Hey Mercedes

Artist: Hey Mercedes

Group Members:

Mark Dawursk, Todd Bell, Bob Nanna, Damon Atkinson

Similar Artists:

Saves the Day, Burns Out Bright, Filmmaker, The Forecast, Jets to Brazil, Piebald, The Get Up Kids, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Jawbox

Followers:

Company Car, The Early November

Formal Connection With:

Braid, The City on Film, Bob Nanna, Alligator Gun

Formed: 2000 04, Chicago, IL
Genres: Rock
Representative Albums: "Loses Control," "Everynight Fire Works"

Biography

Born of the ashes of the now legendary Chicago emo outfit Braid, Hey Mercedes had a tough reputation, not to mention their work cut out for them from the start. It all began in mid-'99, when Braid decided to call it quits and original guitarist Chris Broach left the group. They closed out their career with a series of well-received and well-documented local shows before Broach went on to work with his other act, the Firebird Band, and the remaining members -- guitarist vocalist Bob Nanna, drummer Damon Atkinson, and bassist Todd Bell -- attempted to return to their normal lives. Normal lives being as often boring as they are, it was mere months before the three decided to regroup, and Hey Mercedes was born. Drafting former Alligator Gun guitarist and Milwaukee native Mark Dawursk, Hey Mercedes officially came into being in April of 2000, and almost immediately headed into the studio to record a four-song EP for the Danville, IL-based Polyvinyl Records. The self-titled disc was a mix of the churning syncopations of Braid and a newfound melodic structure, highlighted by Nanna's fantastically solid vocal presence and a more laid-back but still commanding musical approach from the rest of the band. Eschewing the more aggressive nature of their old music, Hey Mercedes was a more accessible and melodic entity, and it didn't take long for their songs to win the hearts of a new generation of young music fans caught up in the burgeoning emo trend. Many still existing old connections led to high-profile touring slots with acts like Jets to Brazil, Saves the Day, and Alkaline Trio, and soon the band was signed to Vagrant Records, a trend-setting and powerhouse label in the genre. Early 2001 saw the group head back in the studio with producer J. Robbins to record their debut full-length, a powerful 11-song effort, entitled Everynight Fire Works, which after countless delays was finally released by Vagrant in October of 2001. The record is a continuation of the band's commendable post-emo songwriting, and may be the final nail in the coffin of Braid, as it appeared Hey Mercedes is now an act well worth mentioning in their own right. This was confirmed by the relase of the Weekend EP the following summer, as well as the semi-regular updates found on the band's website. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo, All Music Guide

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Wikipedia: Hey Mercedes

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Hey Mercedes
Origin	Wisconsin United States
Genres	Emo^[1]
Years active	1999 – 2005
Associated acts	Braid The City on Film Friction Saves the Day
Website	heymercedes.com
Former members
Bob Nanna Todd Bell Mark Dawursk Damon Atkinson Mike Shumaker

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

Hey Mercedes was a rock band from Wisconsin, USA, that formed in 1999/2000 after the dissolution of Braid. The band consisted of Bob Nanna on guitar and vocals, Todd Bell on bass and vocals, Mark Dawursk on guitar and vocals and Damon Atkinson on drums.

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.[1]

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.

Hey Mercedes proved a more melodic antidote to Bob Nanna's previous band, Braid. With such hits as Stay Six, Our Weekend Starts on Wednesday, Let's Go Blue and Eleven to Your Seven, the band quickly gained popularity in an audience that had never been exposed to the scene.

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 23 of 2005. [2]

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 [3] The band remains inactive, but plays occasional shows.[4]

In early 2009 lead singer Nanna confirmed via Twitter that a new band with drummer Atkinson is in the works. The band will be somewhat the same style as Hey Mercedes. [5]^{[dead link]}

1 Discography
- 1.1 Albums
- 1.2 EPs and singles
2 Trivia
3 References
4 External links

Discography

Albums

Everynight Fire Works (2001)
Loses Control (2003)

EPs and singles

Hey Mercedes (2000)
The Weekend (2002)
Split 7" with Favez (2003)^[2]
Unorchestrated (2005)

Trivia

Mark Dawursk is the husband of Flowerbooking agent Susanne Dawursk.
Unorchestrated was issued for the first time on vinyl format by Hobbledehoy Record Co, who also released an Australian edition of The city on film In Formal Introduction.
The monologue at the beginning of "Unorchestrated (live)" is spoken by Billy Crudup in the film Waking the Dead.

References

External links

Official Site

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