North Haledon, New Jersey
North Haledon (pronounced North HAIL-don) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,417,The Feelies. Together with Bill Million, Mercer has written and produced virtually all of the Feelies' recorded output.
History
The Feelies' debut album, ''
Crazy Rhythms
''Crazy Rhythms'' is the debut studio album by American rock music, rock band the Feelies. It was released in the United Kingdom on February 29, 1980, and in the United States in April 1980, through British record label Stiff Records, Stiff. Its ...
'', was voted in the top 50 albums of the 1980s by ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine and chosen by ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' magazine as one of the best alternative albums. Other critical acclaim included a feature in ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine. The Feelies performed on ''
Late Night with David Letterman
''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...
'' and on Broadway and in concerts with
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...
and
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
.
Mercer's music has been featured in the films ''Married to the Mob'', ''Something Wild'' (which featured a performance by the Feelies credited as "The Willies"), ''Prelude to a Kiss'', ''The Truth about Charlie'' and ''The Squid and the Whale''. Glenn's television credits include ''Dawson’s Creek'', ''Party of Five'' and ''The Real World''. He has also recorded with Feelies offshoots the Trypes, Yung Wu,
the Willies
''The Willies'' is the 15th album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. It was released in 2002 and features performances by Frisell, Danny Barnes on banjo, pump organ & harmonica and bassist Keith Lowe.
Reception
The A ...
and Wake Ooloo.
His first solo record, ''Wheels In Motion'', was released by
Pravda Records
Pravda Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, representing a diverse roster of indie rock, soul, pop, and experimental artists.
History
Pravda Records was founded by Kenn Goodman in 1984. Prav ...
on
June 5, 2007. Performers on the record include Feelies drummers and percussionists Stanley Demeski, Vinny DeNunzio, Dave Weckerman and
Anton Fier
Anton Fier (June 20, 1956 – September 14, 2022) was an American drummer, producer, composer, and bandleader.
Family
Fier, known as Tony, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Ruthe Marie Fier and Anton J. Fier Jr., a former Marine and electrician. ...
, as well as Feelies and Trypes bassist Brenda Sauter. His second solo record, the all instrumental "Incidental Hum", was released in 2015 on Bar None Records.
Mercer's live band includes Gregston Van Pukeston (drums), Dave Weckerman (percussion), Adam Berardo (guitar), John Baumgartner (keyboards) and Bob Torsello of Shrubs (bass).
In July 2008, The Feelies reunited for a series of concerts at Battery Park (with
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
) and Maxwell's.
In 2011, The Feelies released their first record in 20 years entitled ''Here Before'' on the
Bar None Records
Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Early history
Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his n ...
label. Mercer wrote or co-wrote all 13 new songs. In 2017, The Feelies released "In Between" on Bar None Records.
Starting in 2019, Mercer began performing a series of concerts entitled "Hazy Cosmic Jive", a tribute to the mid-1970s experimentation of
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
,
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
,
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...
, Marc Bolan and others, with Richard Barone of The Bongos. Joining on drums and bass were Dave Weckerman and Bob Torsello.
Mercer currently resides in
Haledon, New Jersey
Haledon ( ) is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,052, an increase of 734 (+8.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,318, which in turn reflected an in ...
with his wife. He has two grown children.
Discography
* ''Wheels In Motion'' (2007)
Pravda Records
Pravda Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, representing a diverse roster of indie rock, soul, pop, and experimental artists.
History
Pravda Records was founded by Kenn Goodman in 1984. Prav ...