Patrick Merrill has gotten solid footing once more in the Los Angeles music scene, captivating audiences with just his voice, guitar, and humor. He has proven time and time again to be a powerful force as both a performer and songwriter who continues to grow. Patrick himself discusses his upcoming full-length "A Road" and what else he has planned.
1. Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Patrick Merrill, and how long the band has been together.
Patrick: Hi, I'm Patrick Merrill, I'm a Libra, 23 years young, 24 on the 16th of this month, and enjoy candlelit dinners and sunset strolls on the beach. I'm a singer-songwriter and have been performing solo since 2010.
2. Can I get a backstory on the band/ band biography?
Patrick: I've been playing in bands and indicated in the Southern California music scene since I was about 11. I was in a band called Life's Great Tragedy, which had a decent run for about 3 or 4 years and actually had the opportunity to tour with the group prior to going solo. Since I was so used to the band aspect, there was a lot of trial and error and experimenting. I slowly started out the current project in college and last year I decided to write and record the album I'm putting out.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Patrick: I'm originally from the Los Angeles area and still very much consider that my home, but have recently relocated to San Francisco, so I can't tell you much about the music scene here yet.
4. How did you guys come up with your band name?
Patrick: All the credit goes to my parents for naming me on that one.
5. What bands have influenced your band and its sound?
Patrick: Too many to name them all. But some of the more notable bands are Blink 182, John Mayer, Jeff Buckley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Third Eye Blind, Damien Rice, and Minus the Bear.
6. Can you tell me about the songs "Hell and High Water" and "Lights"?
Patrick: "Hell and High Water" was written somewhere in the middle of the writing process. I think it was the breakthrough moment of writing the record. I don't want to give too much away about the song and let people interpret their own meaning, but I can say at the time someone who I loved for many years was moving hundreds of miles away and the song was me dealing and expressing myself during that time.
"Lights" was the last song I wrote for the record, it actually almost didn't make it on the record, so I owe my producer Eugene all the credit for pushing for the song to make it. Both songs actually tie very well together,
one was written before that person had left and one was written at the tail end of that relationship.
7. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?
Patrick: A lot of the record was written in a very transitory time for me, so there is quite an underlying theme of coming to age on this record.
8. What's your favorite tracks on the album?
Patrick: I don't think I have a single favorite song, I wrote the album to be listened to as a whole, preferably in the nude with incense. Because that's how acoustic records should be listed to right?
9. Who produced A Road and what was it like working with them?
Patrick: I worked with the extremely talented Eugene Pererras, who has been my go to guy for all my solo material. We have developed a great working relationship over the years where we can talk in pure jiberish and understand what we are both looking for out of a take, it's magical. He's got a great pedigree from working with New Years Day, Rx Bandits, The Sounds of Animals Fighting, just to name a few, that you can rest assured he will help steer a record in the right direction.
10. Is there any story or concept behind the A Road title?
Patrick: I wish there was an elaborate story behind it, but I felt that it was a great title to encompass what the record is all about.
11. Who did the cover art for A Road and how much input did you have on it?
Patrick: My talented brother Byron Merrill is currently working on the art work for the album. I have my input, that being said, I hired him for his expertise and art direction.
12. Select two songs from A Road and what inspired the lyrics.
Patrick: "Fading Signal" and "City Speak" were both inspired by the same events. Both songs were inspired by someone who had been in my life for many years leaving.
13. What should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?
Patrick: Aside from the devlishly good looking guy? I try to keep it as transparent, honest, and interesting as possible with my music, as cliche as that may sound. I think with the over processed music that dominates the media these days, people will be able to have a real organic connection to my music.14. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Patrick: Visit my website, patrickmerrill.com, and you can stream my music. I'll be putting the album for sale on my website, iTunes, and all other major digital music platforms.
15. What can the fans expect to see from you in the future?
Patrick: Maybe a rock record. At the very least, a full band sometime in the near future.
16. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Patrick: How great the music is.
17. Any final words of wisdom?
Patrick: Don't take things too seriously.
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