Glenn Mercer and The Feelies

Come on ... feel the noise

By Jonathan Donaldson

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Of all the great lesser-known groups to come out of the '80s, The Feelies were easily the most collective and least ego-riffic—nearly a brotherhood. Charmingly unassuming, and therefore somewhat anonymous, co-founding guitarists/vocalists Glenn Mercer and Bill Million took more inspiration than influence from groups like the Ramones and Television and came up with their own unique strand of rock & roll: a sparkling kinetic vibe with supreme dynamics, boyish vocals and something called plain prettiness. A sound perhaps best described by the title of their classic 1980 debut, Crazy Rhythms.

"Keeping it real simple and repetitive to the point where as you're hearing it,it's like an art approach ... where you're hearing it in a new way. If you don't present a lot of variables, you detect subtle variations," says Mercer."

A polite and dignified fellow with Lou Reed-style sunglasses, Mercer is pleased but cautious to claim any secrets about his ace 2007 debut solo disc, Wheels In Motion (Pravda). "It doesn't have a central theme; I never write with that in mind. But I guess if I had to pick one recurring topic, it would be dealing with time."

This seems to jive with the general flow of the songs, which range from icy meditations to desert blooms from the '80s underground. And because this is his most autocratic album, Mercer has had to ally himself with more of a singer-songwriter's attitude than ever before. "I wanted to keep the basic focus of the songs being just the vocal and the guitar," he says. The result is something slightly folky with acoustics, shimmery organs and shadowy vocals, most reminiscent of The Feelies' 1985 standout, The Good Earth.

Mercer spent much of the '80s on-and-off again with The Feelies (and later in the '90s with Wake Ooloo), often holding court at Maxwell's in Hoboken, a prized local venue. His repertoire usually includes cover songs and Wheels In Motion is no different. In this case, The Beatles' "Within You/Without You" gets systematically stripped to a pulsing beat and slithery melody with a good measure of detached cool. Mercer doesn't seem to suffer from iconoclasm and embraces the recycled nature of music with a more healthy traditionalist view. "You could draw a certain comparison to folk songs, maybe Mexican folk songs which you could trace to the '50s," he says of the roots of his sound. "Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens had that same kind of strum Pete Townsend picked up on. I'd be turned on by The Who and go back from there."

There's something else to rejoice about. The Feelies' reunion shows are scheduled for July 1st and 2nd at Maxwell's in Hoboken. They will also appear with Sonic Youth at Battery Park on July 4th. And the possibility of a new album? "We've been talking about it, yeah," says Mercer. As fresh and invigorated as he is sounding these days, this would be a very good thing indeed.

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