The Mezcal Brothers

I had seen the Mezcal Brothers several times before I had ever met them, and being a fan of Rockabilly, I've always really liked them, but due to my own prejudices, I always kind of thought of them as a "bar band". Not until I heard their albums did I realize that although their live sets contain a fair amount of covers, their albums are almost exclusively original music. The band, Gerardo Meza on rhythm guitar and vocals, Deuce Burbach on stand-up drums, Charlie Johnson on stand-up bass, and Ben Kushner on guitar, recently replacing long-time guitarist Mark Simpkins, put on great shows that are always a lot of fun. The Mezcal Brothers have a show coming up on March 6th, and then after that they'll be heading into Presto Studios to work on their next album. I caught up with The Mezcal Brothers to find out what's going on with them.

SCS: How and when did The Mezcal Brothers originally form as a band?

Gerardo: I started playing music with my brother Tony around 1997. We played together as kids, just fucking around. Tony would beat on anything he could find and I would bang on my guitar. Those early days came back to us later when we started hanging out as adults, and we actually worked up some songs and played parties and for our friends. One night at Duffy’s, Andy was worried about a band who had cancelled, and he couldn’t find a replacement. I told him Tony and I would play. He asked what we called ourselves, and I said, “I don’t know yet—I’ll tell you tomorrow.” The next day I came up with The Mezcal Brothers on account of our last name is Meza and my mom’s maiden name is Castillo, plus we really like tequila. As they say, the rest is history. Tony left the band in 1999.

SCS: Ben and Deuce had been in a the Self-Righteous Brothers together prior to being in The Mezcal Brothers, and Ben has done The Millions & bronco and solo stuff. What other bands have the rest of you been in over the years?

Ben: I was in several bands in the 80s when the Drumstick was in full swing. We played there a lot. My bands included The Pedestrians, Hybrid, Person Power Presence and Chunk of Sound. The sounds varied from poppy ska to electronic New Order shit. Typical 80s stuff. I did other projects in the 90s, but nothing serious.

SCS: Ben recently replaced longtime guitarist Mark Simpkins in the lineup. What precipitated the change, and what effect has it had on the band?

Gerardo: Mark was under a lot of pressure in his personal life, and decided he needed to concentrate more on that than on the band. We were gone so much, and he needed to be home. He was willing to stay in the band until we found someone to replace him. That someone turned out to be Ben, and the sound has changed from Tele to hollow-body Gretch. Ben has added a new layer to our music—you can really hear it on the new stuff. The transition was seamless.

SCS: Did you try out other people, or was Ben your first choice?

Gerardo: We received several emails from guitar slingers from Kansas City, Minneapolis, and other cities. But Ben was our first choice, and after just one session with him, we knew it was gonna be great.

SCS: Ben, as I already mentioned, you’ve been in several Lincoln bands over the years, The Self Righteous Brothers, The Millions, bronco, to name just a few, plus your solo albums, and your work generally tend towards a more Midwestern rootsy / indie direction, but certainly the style is more, shall we say…"contemporary" than rockabilly. How are you enjoying being in The Mezcal Brothers, and how much of a change is it for you?

Ben: I love being in the Mezcal Brothers. They treat me real good—they pay me $5 a week and let me hang out with them—sometimes even when we aren’t playing. The only change for me is that they make me grease my hair and say stuff like "daddy-o" and "Let’s see your titties, bitch!"

SCS: How would you guys describe a Mezcal Brothers show? -- If people come to see you live, what can they expect?

Gerardo: They should expect to dance, but sometimes they’re too insecure for that, in which case they can expect an overwhelming urge to commit crimes, do drugs, and maybe buy some vinyl.

SCS: What types of music and which musicians/groups influenced the band members?

Gerardo: Suzy Dreamer and Her Nightmares. And maybe a little Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent, but mostly Suzy Dreamer and Her Nightmares.

SCS: How do you decide on a mix of originals and covers to do in your live set?

Gerardo: I pick the covers—based on how well they work with my voice and with the style of music we play. I write most of the originals; we have a huge songlist of covers and originals to choose from, so we have a couple standard setlists.

SCS: Gerardo, do you write all the originals yourself, or do you work on the songs with other bands members?

Gerardo: I’ve written the originals on the last two albums. Mark wrote a couple on the first. The band members have always contributed their own parts. On the new album we’re working on, the whole band has been more involved than ever before in the songwriting process. A few of the songs came from hanging out at practice—someone would play a really cool lick, and the rest of us would join in, and then I’d write the lyrics later

SCS: Do you have a favorite song to play live?

Gerardo: Right now, it’s an old cover by Ronnie Dawson called "Rockin’ Bones."

SCS: When and where was your first Lincoln show, and how did it go?

Gerardo: Duffy’s in 1997—as a two-piece. It went pretty well. It must have, or we wouldn’t have lasted this long.

SCS: How much time during the year do you spend on the road?

Gerardo:During the summer, we’re on the road 3-4 days a week; in the winter, we’re only out one night or over a weekend.

SCS: Most embarrassing moment in a live show?

Gerardo: Probably when I split my pants. I had to borrow a safety pin from a chick in the audience, and I was pinning myself back together when she walked in on me. It looked like I was...doing something else.

SCS: You guys play all over the country. Aside from HOT GROUPIE SEX, what’s the best fan experience you’ve had?

Gerardo: Other than the girls flashing their tits, you mean? Hmmm. That must be when we chased down the fan who mugged me in Illinois, and beat the shit out of him.

SCS: Any rituals before you go onstage?

Gerardo: Vomit

SCS: What do you like and dislike about the music scene in Lincoln?

Gerardo: There’s really nothing I dislike about it. At least we have a good scene. A lot of the towns & cities we go to don’t seem to have a lot going on. We have all different types of music here, and I appreciate that. I like listening to a variety of local bands—but most especially Suzy Dreamer and Her Nightmares

SCS: Have you learned anything in your experiences in a band that you feel newer local bands could learn from, or made any mistakes they should avoid?

Gerardo: Don’t get too drunk to play. Don’t eat five bowls of chili before you play for 2000 people. Don’t have sex between songs. Don’t jump off a stack of speakers without expecting to really break a leg. Always have fun. Stay together.

SCS: Who are some local bands or musicians that you admire or feel should be recognized?

Gerardo: Suzy Dreamer and Her Nightmares.

SCS: Who’s your favorite local band to play with?

Gerardo: Suzy Dreamer and Her Nightmares.

SCS: Do you think that living in Lincoln influences your music in any way?

Gerardo: No.

SCS: Who recorded Rev It Up and where was it done?

Gerardo: Mogis brothers at Presto.

SCS: Are there any local producers/engineers you'd like to work with who you think could help to develop your sound even more?

Gerardo: We’re pretty happy with the Mogis brothers.

SCS: Are you working on a new album now, and if so, when do you expect it to come out?

Gerardo: Yes. It’ll be out in May or June.

SCS: Who was the first person or band you saw that made you want to play music?

Gerardo: Mister Elvis Presley.

SCS: He's dead you know... So what was the first album/CD you bought?

Gerardo: Mister Elvis Presley.

SCS: So, besides dead people, whose music are you listening to right now? -- What other bands would you recommend people check out?

Gerardo: Suzy Dreamer and Her Nightmares.

Gerardo: