Belladonna Rosethorn) Is there any standers we can expect from one of your live shows, either solo or with your band?
Gerardo Meza) Yeah…Well with the band, that band is geared towards uh, a show. We try to turn it into a real show. I mean like the bass player plays a big stand up bass were he stands on the bass sometimes, twirls it around. So the show, we had a bass one time that had strobe lights on it and he would turn the lights on after the show, for like the last encore, you know. And we’d tell the sound guy to dim the lights and it was pretty dramatic. But, you know, just the fact that we put on a show, we dress a certain way, we um, hold ourselves a certain way. We interact with each other on stage. We have a lot of fun actually. The energy level is really high. So people, um, we don’t play any slow songs. Very energetic, very punk rock, very you know, but it’s not punk rock. It’s more like the original punk rock, you know. Some rhythm and blues, rock and roll. It’s got you going and makes you move. So you never have anyone sitting still at our shows. People want to get up and dance, you know. That’s that side of me. That’s what you can expect from the Mezacal Brothers. And by myself it’s mostly just, I don’t have any really fast songs at all. The solo stuff is little more gothic kinda type. It’s got a real dark side to it. I write a lot of murder ballads. So you kinda sit and listen to it. To the lyrics. And most times, in fact every time I do a solo show, people are listing. Which makes me more nervous, cause I’m making sure I don’t mess up the words. With that sort of show it’s more laid back. You can do a show at a club, but they have to know that’s what that is. An acoustic show. So that they come in and respect that. The coffee place, that’s even better because that’s what they already expect to do, that’s what they’re there for. Yeah, there are two different things, whole different things. I need both of them, you know, to kinda survive in music. I really need that outlet, with the other band to get that out. The solo stuff, I also need to get that out. It’s a balance.
BR) What was the first band or singer you saw live and what was it like?
GM) I was a kid, about your age maybe younger. There were bands that used to play down the street from Lincoln High at this place called the Brick Yard and it was kinda an old building. Um, nobody was having shows for kids, so me and some of my buddies used to go down there and check out the bands. Mostly just local bands, a lot of local bands. A bunch of rock bands, you gotta remember this was like 1980. Lincoln had a really good local scene at the time. And so these kids were playing in these bands with nowhere to really play, so it was just like, kinda like a warehouse, but like a store front, that they would rent and kids would go out to shows at that. It was, it was really cool. Well, I went by myself and I felt kinda, and I met a lot of people when I went. It was just like networking. You know your like into the same music so you run into people with the same tastes. You see somebody from high school and you’d never talked to and you go “oh you were at the show” and you kinda start building friendships that way. I got to see how bands, um, being able to see a band on stage, looking at their guitars, looking at their amps. Seeing how people set things up. That venue was really small, so you’d be up front and you’d see people’s reactions. Like I remember seeing the Cars in 82-83? I mean I went to big concerts after that. I mean I went to see a lot of bands, but it’s never the same as going to a club or a small venue. It’s not the same vibe. But as for specific artists, no. As far as charisma on stage, I I don’t remember anyone in particular who stuck out. It was always, I saw Kurt Cobain, Nirvana live. That at the time was right before they hit it big with their breakout album Never mind. And before that it was Bleach. They were touring for that album. They were playing a lot of that on college radios, and so we just went cause, I showed up by myself. I went there to meet some friends. They went to check out this band. Cause I remember, hearing this song on the radio and I liked it so I went and then a year later they were the biggest thing in the world. So, and you know, they always say you should have paid more attention to em, you should of been uh, taking advantage of the time, but you didn’t think of it then. They were just another band coming through. You know, they were from Seattle which wasn’t uncommon. And I liked their music. But uh, I never expected it to get as big as it got. And when you think about it now, I saw those guys. For six dollars. Yeah, so I can’t think of any one person. I’m trying to think if there was anyone I really, at that age especially, that made me think of doing it myself. You never saw yourself on stage, but you went there often enough, eventually you were offered to play. And once you got on the stage, then it’s basically done. It’s a done deal, you’re on. You really want to do this, for real. So eventually, you know, you’re actually doing it, playing for people. We mostly played locally. At that time we didn’t think of touring much. I mean, we were