Alex Beckmann - Drums Jay Goodman - Bass Austin Mendenhall - Guitar Scott Seelig - Guitar/Keys Grayson Sanders - Keys/vocals
Influences
The nights when your mind goes sleepwalking
but you can't seem to put your body to bed,
delay pedals, lucid dreams, mood lighting,
heart breaking, risk taking, body shaking, love making.....
"... the men of MEM have
come to rock and roll through the back doors
of jazz, classical and electronic idioms. If it
seems like an unlikely musical intersection at
which to find a rock band, that’s because it is –
in essence, MEM is an anti-rock band, born of
everything but black leather, eyeliner and the
verse-chorus ‘four-chords-to-the-bar’ formula.
And yet “Archaea” is so listenable, so enchanting
to the ear that it’s lack of conformity only
becomes apparent in retrospect.
Then again, finding a penetrating voice in
today’s oversaturated music market is all
about the unexpected. So, go digging down
the rabbit-hole; put your memories in motion
and enjoy the trip through rock’s back door
(and beyond) with MEM’s 'Archaea.'"
-Christopher Treacy (Whizzboom Publicity)
"MEM really stood out for me...they sounded as
good as (if not better than) the recordings
on their website."
-Keyana Stevens- NYU Local
"...they were extraordinarily tight, comfortable
on stage and, by far, the most professional
band of the night."
-Jackie Sider- Washington Square News
"Finally, with a hiss of steam and some rainbow
lights, it was time for MEM to take the stage.
Performing in front of space-themed video
projections, no less...it was clear to me why
they were headlining tonight’s set. They
brought the right stage presence (in that
shoegaze way) for the music they were
performing, and everything was tight and
well-delivered."
Allison Levin- Jezebel Music
"New York-based MEM’s debut Archaea...
has a strange power to make one’s
“complete” music collection appear
somewhat lacking, creating a sort of
nonexistent void that only it has the
power to fill. MEM redefines pop music
without trying to alter it completely,
respecting the level of perfection that this
genre has already attained."
"Without being too rustic or too mawkish
when they incorporate beautiful folksy
strings to enhance their very svelte, citified
pop arrangements (“My Own Demons,” for
example), it shows another facet of the
band’s confidence that prevails throughout
the record."
"The attention to detail shown by MEM says
as much about their creative ability as their
dashing spunky flair."
"All it takes is just one spin of this record
to realize what is amiss in pop music today."
-Vish Iyer, The Daily Vault
"The result [of MEM's performance] is
complex yet straightforward, with little
treats for music nerds packed behind naked
radio hits, like someone stole a tween’s
ipod and mixed it with Animal Collective.
They blend mysterious, open scapes and
bits of psychedelia with insanely hooky
guitar parts, and belt pop choruses that
would make any boy band blush."
"The zippy “Dip Me In” uses distortion
and synth to craft an R&B school dance
jam, a bouncy keyboard part introducing
distant, echoey vocals that are so soothing
they should have their own spread in
Teen Beat."
"Mem uses their serious skills and
training to make songs appropriate for
college radio and top-40 alike."
dude, i was just head bangin hard to "the trenches" and accidentally mem-ed in my pants. the sad part is i was on the subway at the time, and i hadnt relieved myself in days.
how are my kinky lollipops doing this lovely valentines day? just dropped by to say, loving the live at choate songs, and please come back to caress us with your sweet jams anytime! seriously. so happy valentines day and thanks for all the fun at choate the other night!
