MIND MELD is gearing up to take over The Echo for a night of epic jammage. This Friday, July 29, the LA-based band will take the stage alongside faves Prettiest Eyes, Walter, and Babylon – AND to help celebrate the most excellent time, we caught up with MIND MELD to check in on what they have in store. We’ve also set up a guaranteed good time giveaway – more info on that below 😉
For those catching up, MIND MELD have been a growing force in the local music scene with their ‘hell yeah’ attitude and catchy psych-outs. With ties to Mock Records and Permanent Records, and a solid resume of playing in and with other bands, it’s pretty easy to say the band knows what they are doing. There’s something uniquely familiar about the melding of garage rock, fuzzy psych, and sticky lyrics that have made MIND MELD real standouts to us.
With just 2 releases to date – the gold-screen printed “You’re Not Free” flexi-7″ (limited to 200) and “The Viper” b/w “Whine” 7″ (limited to 100 on black wax, and 200 on red wax) – we are pumped to learn there’s a full-length in the works! We recently were able to catch up with Bert (guitar, vocals) and get a quick low-down on all things MIND MELD!
Tickets to see MIND MELD, Prettiest Eyes, Walter, and Babylon are still available and can be purchased for $8 bones HERE.
CONTEST: Head to our Instagram and enter to win a pair of tickets to see MIND MELD on 7/29 at The Echo AND your own copy of “The Viper” 7″!! Winners announced Friday at 10am. The record must be picked up from the merch table the night of the show.
– you all seem pretty busy and active in music around LA – so how did Mild Meld come about?
We started getting together to play some Hooveriii songs at Permanent after hours. They ended up sounding way different. A good different. Everyone was vibe’n pretty hard, songs came pretty quick. It became a band rather than some songs I made in my bedroom. We felt it was best to make it it’s own thing, and that thing became Mind Meld.
– what’s the word on the new record/new material? Any details you can share?
Andrew Schubert’s been recording us at his studio in Lincoln Heights. He actually used to work for Death Row and even has some of Dre’s equipment which he used to record our album! He’s a great dude and was real easy to work with. We just finished tracking and we start mixing in a couple weeks. It’s taking a bit of time with hectic our schedules to hammer it all out, but we’re all really happy with the recordings so far. We stoked to bring out a few new songs to butcher at The Echo this weekend.
– In what environment do you envision being ideal for listening to mind meld?
I think a live environment is best. A close second would probably be getting super stoned, throwing on some headphones and melting into the couch.
– what can you tells us about the other bands on the bill next Friday?
We are very proud of this bill and you’re not going to want to miss a single band, so get there early. First up is Babylon. Those dudes sound like their off of a Bonehead Crunchers compilation. Heavy blues in space! Second is Walter. Patrick, guitarist/singer of Walter, also plays guitar in Meatbodies. If you’re unfamiliar, that means he’s a ripper. Actually everyone in that band rips, and they’re songs are real catchy too. Third is Prettiest Eyes. Now these guys are intense. I mean that in the best way. They’re like Birthday Party meets Suicide. They’ll make you feel uncomfortable and like it. It’s going to be tough to follow all of that, but we gladly accept the challenge!
