Photo by: Valerie Kraucunas
On April 29, the recently-formed Denver indie pop act,The Centennial, played a headlining show at the Hi-Dive on Broadway. The Centennial, born from the ashes of former Denver pop-group Meese, features former members (and brothers) Patrick and Nathan Meese, as well as Patrick Meese’s spouse, Tiffany.
The show featured opening sets from local artists Tim Hussman and Serious Moonlight.
During its rather short set, The Centennial played through the entirety of its debut EP, Second Spring, demonstrating a surprisingly smooth transition from its electronically-oriented, somewhat mellow studio work to a more energetic and intimate live setting.
The band played three unreleased tracks peppered throughout the set that really shined – indicating that The Centennial certainly already has a well-crafted sound, as well as a lot of potential to grow as a band and further establish themselves as a dominant local and maybe even national act.
You can download The Centennial’s Second Spring EP from www.thecentennial.net, and you can catch Patrick Meese drumming for Nathaniel Rateliff as he opens for Mumford & Sons June 15th & 16th at the Fillmore Auditorium.
What were the factors leading to Meese’s breakup?
Patrick Meese: You can think yourself in circles about the whole thing – I think it’s just a bunch of things. Once Ben [Meese’s drummer] had quit the band, and both of our A&R guys had been fired, and I wasn’t too pleased with the record, and all of these things coming together… it was fun though, we had a really good time, but ultimately, it was time to move on.
How would you describe the feedback The Centennial’s gotten from the Denver community?
Nate Meese: I think the press really likes it.
Tiffany Meese: It’s still being compared to Meese because it’s so new, but The Centennial always gets really great feedback.
Patrick Meese: Meese was never a critic’s band by any means, and I think the reviews [for The Centennial] have implied that this is a move in the right direction. At the same time, I’m sure there’s a lot of Meese fans who are disappointed by how mellow the first EP was. But, ultimately, I feel this is the way the band needed to start.
What are some of the lyrical themes you’ve pursued with The Centennial?
Patrick Meese: With the lyrics on the Second Spring EP, I was trying to create a lot of feeling rather than tell a specific story. I was going through a lot of different changes, and it felt like when everything was dying and getting bad, that it got good again with this band, and that’s where the name “Second Spring” comes from.
Let’s talk about the instrumentation on the Second Spring EP – it seems to have a stronger electronic element than did the last Meese album, Broadcast.
Patrick Meese: Absolutely. I didn’t really think about live drums at all when we were doing it. I just wanted really cool-sounding samples, and to do something a little different.
What local artists are you excited about right now?
Patrick Meese: Well, I’m playing with a lot of them! Churchill – they’re our good friends, and they just put out a great record. Also: Nathaniel Rateliff, Gregory Alan Isakov. Nate’s been playing a little with The Epilogues, and Tiff’s been playing with Josh Novak. Glowing House is really awesome, too.
What experience do you guys try to give with your live performances?
Patrick Meese: I just want the songs to feel good live, and for everyone to be comfortable and have a good time.
Nate Meese: Yeah, no one wants to, like, go out on a Friday night and be bummed out.
Your last concert was actually a house party show, is that right?
Patrick Meese: Yeah, we had a full band and a PA. We got probably a hundred people packed into [Nate’s house]. It was a success, for sure.
And any future plans for another EP or a tour?
Patrick Meese: If the opportunity presents itself, but right now we’re still figuring out how to play live in these roles. Denver’s a great community for us to try stuff out and get comfortable. I’d love to see where we’re at in six months or a year.
The Centennial – You Don’t Get to Say by StealThisTrack
