TonyDoug's CD Review: Mercury Pusher, Kiss This Goodbye (Olive Records, 2001)

by TonyDoug Wright

THE BAND: Dan Corcoran (Bass), Vann Geondeff (Guitars), Gary Spencer (Vocals), and Xtian Spencer (Drums). Matt Bowman (Additional Guitars).

THE HISTORY: Gary Spencer (Vocals), TonyDoug Wright (Guitar), and Kristen Ogo (Guitar) formed Mercury Pusher during the spring of 1999 in Dayton, Ohio. The band was completed when Dan Corcoran (Bass) and Xtian Spencer (Drums) joined a month later. It was not long until Mercury Pusher unleashed their original 60's Garage Rock/70's Punk tunes upon the good kids of Oxford, Ohio and Dayton, Ohio. An eponymous EP on Olive Records was released in December of 1999, and a summer 2000 tour of the Midwest, East Coast, and Canada was scheduled. Wright and Ogo left the band during the spring of 2000 and were replaced on guitars by Vann Geondeff and Matt Bowman, respectively. With the new line-up, Mercury Pusher spent the summer of 2000 on tour. Following the tour, they began work on Kiss This Goodbye, their first full-length album for Olive Records. Bowman left the band following some of the early recording sessions in 2000. Kiss This Goodbye was released during the spring of 2001.

THE REVIEW: You may think that this review is somewhat biased due to my former association with the band. In all honesty, I did my best to put myself into the shoes of an unbiased listener.) Kiss This Goodbye is Mercury Pusher's first major album in their two-year history, and it is a true testament to how far they have come. Once described as 'scrappy but enjoyable', Mercury Pusher has evolved into a band that can be described as 'tight and impressive'. "Bullets Spell Your Name Across The Sky" comes off as a lost New York Dolls classic; "Down With The Fashion" could be mistaken for a 1980's post-punk tune; while "Speeding To An Obvious Conclusion" has just the right amount of Fugazi-style influence. If your heart desires a rough and gritty rock album, then Kiss This Goodbye is an anti-commercial unpolished rock and roll experience you don't want to miss.

TO CONTACT THE BAND: Olive Records, 2122 Burnside Dr., Dayton, OH 45439 (mpusher@hotmail.com)

ATTENTION: I would like to review an album for every issue of Erasing Clouds. If you want me to review your band's material, please e-mail me at ironman2525@yahoo.com.

Issue 7, October 2001 | next article