Mean Creek (band)

Mean Creek was a four-piece American rock band based in Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2006, the lineup consisted of Chris Keene (lead vocals, guitar), Aurore Ounjian (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mikey Holland (drums), and Kevin Macdonald (bass).

Mean Creek
OriginBoston, Massachusetts, United States
GenresIndie rock, Power pop
Years active2006–2015
Associated actsTulsa, Micah "D"
Websitemeancreek.tumblr.com
MembersMikey Holland
Chris Keene
Aurore Ounjian
Kevin Macdonald
Past membersErik Wormwood

The band released four albums over the course of their career.

History

Formation and name (2006)

Vocalists Chris Keene and Aurore Ounjian had previously toured together as a folk duo, before working together on what would later become Mean Creek. After adding drummer Mikey Holland and bassist Erik Wormwood in 2006, the lineup was complete. "This is the final incarnation of the band," says Holland. "We're going to release 10 records whether or not anyone gives a shit."[1]

The band derives their name from the 2004 film starring Rory Culkin, stating that they related to the emotional overtures of the film. "We felt that the tone, and the mood of the movie fit the kind of music we wanted to write." Keene has said. "I saw the movie as being about how complicated people are, and how that can make us all feel alienated, alone, and confused a lot of the time. It can make us do crazy things, especially when you’re young and trying to figure out who you are and your place in the world."[2]

Early years, Around the Bend (2007-2009)

Mean Creek’s first studio record utilized just Keene & Ounjian. "Keene and Ounjian released the band’s debut, Around the Bend in the fall of 2007, and drummer Mikey Holland and bassist Erik Wormwood (former members of the Boston grunge outfit Tulsa) joined up in time for their sophomore effort, 2009’s The Sky (Or the Underground)."[3] The complete group toured with the bands Dead Confederate and Catfish Haven in 2008.

During 2009, Mean Creek appeared at the SXSW Music festival and toured with Cotton Jones, The Everyday Visuals, The Whigs, and The Features. During 2008, the band was listed as one of the "10 Bands to Check Out" by The Improper Bostonian, and was nominated for, "Outstanding Americana Act," by the Boston Music Awards.

Rising success, The Sky (Or the Underground) (2009-2010)

The 2009 release of The Sky (Or Underground) garnered the band critical success and favorable reviews, including a win as "New Act of the Year" at the Boston Music Awards.[4] The Boston Globe said that it was "destined to be one of the best local releases of the year."[5]

In July 2010, they released their new single (The Comedian) digitally and on limited edition 7" vinyl,[6] and had four of their songs featured on the popular MTV show "Teen Mom."[7][8][9][10]

Later that year, the band was dubbed "Boston’s Best Act" by The Boston Phoenix[11] and nominated for "Song of the Year" and "Album of the Year" at the 2010 Boston Music Awards.[12] During this time, Mean Creek toured with Bettie Serveert, and again with Dead Confederate.

Continued notoriety (2011)

2011 included a tour with the band Buffalo Tom,[13][14] and another appearance at the SXSW Music festival.[15][16][17]

The band released a 4-song EP, Hemophiliac (produced by John Agnello, known for his work with such acts as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., and The Hold Steady) as well as a new single, The Land Of Hopes & Dreams. The EP was originally intended to be a full-length release, but due to a loss of funding, the band was required to scale back and ended up personally financing it. It was then distributed via Bandcamp, where fans were able to download utilizing the "pay what you can" format popularized by such artists as Radiohead and Amanda Palmer. This decision was announced through their blog, where they stated "We were originally planning on going into the studio to record a full length album, until about a month ago we found out that we weren’t going to have any financial support for the recording. We decided to record what we could afford to record ourselves. This release is entirely self-funded, and we want to give it away to anyone that is interested in listening. If you feel so inclined, you can 'name your own price' and pay us whatever money you see fit for it."[18][19] The release earned the band numerous awards and nominations including wins for "Best Act" from The Boston Phoenix,[20] and "Album/EP of the Year" at the Boston Music Awards.[21]

As the year drew to a close, the band announced plans for their forthcoming third studio recording.[22][23]

Youth Companion (2012-2013)

Mean Creek announced via their social networks that they had entered the recording studio on December 28, 2011 to begin recording their next full-length album at 1867 Studios with Chris McLaughlin.[22][23]

Tracking was completed on January 14, and mixing began on January 18.[24][25]

The album, named Youth Companion, was released in 2012.[22][23]

Local Losers (2013-2014)

Almost a year after the release of Youth Companion, the band announced that they would be working on a new studio album called Local Losers. The lead single from the album, "Cool Town", was released a few months later, followed by the second single, "My Madeline", in early 2014. The album is due for release on April 8, 2014.

