The Untitled Interview #42: Starring Jeremy Mendicino (Pretty & Nice)

So it's pretty much a Pretty & Nice lovefest up in here these days. But really, this should come as no surprise. There's so much to love! They totally won me over last year, and I'm even more smitten a kitten these days having recently seen them for the second time (and spent some quality time shooting the breeze with Mr. J. Mendicino). Oh, and they make mixtapes for us. New levels of awesome, if you ask me. If you're lookin' for a good time, I highly recommend procuring some of the bodacious bounty that is Pretty & Nice music. So just sit back, relax, and let the sage words of Jeremy carry you away on a tide of knowledge, friends.

Les Enfants Terribles: How the hell are you?
Jeremy Mendicino: Well, thank you.

LET: What was the last song you listened to?
JM: Drummers – “Tiny” (as of yet, unreleased)

LET: Playing music is:
JM: Hard work. I'm still bleeding from that cowbell episode...

LET: What album most made you realize you wanted to make music?
JM: Well...any Beatles record probably...I started writing when I was 3...so…hard to remember...

LET: Beatles or Stones?
JM: Beatles. Hands down. No question. Absolutely. Never really liked The Stones... always seemed too simple...too meat-handed. I mean, the Beatles wrote fucking, "Happiness is a Warm Gun"...what the heck more do you NEED?

LET: Top 5 albums (of now, of this month, or of ever):
JM: I'll give you a top 5 of today:

Cryptacize - Mythomania
Pink Floyd - Relics
Frog Eyes - Golden River
Genesis - Genesis
Mingus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus

LET: Favorite music-related movie?
JM: Eeeeek! Hmmm...I don't want to sound like a Beatle-holic, so I won't say Help! How about, Hello Down There - you know, the one where the band of young'ns live in a glass house under the sea with their scientist dad and swingin' mom...what? You don't know that one? Come on! I mean, Tony Randall's in it! Isn't that enough?

LET: Half-full or half-empty?
JM: Half full. Of tea!

LET: Which of your peers do you think is making the best music these days?
JM: Aww jeesh...I'm gonna make someone angry with this one. I apologize to all of my peers who aren't mentioned here. I'm gonna go with The Big Big Bucks. They're incredible. Plus 7. With a cherry on top.

LET: What’s the first thing you think when you wake up in the morning?
JM: "I have to pee... and where's my breakfast, Jeeves?"

LET: The greatest record store in the world is:
JM: Amoeba. Any one of 'em.

LET: Shaken or stirred?
JM: I don't drink, but I used to get my martinis any way I could! Always dirty and always with cheap vodka.

LET: Little-known Pretty & Nice fact?
JM: We morph.

LET: You kindly share mixes on your site, in memory of the lost art of making a mixtape. What makes a mighty fine mix?
JM: A pinch of history, a sprig of Theme, a touch of dirt, and good leveling (how obnoxious is it when someone gives you a mix and all the edits and levels are off? I hate that). But, it is the thought that counts... I guess. ;)

LET: If you weren’t in a band you’d be:
JM: That's true.

LET: Your boots were made for:
JM: Walkin'.

LET: If you were so inclined, whom would you form a tribute band in honor of?
JM: Failure. And Kevin would be the drummer, and my friend Luke would be the 2nd guitarist, and we'd have to find another guitarist to play the bass... preferably one addicted to heroin.

LET: Favorite Bostonian-area colloquialism?
JM: “Pass the chips, matey.” (Translation: “Put that lime in that coconut, friend.”)

LET: Best song ever written?
JM: “Banjo Bunnie” by the Frogs. Or maybe the Happy Birthday song. One of the two.

mp3: Grab Your Nets (Pretty & Nice from Blue & Blue)

100 Shows of 2010 - #1: Title Tracks/Pretty and Nice @ Gallery 5, 3/2/10

And so it begins. Having just relocated from Richmond, it seemed somehow fitting to begin the odyssey at Gallery 5, one of Richmond’s most unique venues (and one of a shrinking handful of good venues in RVA). Throw in a pair of great bands, Title Tracks and Pretty & Nice, and it was a recipe for one swimmingly super night.

MINI RECAP: Pretty & Nice = Hell yes. Title Tracks = Hell yes. Tales of touring the FBI building = Hell yes. Overall score: A.

The night started off with a dark, stormy sky and a harrowing, snow-filled drive down 95 into Richmond. I needed a hot chocolate from Ellwood’s (some of the best hot chocolate in the whole city) to help me recover before heading downtown to the action at Gallery 5.

After a warm-up set from locals Last Century, the real fun began when Pretty & Nice took to the stage. “Bring it On,” quoth the bright red Pokemon tee worn by singer-guitarist Jeremy, and bring it on they certainly did. I was already a fan of Pretty & Nice, having trekked all over Austin one rather warm afternoon to see a set of theirs. Their scrumptiously jaunty rocking out and winning onstage personas won me over then, and seeing them again only made my heart grow fonder. Pretty & Nice is totally ridiculous live, posturing and posing all over the place and partaking in seriously hilarious facial contortions. But if there’s another band out there that seems to have more fun than they do playing live, I’m not sure I can name them. Are they faking it? Doubtful. The Bostonian foursome seems full of glee when playing. They even excel at falsetto, and lord knows I love me some good falsetto. “Are we too loud, you guys?” they inquired halfway in. They cajoled and coerced the assembled party into coming closer, saying “we love you very much.” We obliged, and soon people were dancing along to the buoyant jangle coming from the stage. My final note on the Pretty & Nice set was this: If you don’t crack a smile at a Pretty & Nice show, there might be something wrong with you.

After a brief intermission, including time spent talking with Jeremy of P & N about touring the FBI HQ and other bemusing topics, it was time for Title Tracks, and the night got even better. 35 seconds into their set I was totally in smit with the adorable pop coming from the stage, so sweet and addictive it was like the sonic equivalent of high fructose corn syrup (though a lot better for you, of course). But in terms of being addicting, they’ve got it down my friends. Title Tracks’ set made me think of great early 60s pop, so cute and so innocent yet precocious under the surface. If only they’d been wearing matching suits and had the bowl haircuts…ok, that might actually have been overkill. With their musical pedigree (DC stalwarts Q & Not U for one) it was a little surprising to hear such sweetness without a trace of an edge, but I for one loved it. I’m guessing the dudes standing near me dancing around like Stone Roses fans from 1993 probably did, too. The set flew by in a flash, which I suppose falls under the ole performer’s motto of leaving them wanting more. From “Found Out” to “It’s Wrong” (a super new song!) to “It Was Easy,” Title Tracks absolutely knocked it out of the park. I’ll be seeing them again, and if you’ve got any sense, you’ll go see them whenever you get the chance.

mp3: Every Little Bit Hurts (Title Tracks from It Was Easy)