Let’s Talk Punk with The Owen Guns
Interview By Lisa-PunkrPrincess
WE ARE RERUNNING THIS LET’S TALK PUNK BECAUSE OF A DEATH IN LISA’S FAMILY… SHE WILL RETURN NEXT MONTH
Punk Globe: Hi thanks for chatting with us, can you give us a little band history?
Mesos: We started out as a 3 piece in Dom’s basement and after about a year or so, added Trish on rhythm guitar to fill out the sound. Dom had been in a few bands prior to starting up The Mesos, and in the beginning, we had a different bassist and drummer. When we finally decided to hit the studio to record our debut EP, we realized the bassist wasn’t really cutting it and after months of trying to get a decent mix, we decided to replace that guy with Connor Langan, which REALLY gave more life and groove to the songs. Connor had also been in a few bands prior to joining us. We gigged quite heavily in our area with that lineup, then, without warning, our drummer left us. Lucky for us, Chad Phillips(of BLANKS 77) was looking for another project to work with. So now our current, and hopefully FINAL, the lineup consists of Dom Fortese- lead vocals/lead guitar, Trish McCormick-rhythm guitar/backing vocals, Connor Langan-bass/backing vocals, and Chad Phillips- drums.
Punk Globe: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Mesos: Well, as with every artist out there, the COVID-19 shutdown and subsequent restrictions were a tough one, but we used that time to work on the EP and gigged where and when we could, which kept the momentum going. Also, the changes in personnel were stressful. The chemistry that makes a band what it is isn’t always a guarantee when members change Connor was a perfect fit for us, fortunately. The same goes for Chad. It’s a bit of a nervous time before the first rehearsal with a new guy, haha. But, once again, we got very lucky when he came along. It’s working out quite well.
Punk Globe: What is your music-making process?
Mesos: Usually, someone comes in with an idea. Whether we toss a phrase back and forth, or a guitar or bass riff, we build from there. Dom writes most of the lyrics and guitar phrases and we all collaborate off that. We find it the best way to write, for us, and things come together much quicker that way. Most backing vocals, solos, and intros even, are sometimes added as we play live. Trish likes to call it “the molding process”. We are able to see what sticks that way before we put down a finalized version in the studio.
Punk Globe: Any new releases?
Mesos: Our most recent single, ‘Smack Daddy” came out in February of this year and did ok on some indie stations and has remained in rotation on some of these stations along with our previous releases. We LOVE indie radio and community radio stations!! Right now we have a live capture of “Chamber ” that we might release soon as a Digi single. We are booked in early July for some more studio time, so we’ll have a few more songs or another EP coming out in late summer or early fall.
Punk Globe: Describe your local music scene.
Mesos: We are pretty fortunate to have a decent local scene. We’ve shared shows with many talented artists and many of them have become great friends. Although we might have a limited selection of venues, the community is quite supportive and shows up. It’s so cool to look out into the crowd and see members of other bands out there supporting and enjoying a show.
Punk Globe: Who are some bands who like to play shows with?
Mesos: Wow, that’s tough because there are so many cool bands. But here goes! Kali Ma and The Garland of Arms, Blanks 77, Old Daggers, Christ Chopper; we opened for Richie Ramone, Flatfoot56, The Queers-and these guys/gals were all fantastic to play a show with. River City Rebels too! And they are back out and playing so we hope to hook up with them soon. We’ll be opening for Catch 22 this August in Wilkes-Barre, PA, that should be a blast, too.
Punk Globe: What’s your strongest musical memory of your childhood?
Mesos: Mesos: “Getting my very first guitar at age 7. My dad paid on it weekly during my lessons, something I will always appreciate deeply”- Trish “Listening to SOME GIRLS by the Rolling Stones on my mom’s record player”- Dom.
Punk Globe: Describe a real-life situation that inspired you.
