Everynight Fire Works

Everynight Fire Works is the debut album by American rock band Hey Mercedes. Following the demise of Braid, most of the members formed Hey Mercedes, with guitarist Mark Dawursk joining in early 2000. The band released a self-titled EP through Polyvinyl Record Co., before signing to Vagrant Records at the end of the year. They recorded their debut with Burning Airlines member J. Robbins at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota in April 2001. Everynight Fire Works is an alternative rock, emo, indie rock and pop punk record that drew comparisons to Burning Airlines, Jets to Brazil, and Shudder to Think.

Everynight Fire Works
Studio album by
Hey Mercedes
ReleasedOctober 23, 2001
RecordedApril 14–28, 2001
StudioPachyderm Studios, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Genre
Length43:02
LabelVagrant
ProducerJ. Robbins, Hey Mercedes
Hey Mercedes chronology
Everynight Fire Works
(2001)		 Loses Control
(2003)

Everynight Fire Works was announced for release shortly after recording, but was delayed a few times distribution troubles or legal issues that Vagrant was having. It was eventually released on October 23, where it was met with a mixed-to-positive reaction from music critics, with some commenting on the group's maturity and guitar work, as well as Nanna's vocals. Sometime after release, Dawursk left the band and was replaced with Michael Shumaker, and drummer Damon Atkinson spent some time touring with Saves the Day. The band went on two stints of the US, one as part of the Vagrant America arena tour, with other acts on the label. In all, Everynight Fire Works was promoted with over 200 shows.

Background

In June 1999, Braid announced they would be breaking up,[1] and played their final shows in August.[2] Guitarist Chris Broach focused his efforts on the Firebird Band, while the other members of Braid spent time at home. After a few months, the remaining members formed Hey Mercedes.[3] After auditioning two people,[4] former Alligator Gun guitarist Mark Dawursk joined in April 2000.[3] The members lived in separate cities between Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; vocalist/guitarist Bob Nanna had to travel from Chicago to Milwaukee to practice during weekdays, only to return home the following morning for work. In spite of this, the band worked on material.[4] They recorded a four-track EP not long after Dawursk joined,[3] and had planned to self-release it, despite them having no money.[4] They eventually shopped it to different labels, before Polyvinyl Record Co. founder Matt Lunsford offered to release it.[4]

Prior to its release, drummer Damon Atkinson was contacted by independent label Vagrant Records, who congratulated the band on the EP.[4] In August, the group played their first show,[5] which was followed by the release of the self-titled EP the following month through Polyvinyl.[6] It showcased a mix of the syncopated drum parts of Braid with a more melodic structure, spotlight by Nanna's vocals.[3] Long-time connections enabled to band to tour with the likes of Alkaline Trio, Saves the Day and Jets to Brazil.[3] They flew out to California to play some gigs in December 2000. While there, they had a meeting with Vagrant founder Rich Egan.[4] Hey Mercedes announced their signing to the label at the end of the month.[7] On March 2, 2001, the band demoed 15 tracks for potential inclusion on their debut album. In March and April, the group went on a short US tour, with Dashboard Confessional appearing on all dates. The Anniversary supported the first half, and Hot Rod Circuit covered the second half.[8]

Production

They recorded their debut album with Burning Airlines member J. Robbins as the producer. He handled the recording with assistance from Neil Weir and Bruce Templeton.[3] They picked him as they worked well with him previously on Braid's last album Frame & Canvas (1998). Unlike that album, which was only recorded and mixed in five days, the band had more time and a bigger budget to work on Everynight Fire Works.[4] The band travelled from Minneapolis, Minnesota[9] to Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.[10] The group resided in a building next to the studio, which had multiple rooms and recreation areas. Robbins and Atkinson spent the first day of recording, April 14, working on drums and attempting to the get the best sound of them in room. By the end of the day, Atkinson and Bell had returned to Minneapolis to gather some supplies. A chart was drafted up[9] and the band had a production meeting regarding some of the song details.[11]

They did rough versions of "Haven't Been This Happy" and "Every Turn". The second day saw the basic outlines of "Every Turn", "A-List Actress", "Our Weekend Starts on Wednesday", "The Frowning of a Lifetime" and "Haven't Been This Happy" being recorded. Robbins, Atkinson and Dawursk laid down rhythm parts for the aforementioned tracks; Bell recorded his parts for these tracks the following day. Drums and bass were then recorded for "Quit", "Que Shiraz" and "Everybody's Working for the Weak", "Eleven to Your Seven" and "The Slightest Idea". Nanna and Dawursk spent time with Robbins on April 17 laying basic guitar parts for those tracks; Dawursk finished all of his parts, while Nanna only managed three. The next day, Nanna re-recorded his previous guitar tracks as the "head / speaker combo made them sound a little too 'oogey'... Meaning a tad muddy in the low end."[11]

Drums were then recorded for "Let's Go Blue", "Save a Life", "That's Right I Said It" and "What You Are Up Against". The band spent April 19 re-listening to all of the drum tracks recorded up to that point, before Bell recorded bass on "Save a Life" and Nanna did guitar for "The Frowning of a Lifetime". The following day, Nanna then re-worked his guitar parts for 11 of the tracks, and added guitar to "What You're Up Against" and "The Promise". On April 21, Dawursk tracked guitars for "The Slightest Idea" and "Let's Go Blue",[11] and finished all of his remaining parts the next day. Nanna recorded vocals from April 23, with Robbins making rough mixes as they went along. By April 27, Nanna's voice gave out, resulting in him tracking some guitar overdubs, including an intro to "The Frowning of a Lifetime".[12] Mark Haines mixed the recordings between May 1 and 15 at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin,[10] with supervision by Nanna and Bell.[13] The recordings were then mastered by Scott Hull at Classic Sounds, Inc.[10]

Composition
The music and lyrics of Everynight Fire Works earned the band a comparison to Jets to Brazil.

Musically, the sound of Everynight Fire Works has been described as alternative rock,[14] emo,[15][16] indie rock[17][18] and pop punk,[16] with elements of 1980s pop,[19] drawing comparisons to Burning Airlines, Jets to Brazil, and Shudder to Think.[18] Nanna explained that the title referred to "'working' ever night. ... It’s about every night, non-stop, work work work."[4] Atkinson theorised they had spent around a year writing for the record, breaking occasionally to perform shows. The main reason for the length of time was the band wishing to move away from the angular guitar work of Braid and into a sound of their own.[4] Robbins and Christine Lubarsky contributed extra vocals and percussion to the recordings.[10] The album's lyrics were compared to those by Jets to Brazil.[20]

The opening track "The Frowning of a Lifetime" displays the guitar interplay between Nanna and Dawursk.[16] "Every Turn" sees Nanna use his vocals in a way that recalled Braid.[21] "A-List Actress" is about turning one's life into a movie, including drama and romance.[4] Throughout the track, the timing shifted between three-and-four beats per measure.[22] "The Slightest Idea" showcases Nanna's vocal ability, opening with a single-note guitar part.[17] The pop track "Eleven to Your Seven" is done in the vein of Cheap Trick.[15] It was written during a period of frustration for Nanna between the break up of Braid and the formation of Hey Mercedes.[4] It talks about dealing with being unlucky; the numbers refer to a competitive score.[23]

"Que Shiraz" is a power ballad;[24] the breakdown features Bell and Atkinson's instruments synching up, with the latter playing 16th notes on his hi-hat and the former playing sparse bass notes that synch with the kick drum. Nanna said this part was influenced by Jimmy Eat World.[25] During the mixing stage, they found one note Nanna sung was out of key, and fixed it with Auto-Tune.[26] The intro to "Our Weekend Starts on Wednesday" starts in the 6/4 time signature;[27] the song incorporates punk rock and thrash metal influences.[15] "What You're Up Against" talks about frustration and working.[16] The closing track "Let's Go Blue" was reminiscent of "Never Surrender" by Corey Hart.[19] It sees a guitar riff being played over a larger chord progression with bass and drum breakdowns,[21] which Nanna said Dawursk or bassist Todd Bell came up with.[4]

Release

On May 16, 2001, Everynight Fire Works was announced for release in late July.[28] On August 8, 2001, the band announced that the album would be delayed to "due to production issues and legal issues" on the label's side.[29] Vagrant were in legal trouble with another label of the same name who attempted to trademark "Vagrant", resulting in their website being taken down.[30] On September 16, the band said the album was delayed to late October, citing distribution problems;[31] Universal stopped distributing the label's releases, which were now being handled by TVT Records.[32] Everynight Fire Works was eventually released on October 23 through Vagrant Records.[33] In November and December, the group went on tour with Saves the Day and Thursday.[34] Nanna, Atkinson and Bell felt that having Dawursk in the group "wasn't the best thing", and subsequently let him go.[4] They announced his departure on February 2, 2002;[35] his was temporarily replaced by Sean O'Brien, who previously played with Nanna in Orwell.[36] Atkinson spent some time touring with Saves the Day as their temporary drummer, returning in early March.[36]

