There is a sweet, sweet reverberation that originates from the literal middle of Indiana.
They are known as Cai, Rob, Jacob, and Garrett; four dudes who make up the band of brothers called Secret Mezzanine.
As you venture to their Spotify (not to twist yer arm just yet, but checking them out is critical!) or wherever you can get your ears on their music, you’ll find a nice little trove of tunes.
Lively numbers that embody a respectable amount of musicianship.
Their lyrics are demonstrative as they wrap and weave comfortably around the soundscape that has been so carefully crafted by this glorious league of gentlefolk.
I have not had the pleasure of seeing them live as of yet, but with the way their music sonically entrances and captures headphones and decent car speakers, I can only surmise that their sound simply imbues a room in the best kind of way.
I messaged them on Instagram and asked if I could write about them, their tunes, and just ask them a few random questions. To my utter delight-ment, they said yes.
Without further ado, here is MBM’s inter-web sit down with some of the Midwest’s best resonant rockers, Secret Mezzanine:
MBM: What drew you all to work together as a band?
SM: Before the band took its shape, we all had a real interest in making music that felt organic and original even though we were all part of different projects. When we ended up at the same venues and festivals with our respective projects I think we naturally gravitated towards each other and started to realize that we shared a lot of creative ideas. It also helped that music making just became an extension of doing things we all thought were interesting, like sitting in the dark and listening to horror serials from the 30’s or trying to figure out if Drake or Eleanor Roosevelt would win in a fight.
MBM: Say it’s the day of a show and y’all don’t have any prior obligations…other than potentially practicing/soundchecking, what might you be found doing?
SM: We typically try to spend as much time together the day of the show as we can - we don’t all live in the same city so along with playing together it’s great to just hang out. We walk around, grab food, throw frisbees, Rob and Cai wrestle like animals.
MBM: If you could play a show on the moon (yes, the literal moon!) what’s your setlist and who’s playing the bill with you on this cosmic concert caper?
SM:
Set list:
Identical Moment
Occam’s Razor
In Stone
Looking Out
What Could Be
Neon Moon (Brookes and Dunn)
Bill:
Slipknot
Bruce Hornsby
Die Antwoord
Rico Nasty
Secret Mezzanine
MBM: Do any of you ever experience “the musician’s trance” whilst onstage? If so, how’s it feel? (describe as best you can, doesn’t have to be fancy!)
SM: Oh yeah, we do. Synchronized, too. All of us in the same trance at the same time.
We’ve seen God (if you believe in that kind of thing). It really puts things in perspective.
MBM: Best advice for any budding bands/groups or just-starting-out musicians?
SM: Surround yourself with people that make you feel completely comfortable, but who will also be completely honest with you. Also, if a venue doesn’t pay you enough for a show, go back the next day with a duffel bag and take all the toilet paper from their bathrooms.
MBM: What’s the pretty bow on your 2022 as a band? Anything super cool in store?
SM: We’re working on a limited run of tapes for Thought of Man (2019) and No Context (2021), and we’re hoping people will be excited about that. Otherwise, we’re just finishing up work on our next full length album, out in 2023.
Once you find your way to the bio of their Spotify, (which, you haven’t visited already? C’monnnn…pump up the jams!) you’ll find that they describe themselves as:
“Rowdy boys from Indiana playing the music that feels right…”
...and honestly, who better to peg their character other than the horses themselves? Their music accomplishes everything that sentence bestows upon them.
It is music that just makes you feel good.
Ready all of your music listening mediums because once you dive into the honey-ladened vibrance that is known as Secret Mezzanine, you may just find that they become your earhole's new favorite swim spot.
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