including a gig with fellow PRB alumni Avenues on Dec. 19 at the Beauty Bar.
Details for all the upcoming Mercy Music shows are as follows:
w/Avenues and War Called Home
Dec 19 at Beauty Bar in Las Vegas, NV
w/Tijuana Panthers
Dec 28 at The Bunkhouse in Las Vegas, NV
w/Yotam Ben Horin
Jan 17 at Kirk’s House in Bakersfield, CA
Jan 18 at Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara, CA
Jan 19 at Redwood Bar in Los Angeles, CA
Jan 20 at Merrow in San Diego, CA
Jan 21 at The Standing Room in Hermosa, CA
Jan 22 at 11th Street Records in Las Vegas, NV
Jan 23 at Pignic in Reno, NN
Jan 25 at Liquid in Boise, ID
Jan 26 at Darrell’s Tavern in Seattle, WA
Jan 27 at Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, OR
Jan 28 at TBA in Oakland, CA
Jan 30 at Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco, CA
Jan 31 at Creek Monkey Taphouse in Martinez, CA
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