They played the occasional US show throughout March, with one date in Japan in the middle.[35] On May 6, the band announced Michael Shumaker of Sheilbound as their new guitarist.[37] Companion EP The Weekend was released in July.[38] The band were due to film a music video for "Our Weekend Starts on Wednesday" during the same month, however, the shoot was cancelled three days prior to filming. The band recorded an alternative version of the song that was meant to appear in the video; it was later posted on their website.[39] For six weeks from July, the group went on a US tour with Piebald, Audio Learning Center, and Koufax.[40] The following month, the band went on the Vagrant America arena tour, alongside other Vagrant Records bands.[41] In October, the band performed at the Grand Rapids Skate Fest.[42] The band embarked on a celebratory tour for the album in July and August 2016. Everynight Fire Works was reissued to coincide with the stint.[43]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
CMJ New Music ReportFavorable[19]
The Harvard CrimsonMixed[44]
LAS MagazineFavorable[45]
Modern FixFavorable[17]
Ox-FanzineFavorable[18]
Pitchfork3/10[21]
Spin4/10[46]
Tiny Mix Tapes[16]

Everynight Fire Works received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics. CMJ New Music Report writer Nicole Keiper said fans of Braid would like the release a lot, from Nanna's "pleading yelps and stop-start guitar breaks" to Atkinson's "neck-snapping snare smashes".[19] The album showed "men who are comfortable in their skin, wearing well-crafted vocal melodies and simple, catchy riffs".[19] Ox-Fanzine's Joachim Hiller considered it "mature, elegant indie rock".[18] Modern Fix editor Mike Bushman praised Nanna for having "a good command of his vocal range and fills in the vocal dynamic well".[17] Though he likened the band to a more "direct, melodic" branch away from Braid, he enjoyed the "smoother take on the indie guitar rock that searches for melody and mood within its pumping chord strums."[17]

LAS Magazine founder Eric J. Herboth said that despite him "expecting the worst", he eventually saw it as "the best album that Vagrant has put out", "packed from beginning to end with slickness, [and] a furiously catchy, meaty guitar sandwich".[45] The band had "thoroughly floored" him with the release, applauding the "increasing complexity" of the guitar work, combined with a "more streamlined approach by the rhythm section, that makes this album tick".[45] AllMusic reviewer Tom Semioli said it was an "aggressive collection of guitar driven emo-rock tracks built upon melody and passion."[15] The group's "clever two-guitar arrangements" that fused "basic voicings with linear phrases" were backed by a stable "rhythm section that turns the beat around when you least expect it."[15]

Tiny Mix Tapes wrote that the record encapsulated the group's "live energy and their studio perfectionism", with the band sometimes fitting into the "genre they are clumsily lumped into, but other times, don't; they come across as the big intelligent independent brother" to acts such as Saves the Day.[16] The Harvard Crimson writer Andrew R. Iliff said the band's sound changed "just as little" from Braid; the tracks were "so solid and businesslike" that he found it "difficult to distinguish between them".[44] The group "seldom stumble onto anything resembling a decent guitar hook, and attempt to make up for that fact with raucousness and occasional angular breaks."[44] Nanna had a "strong and plaintive, if somewhat unremarkable voice, backing lyrics that were "mostly indistinct—which is not a huge loss to humanity".[44]

In a review for Spin, author Andy Greenwald said the band were "a competent facsimile of their peers, but too late too late", and said they had the same modus operandi as Braid, complete with "choruses that aim for the bleachers but stop at first base."[46] He expanded further, saying that "everything" on the release was "tentative–from the meandering melodies to the wan, froggy vocals" of Nanna.[46] Pitchfork contributor Rob Mitchum said he couldn't "decide whether I'm disappointed or just plain angry about the vanilla ice-cream blandness of Everynight Fire Works."[21] He said Nanna was "determined to dumb down his songs to reach a wider audience, trading in the polyrhythms and unusual dynamics of old for power chords, power chords, power chords."[21]

Audiogalaxy listed it as their album of the year.[5] Everynight Fire Works has appeared on a best-of emo album list by Drowned in Sound.[47]

Track listing

Track listing per booklet.[10]

No.TitleLength
1."The Frowning of a Lifetime"4:15
2."Every Turn"4:13
3."A-List Actress"3:29
4."The Slightest Idea"3:17
5."Eleven to Your Seven"3:54
6."Que Shiraz"4:17
7."Our Weekend Starts on Wednesday"2:15
8."Haven't Been This Happy"3:30
9."What You're Up Against"4:19
10."Quit"5:14
11."Let's Go Blue"4:19
Total length:43:02

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[10]