Mesos: Mesos: Loosely based on someone we knew, “Smack Daddy” was written about the dangers of hard drugs and getting too close to that scene. And for Dom, it was seeing the new york dolls on vh1 classic doing jet boy and that’s what made me think I can do that
Punk Globe: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
Mesos: Saturday afternoon is dedicated to band rehearsals, which we really look forward to. A typical session consists of some catching up on the “business” side of things such as merch, show offers, and some goofing around. Haha. Then we rip into a set, top to bottom. After that, we generally will work on new songs or song ideas. We meet at the same time every week, for the most part.
Punk Globe: Do you have any other hobbies besides, obviously, making music?
Mesos: Dom likes to go fishing and is a huge Cleveland Guardians fan. Connor’s been working on refinishing and spraying basses. He also does the artwork for all our flyers.
Punk Globe: What’s the best and worst thing about playing small venues?
Mesos: THE SOUND!!! A lot of smaller venues don’t invest in a decent sound system or tech to run it. In some cases, there is NO IH sound and we have to hire someone to come in, set up and run it, which comes out of the payout for that night.
Punk Globe: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Mesos: Go for it. Haha. Seriously, if you’re having fun and it makes you happy, go for it. Don’t expect to become a rock star. Just have fun.
Punk Globe: Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set playlist?
Mesos: Depending on our set length for the night, we usually put it all out there. We do stick to a set playlist, but it can change depending on the venue, city, etc. We try to avoid doing covers for one simple reason: When you play a mix of both original and cover songs in your set, how do you really know what the crowd is coming to hear? Bands put a lot of time and effort into writing. Why not let those songs be the ones to shine? Of course, we used to throw a few to round out the end of our set, mostly Johnny Thunders and NY Dolls stuff, Jim Carroll Band, etc . If we ran short, we’d wrap up with a song or two from our influences.
Punk Globe: How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
Mesos: We possibly write now with production in mind. Leaving room for backing vocals or something like that. And more of the band contributing to the writing process, it makes for more rounded-out songs.
Punk Globe: Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
Mesos: River Street Jazz Cafe-WB, PA, The Kennel at West York Inn, York, PA, The Sherman Showcase-Stroudsburg,PA, The MIllhill Basement-Trenton, NJ, The V-Spot and Finnegan’s Scranton, PA, some other local venues and a few throughout eastern Pennsylvania, We love our 2 big hometown venues-THE V SPOT and FINNEGAN’S in Scranton. My least favorite……well, every place has it’s own charm, so let’s leave it at that. We have a few bangin’ shows coming up this summer. We’ll be hitting Philly in late June, but on July 9th we are at The Sherman Showcase with Blanks 77, The Whiskey Bats, and Rubix Pube. August 18th will be at The River Street Jazz Cafe in Wilkes-Barre, PA with Disposable, Skappository, and Catch 22!! We’ll also be doing some jams with Smash Master wrasslin’, which we are really looking forward to,
Punk Globe: Where can we find you and your music?
Mesos: We are on all the streaming platforms, as well as Bandcamp at https://themesos.bandcamp.com/
You can find our linktree on Facebook at www.facebook.com/themesosrock
Punk Globe: Any shout-outs you would like to make?
Mesos: YES! EVERYONE who has taken the time to listen to our music. EVERYONE who has turned on a friend to our music. EVERY DJ, PODCAST HOST, and PROGRAM DIRECTOR that has played our music, including PunkrPrincess on Whatever 68 Radio, Christopher Major at WMFO in Medford, MA, Michael Lloyd of Lloyd’s Place, Adam Signore at MarkSkinRadio.com, The guys at OTTO Records and Hanks Alternative Radio, Paul Hammond of Punk AF Radio, All of our fans of course!, Sheilah and Vince Fortese, Thora Phillips, Maddy, Donny.
Punk Globe: Thanks for chatting with us and thanks to all the readers.
Mesos: Thanks so much for having us! And please everyone check out those bands we mentioned above!!! 🙂