all kinda in school. But we always had gigs. So we got a good reputation. Eventually, you’d see them all over the TV and such. Even if you follow them, they start getting more, the tickets start getting more expensive and you stop following them after that because they’ve become so popular. And you don’t like their stuff anymore, not that they’re not good, it’s just you like their older stuff better. It’s just memoirs of listing to it and you don’t want that to change so you basically stop following them. But it’s fun to have been around that long, to say that you were at certain shows. (Laughs) Able to remember the whole bands, people your age can relate to that. Hearing them live is the only way to listen to music, in my book. If you’re going to see a band or performer, if they have a great show to offer than your best thing to do is go see it live. But it’s not like big shows. Not only cause they cost more, but you’re also like a hundred yards away and you can’t connect with them. I went to Elvis Costello this past summer, I tried to get up as close as I could, but well, after awhile it becomes like, he doesn’t look at anybody. He’s just playing music. Seeing him live, is, you can say you did, but it didn’t change anything, take away or add anything to how I feel about his music. When you have a venue that’s really intimate and they actually look at you and talk to you. But that’s just a spiel. I don’t know if that really answered your question. In other words, I could not remember who it was I first saw live.
BR) So, what’s your favorite instrument to play?
GM) Uuuh…I don’t know. I play a lot of different things. Never really gotten good at anything other than maybe guitar. Even that I could have gotten better at. The most fun to play, I would say is. I don’t know. I kinda like playing harmonica. I play the ukulele sometimes. The guitar has always been fun. It’s it’s a tool for writing music. It’s the best tool to use. And some people write on pianos. I wish I could play piano. I have a piano, I don’t play it. I just mess around with it. But I’d love to learn how to do it. You know, well enough to know what I’m doing. (Laughs) But guitar, I guess. The fun instrument? Ukulele is always fun. The guitar is, uh, has more potential. You take the time to learn certain things and it can be fun to play, when you’re writing songs. I guess, I started messing around with the kazoo just to add to some of the songs. That’s just basically what it is. The guitar, I guess.
BR) Have you ever had to deal with a crazy fan?
GM) You mean, besides the ones that go on stage and take their cloths off? I I’ve had that.
BR) (Laughs) Yeah. One’s like that.
GM) Okay. Well that’s happened. Crazy, crazy like in a weird…
BR) Stalker.
GM) Dangerous kinda way? Yeah, I had a girl in Chicago who was like a, she was apparently had convinced herself that I was her husband or next husband. She wanted to marry me or something. But I had no idea who she was and she would come to my shows in Chicago and various new people in the groups that would come out to see us would, she wore like really cool vintage clothes and she kinda reminded me of a, she had glasses. She looked like this really cool nerdy girl. Like the librarian type. But it was kinda, she was kinda. She would talk to me so I’d talk to her. Anyone who is friendly to me, I’m friendly to them so. She misread that. She really started believing that I was interested in her. Which I wasn’t. I was just being a nice person. And so she kept telling people and her friends would go “oh yeah, so and so is waiting for you outside” “waiting for me? what do you mean?” “you need to get a hold of her. She gave me the number to give to you.” “what are you talking about?” she didn’t get a chance to see you and all this stuff. And she’d send me emails and I don’t know how she got a hold of my email, but. Someone would give it to them because they thought oh it’s just an innocent fan trying to get a hold of me. But it was like total stalking. I almost ignored it. Tried to avoid it when I get to Chicago. I’d look around and make sure I didn’t see her. It was almost like I just had to not talk to her in order for her to stop hounding me. Imagining there was more going on. Other than that, it wasn’t really dangerous, just kinda uncomfortable. Some start believing that because you’re friendly with them, that you actually have something going on. And it’s impossible. It’s impossible to have a relationship on the road. You’re not there long enough anyway. (Laughs) In most places. But if you keep coming back, I’ve got lot of friends all over the country. Because we go back, the fans come out, the same people. So you remember so and so from, sometimes you don’t remember what town it is till you get there. And then you’re like oh that’s where I know that person from. But you know, they’re just people. Every where’s the same. They look different but they have the same, uh, dynamics. Especially if you’re there long enough and they get to know you. Some invite you to their home to eat. They just wanna hang out, you know. It’s not like they’re all star struck. They know how real we are so, they’re just, they’re just friendly. Which is fun, you know.