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References

Citations

  1. CMJ 1999, p. 6
  2. "Braid shows". Braid. Archived from the original on June 17, 2000. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  3. D'Angelo, Peter J. "Hey Mercedes | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  4. Bushman, Mike (March 2002). "Hey Mercedes". Modern Fix. Archived from the original on August 17, 2002. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  5. "Hey Mercedes: Bio". MTV. Archived from the original on April 8, 2004. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  6. D'Angelo, Peter J. "Hey Mercedes - Hey Mercedes | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  7. Paul, Aubin (December 27, 2000). "Hey Mercedes, Hello Vagrant!". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  8. "Hey Mercedes News". Hey Mercedes. Archived from the original on March 31, 2001. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  9. "Are You Wearing a Wire? (04/08/2001 - 04/14/2001)". Hey Mercedes. Archived from the original on December 6, 2001. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  10. Everynight Fire Works (booklet). Hey Mercedes. Vagrant Records. 2001. VR356.CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. "Are You Wearing a Wire? (04/15/2001 - 04/21/2001)". Hey Mercedes. Archived from the original on December 6, 2001. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  12. "Are You Wearing a Wire? (04/22/2001 - 04/28/2001)". Hey Mercedes. Archived from the original on December 6, 2001. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  13. "Are You Wearing a Wire? (04/29/2001 - 05/05/2001)". Hey Mercedes. Archived from the original on December 6, 2001. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  14. "Everynight Fire Works (15th Anniversary Edition) - Hey Mercedes". Polyvinyl Record Co. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  15. Semioli, Tom. "Everynight Fire Works – Hey Mercedes – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  16. Guest Writer. "Hey Mercedes – Everynight Fire Works – Music Review". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  17. Bushman, Mike (February 2002). "CD Reviews". Modern Fix. Archived from the original on August 24, 2002. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  18. Hiller, Joachim (December 2001 – February 2002). "Hey Mercedes Everynight Fire Works CD". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  19. Keiper 2001, p. 112
  20. Bode, Gus (October 23, 2003). "Hey Mercedes gains Maturity with "Loses Control."". The Daily Egyptian. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  21. Mitchum, Rob (February 6, 2002). "Hey Mercedes: Everynight Fire Works Album Review – Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  22. Simich, Petar (February 25, 2003). "Hey, Mercedes!". The Tech. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  23. Heisel, Scott (October 13, 2003). "Interviews: Hey Mercedes chat transcript". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  24. Heisel, Scott (October 23, 2013). "10 Essential Emo Power Ballads". Alternative Press. p. 2. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  25. Heisel; Simpson 2016, event occurs at 54:13–28, 57:05–8
  26. Heisel; Simpson 2016, event occurs at 58:02–34
  27. Heisel; Simpson 2016, event occurs at 19:34–6
  28. "Are You Wearing a Wire? (05/13/2001 - 05/19/2001)". Hey Mercedes. Archived from the original on June 18, 2001. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  29. Paul, Aubin (August 8, 2001). "More about Hey Mercedes delayed Album…". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  30. Heisel, Scott (July 19, 2001). "Vagrant Site Down. Legal issues oh my!". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  31. Heisel, Scott (September 16, 2001). "Hey Mercedes Release Date Changes, for the last time…". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  32. Heisel, Scott (September 9, 2001). "Vagrant back on top". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  33. "HEY MERCEDES". heymercedes.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2002. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  34. "Saves the Day". Saves the Day. Archived from the original on December 4, 2001. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  35. Heisel, Scott (February 2, 2002). "Mark Dawursk leaves Hey Mercedes". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  36. White, Adam (February 23, 2002). "New Mercedes Guitarist". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  37. Heisel, Scott (May 6, 2002). "Hey Mercedes gets permanent new guitarist". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  38. "The Weekend - Hey Mercedes | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  39. "Our Weekend, Elevator Style mp3 & story". Hey Mercedes. July 29, 2003. Archived from the original on December 16, 2003. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  40. Heisel, Scott (May 28, 2002). "It's the Monsters Of [indie] Rock tour!". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  41. Heisel, Scott (December 15, 2001). "Vagrant America 2002 - HUGE Update". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  42. Heisel, Scott (October 7, 2002). "Grand Rapids Skate Fest". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  43. "Hey Mercedes Announce Everynight Fire Works 2016 Tour". Modern Fix. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  44. Iliff, Andrew R. (November 30, 2001). "New Albums". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  45. Herboth, Eric J (October 1, 2004). "Hey Mercedes Everynight Fire Works". LAS Magazine. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  46. Greenwald 2002, p. 111
  47. Diver, Mike (April 29, 2008). "United by emo's Golden Age: a reminder of Rival Schools' peers / In Depth". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.

Sources

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