Mainland Fever is: Jordan Topf, (20, guitar and lead vocals) Zachary Walter, (21, bass) Corey Mullee, (21, guitar) and Dylan Longstreet, (23, drums). I found myself at their rehearsal space after my friend Zachary invited me to sit in on the evening's rehearsal. And all I can say, is that it made for a really beautiful Wednesday evening. Why? Maybe it just felt like the whole vibe was really sweet when I entered the studio, a bunch of guys coming together to produce some excellent music, completely on their own time. Or maybe it was the fun tunes combined with the skilled lyrical work of Jordan. All I know is that something triggered my case of the Mainland Fever. (ha ha ha)
Their music to me, is essentially Indie Pop Rock, if we're going to be specific. But I for one, am not a huge believer in the simplification of a type of music by giving it a specific genre title. And neither are these guys. When I asked them what type of music they considered theirs to be, they took a while to respond. Not because they didn't know, but because no one could really agree. I heard indie pop, indie rock, dream indie pop, chillwave new "bedside" pop, (which I personally really liked...) and many other titles, which I can't remember. And I can understand why they wouldn't want to identify with one specific genre: it's very limiting to their music, especially when the band itself is still young in its' existence and constantly changing.
Having started in the mid-summer of 2010, Mainland Fever found themselves quickly gaining popularity without expecting to. "This was one of those things that I personally started doing for fun. It ended up turning into something much bigger, which is amazing," Zachary said. Essentially, isn't that what it's all about though? Doing what you absolutely love, and having it surprise you in the most unexpected way?
Mainland Fever has gained significant popularity as of late, playing shows with major indie bands like SHAPES. (They just played at Shea Stadium, the warehouse venue, not the baseball stadium with a bunch of different bands, including SHAPES.) When I looked online, I found a couple of photos of them playing a show where a band member of the Moldy Peaches was found dancing to their jams. (Win.)
It's hard to relay my experience with them. They're fun. They're groovy. They're handsome. And they all have tremendous amounts of talent, and it really warmed my heart to hear them talking the way they were about their music. I'm going to go ahead and call it right now: with the direction these guys are headed, I see huge things happening. And by god, do they have the mind-set. They just love what they're doing! So much. And I think that's the only ingredient, (aside from talent and networking, which they clearly have...) needed to climb the mountain that is success.
Myspace. Facebook. Last.FM do it UP!
Here's some photos I creepily took when they weren't looking...as it turns out, I think they knew the whole time. Aw.
Ashley, I can feel your enjoyment of this blog and it's really infectious. You're doing more things with your writing - like the great description of the space. Good work there! Do beware of generalization. For example, avoid using the word 'cool' if you can. It doesn't really tell us anything. Or 'sweet vibe" - what does that actually mean. When you find yourself wanting to use one of those words, ask yourself, what do i mean exactly, and then write that instead.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the next one!
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