Listening Room Blog

Mercury Landing has gone through several incarnations since forming in 2005, but each step along the way only seems to bring bigger and better things for the band.

Up next? A national tour taking the guys from their hometown of New York City to venues in cities such as Chicago, Cincinnati and Philly. Be sure to check out the full list of dates. They kick it all off Saturday with a FREE show at Groove, located at 125 Macdougal St., N.Y.

I most recently saw Mercury Landing opening for Tea Leaf Green at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, which is quite an impressive gig for any band to land these days.

The guys have no problem bringing in a crowd of their own, with loyal fans dancing up front and singing along. But in typical fashion, Mercury Landing quickly won over plenty of first-time listeners, who gelled quite easily with the band’s funky rock-and-roll style.

Throw in a touch of reggae, jazz, pop, and progressive rock, and you’ll begin to get a feel for what Mercury Landing is about. They’re out to have a good time, but they practice hard and play tight. They are constantly aiming to improve their material, mastering the art of the “one set” gig. And they set their sights high.

Over the next few years, they’re eying world tours and even a rock opera!

I recently tracked down guitarist Corey J. Feldman — whom I first met in a Chinese philosophy class at NYU! — and pitched him a few questions in anticipation of the tour. Here’s what he had to say.

Best of luck on tour, guys!

LR: Tell us about the early days of Mercury Landing. I know you guys were at NYU when the band started coming together, originally under the name Dr. UHall. How did you get to the current configuration?

CJF: Three of us were NYU kids, graduated 2005.  Our drummer, Nate Rosler, was a craigslist find.  Dr. UHall was just me (guitarist Corey J.) and bassist Dan Haller as a duo at first.  The band eventually evolved into Mercury Landing really as we added keyboards.  We’ve played with a lot of musicians (mostly guitarists) over the years, beginning as a 2 guitar band.  Ultimately, our keys player, Rich Brownstein, also responded to a craigslist ad.  It turns out we’d known each other from freshmen year at NYU, and he joined the band the October after we graduated.  That’s when Dr. UHall became Mercury Landing.  The band shifted through a few lead guitar guys (a few of them highly trained jazz players) before we decided to go it as a 4-piece, which only happened about 6 months ago.

LR: How has your sound evolved over the years?

CJF: The sound is shaped by the musicians in it, and we’ve had a few over the last few years.  Our tastes have changed, our style of writing has progressed, and our musical proficiency has gotten better.  Hopefully this means we’re writing better songs and executing them better.  Our album represents a fair cross section of our musical styles as musicians, even though it’s a year old.  Now we spend a lot of time hashing through our current material to make sure our “one-set” show is really powerful.  Doing an opening gig means nailing all of your A+ material.  I think our sound has evolved once already into what Mercury Landing is, and we’re in the first stages of our next evolution.  I think of what we are as a funk-infused rock band with a dose of those jam roots.  This next stage of our evolution, for me, involves a rock opera.

LR: You guys have rocked out with some pretty big jam bands. What are some personal highlights?

CJF: The most recent Tea Leaf Green show was a lot of fun for us.  They are always really cool, and I learned that Josh Clarke is quite the artist.  I think playing with the Breakfast a few times has been amazing.  Tim Palmieri is one of my favorite guitarists out there.  Personally, I’m a fan of the Pnuma Trio.  Their dance music is infectious.  Also, Dan and I (as Dr. UHall) were afforded the opportunity back in 2005 of opening for RAQ, which was a hell of a show as well.  I became a fan of that band upon their opening cover of Van Halen’s “Jump.”

LR: Mercury Landing has taken off in New York City, which is no easy feat considering the amount of competition on any given night. What is it about the Mercury Landing experience that keeps people coming back?

CJF: I like to think that most of it is the quality of our songs, and the intensity of our performance.  We also have a lot of great friends and family who really love our band and always come out to support.  It’s true we’ve built a following in this town, and I think a lot of the credit should go to the people who bring the energy to us while we’re on stage.

We spend a lot of time making each song perfect, and even to this day, we change little things here and there on our oldest tunes.  Also, our set encompasses at least one thing that each person really loves.  Maybe it’s the latin-world beat thing we did, that reggae breakdown we jammed out, or the catchy chorus we sang.  One way or another, we’re going to do something that will tickle your fancy.  And we give it our all on stage.  Hopefully when we give it our all, the audience gives back too.

LR: You guys are about to embark on a national tour. How did it all come together and how are you gearing up for the trip?

CJF: It took a lot of phone calls, emails, and knowing a few people.  We’re calling in lots of favors, asking our friends’ parents to crash at their houses, and buying a hitch for a car.  I think that our personal connections really filled in the gaps on this tour.  More than half our shows were booked through people we knew.  We’re just trying to stay on rehearsal schedule, and focus on the music.  This way, when the day to embark into the south and midwest arrives, we’ll be ready.

LR: Where would you like to see Mercury Landing in the next, say, five years?

CJF: I see us playing all over the world, festivals, Europe, Japan, you name it.  Our songs are special, and they can be shared with anyone who’ll listen.  Music is a very special thing, and I think in 5 years, a lot of people will have listened to Mercury Landing.

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