BR) Is there any musician you would die to play with?
GM) To play with them? A legendary person would be fun. I got to play with, uh, Rhonda Jackson. Got to play with, trying to think of all the places we were at and the people there. Um. Like at festivals we played at. I got to play with these people but I didn’t really, it was like I was in a situation were it just happened. But it’s really not, you don’t uh, there’s gotta be something you get out of it other than the fact that it’s someone you respect and you get to play with them. They’re fine playing on their own. You don’t need to be there. Playing with them and being on stage, playing their music with them or just playing part of their show with them, opening up for people. That’s always fun. Cause you just do your show and you’re hoping their back there watching you. You want to show them what you can do. Then you’re there for the rest of the show to watch them. If you’re playing with someone, like if someone said “come up and do a song with us”, that sorta thing. The genre I really enjoy, as far as what my band plays, there are a lot of heavy hitter out there that are well known in that genre. Like any other music, you know. But like if you were talking in general. The only person I’d wanna be with, as far as playing with would be like any major artist that everyone knows, I would love to play with. It depends on what role I would play, you know what I mean? Would I just be playing guitar? In the background? Which would be fun but. I don’t know. I mean, most the people I’d like to play with are dead. As far as modern stuff, I don’t know. It would be weird, you know.
BR) What kinds of things go on backstage at one of your shows?
GM) Um. Joking around, just joking around to lighten up the mood. Everybody gets dressed and the green rooms we have usually have dressing rooms. Areas were we can get dressed, get ready. There’s usually TV in there, refreshments. We can sit around and talk to people. What we really need to do is relax, you know. You kinda have to get in the mood for it. Have to concentrate on getting ready in your head. For me it’s mostly remembering all the lyrics. And kinda saving my voice, too. It’s like any other event, like a sporting event, they get psyched up. I’m not saying you’re back there shadow boxing or anything. But in a way you are. Making sure you have the songs in your head. You think too much about it they go away, or if you think too hard they don’t come out. So you gotta be trusting that it will happen when you’re up there. Before shows, it’s mostly just talking about the next show or this show. Just joking with the band. For a lot of us, for me it’s if you have a few hours at the hotel before you go there, you have to take advantage of relaxing. I always liked playing with a bunch of people, it’s better to do it in the middle so you don’t have to wait till the last. We either sit around or watch TV. It’s real glamorous. (Laughs)
BR) So, speaking of which. Do you have any diva like requests that have to be filled before you will play a gig?
GM) Oh. You mean like my Writer? They call it a Writer. Like the famous ones are like gotta have a big bowl of green MM’s. Our bass player always jokes about how he wanted a football helmet full of Jell-O. Just like, he wouldn’t be serious. But stuff like that. But, yeah, we never have anything except for anything that’s free. Anything you wanna give us for free is good. But we don’t have any strange requests.
BR) Do you have CD’s or Demo’s fans can buy and where can we find these?
GM) Usually online you can find them. We have a record distributor in Finland called, Jungle Records. I think if you looked that site you’d all four of them. I think their the European versions. They have some extra tracks on them. Then there’s another one in the U.S. called Spin Out. And that’s owned by Eddie Angel of, the guy for the Straight Jackets. And he’s a good friend of ours. That’s pretty much the two distributors. We don’t carry a lot with us on the road. We run out quick.