It has also appeared that former bassist Erik Wormwood was replaced by a new member of the band, Kevin Macdonald. Erik left to focus on family and the arrival of his first child.

Disbanding (2015)

On May 4, 2015, the band announced they would be disbanding following a concert on July 25 at The Middle East in Boston. Following the band's split, multi instrumentalist Mikey Holland stepped out from the drums into the spotlight fronting his rock 'n' roll band The Dazies. He has released several EP's including "Levon Helm" 2015, "Love/Joy" 2015, "Hungover & Weird" 2016 with an LP "Panic All The Time" and a split 10" with Boston rockers Courters all due 2017. Aurore Ounjian became the lead guitarist for the band Beach Slang in December 2016.[26]

Line-up
  • Chris Keene - lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2006-2015)
  • Kevin Macdonald - bass (2013-2015)
  • Aurore Ounjian - backing vocals, lead guitar (2006-2015)
  • Mikey Holland - drums (2006-2015)

Former members
  • Erik Wormwood - bass (2006-2013)

Discography

Albums
  • Around the Bend (2007)
  • The Sky (Or the Underground) (2009)
  • Youth Companion (2012)
  • Local Losers (2014)

Singles and EPs
  • "The Comedian" (2010)
  • Hemophiliac EP (2011)
  • "The Land Of Hopes & Dreams" (2011)
  • "Young & Wild" (2012)
  • "Cool Town" (2013)
  • "My Madeline" (2014)
  • "Forgotten Streets" (2015)

Compilations
  • 2011 Old Flame Records Summer Sampler

Awards and accolades

2008

2009

2010

2011

Notes and references
  1. "Legacy Act". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  2. "Mean Creek doing nicely for themselves: Chris Keene talks Boston, Bill Hicks, Converse, and cover art". The Rock and Roll Report. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  3. "Best of What's Next: Mean Creek". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  4. "Boston Music Awards 2009". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  5. "Being perceived as rockers is no mean feat". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  6. "Mean Creek, The Comedian". Filter Magazine. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  7. "Thumb Surgery, Tour Dates, Recording, etc". meancreekblog.blogspot.com. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  8. "Music from Ep. 201 "Not Again"". MTV.com. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  9. "Music from Ep. 205 "Secrets & Lies"". MTV.com. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  10. "Music from Ep. 208 "Hello and Goodbye"". MTV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  11. "Best Act in Boston". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  12. "2010 Boston Music Award nominees". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  13. "Mean Creek to support Buffalo Tom on tour". theendofirony.com.com. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  14. "J Mascis, Ted Leo, Mean Creek highlight Buffalo Tom anniversary show lineups". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  15. "Mean Creek Represent Boston at SXSW 2011". spinner.com. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  16. "Going to SXSW? Find Mean Creek". technorati.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  17. "Mean Creek @ SXSW 2011". meancreekblog.blogspot.com. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  18. ""Hemophiliac" out now... and FREE!". meancreekblog.blogspot.com. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  19. ""Hemophiliac" out now... and FREE!". meancreek.tumblr.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  20. "Best Music Poll 2011 :: BOSTON". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  21. "Winners at the 2011 Boston Music Awards". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  22. "New Album Spring 2012". meancreekblog.blogspot.com. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  23. "New Album Spring 2012". meancreek.tumblr.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  24. "Tweet by @MeanCreek 4:31 PM - 18 Jan 12 via web". twitter.com. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  25. "Facebook "Wall" post by Mean Creek January 18 at 4:47pm". facebook.com. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  26. Josephs, Brian (8 December 2016). "Beach Slang Announce New Touring Lineup | SPIN". Spin. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
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