Have Mercy
Saturday nights during Noise Pop are the coveted spot, the top line, a headlining festival booking.
The evening was host to a myriad of incredible artists - Best Coast at The Regency, Jacques Greene at Starline Social Club, and The Stone Foxes at The Independent just to name a few. But it was a show at San Francisco gem Thee Parkside that peaked my interest most. Have Mercy from Baltimore, Maryland was wrapping up their final tour ever, with support from Fredo Disco and Young Culture - two young bands with a wealth of energy. The show seemed like the perfect way to close out Noise Pop 2020; a storied band taking a final bow, while two new one's emerged from the ashes below. Thee Parkside was the perfect hearth for this fire.
The Potrero Hill watering hole has been around for what feels like forever, and hopefully will remain at 1600 17th street for many years to come. The venue closes the front door during shows, routing denizens through their back outdoor space - and boy do I love a good outdoor area at a bar, not to mention a punk venue! This creates the perfect dichotomy for enjoying shows here - get hot and sweaty in the pit inside, and cool off with a beer outside between sets. We arrived with no time to spare, as Young Culture was well into their opening set - we grabbed a beer and nestled ourselves into the already decent-sized crowd.
Young Culture hails from Albany, New York and consists of Alex Magnan on vocals, Gabe Pietrafesa and Troy Burchett on guitars, Aaron Garcia on bass, and Simon Hatziioannou on drums. What a way to kick things off! Young Culture is brimming with energy and attitude. Alex Magnan is an incredible frontman, attacking the mic and delivering his lyrics with hip-hop-like sensibilities. We regrettably only caught the band's final two tracks - but that was enough to prompt me to look them up and check out their recorded material. In a world where everyone seems more prone to pick up DJ'ing, it's so great to see a young band that is clearly hungry for it. Speaking of up-and-comers - Fredo Disco was up next, in a seamless handoff of the torch.
For being a couple years shy of legal drinking age, it's no surprise these boys had energy - but it was even more refreshing to see how self-assured, self deprecating, and just outright genuine they seemed. Originating in Downers Grove, Illinois - Fredo Disco is a throwback (for people my age) to the early 2000's pop-punk/ emo era. The band's sound immediately scratched an itch I'd been unaware of, prompting me to be sure I didn't miss their set. Consisting of frontman Fredo Fosco (whose name being autocorrected in a text resulted in the band's moniker), Max King on lead guitar, Colin Riordan on drums, and Aidan Cada on bass - the band got their start in early 2017 and already have like, 5+ releases. This made for an expansive set, culminating in a sing along of "shower song" from 2017's "school spirit". Assuming the efforts to quell the spread of Covid-19 are successful, these guys will be back in the Bay Area come June in support of Hot Mulligan.
In the meantime, we snagged another beer and enjoyed the cool air on the back patio. Thee Parkside has a small kitchen on-site, offering bar bites in the form of sandwiches and fries (their lunch special is a steal btw); Our fries arrived promptly enough for us to munch, throw back a beer and enjoy a quick smoke break. The members of Fredo Disco were hanging at the merch table, engaged in conversation with a group of female fans - I couldn't help but chuckle to myself, it was a nice sign that some things never change. We weaved our way back inside to the bar, where a small stack of posters and a bucket of beer coozies had been laid out to celebrate Noise Pop, which is such a rad gesture to festival goers. A final beer for the final act, and we settled into the crowd.
Have Mercy began in late 2009 when founding members Aaron Alt, and Joey McCusker on drums and guitar respectively, parted ways with their previous band and formed a new project with frontman Brian Swindle. In the years since, the band has seen members come and go - cycling in writing partners and touring members, Swindle being the mainstay all the while. It was reported by the band in March 2019 that former drummer Aaron Alt had passed away. By December of that year it was announced that the band would embark on their final tour before calling it quits. Have Mercy was here with purpose - to celebrate all that the band had accomplished in it's ten year tenure, and to honor their fallen friend.
Swindle immediately laid out a disclaimer that he had been sick, and that pretty much everyone on tour had been recently - that didn't seem to slow him down at all. The evening felt extremely intimate, as Brian engaged with the crowd and told us little stories and anecdotes. Without missing a beat, he called out a rather unintelligible member of the crowd, "I can't talk right now, but you can't talk at all!" and satiated another crowd members need for attention, a lawyer who insisted on being heard - "Oh, you're a lawyer. Well, I've got a couple lawsuits". He laughed it all off, but allowed it to be a segue into a track about getting jumped in Baltimore - "These Streets" from 2019's The Love Life. The set was extremely cathartic as the band dug into their catalogue, which was imbued with the indie, pop-punk, post hardcore aesthetic I'd been craving. At one point, he sat down on the stage to do a shot and I managed to engage with him for a moment with an exchange of smiles.
As the evening winded down, it was clear that we were headed into more emotional territory - Swindle even prefaced things with, "If I cry, fucking ignore it." - and he proceeded to play solo for a track that lamented the loss of his best friend. The crowd was completely silent and present in this moment, which was impressive. It was clear that that track was a huge weight off the band's shoulders as Swindle returned to being his jovial self. You could feel the air clear as the band shook off the blues and finished their set - I was sad to see it end to be honest, especially knowing this was the last time I'd likely see them. "I've gotta go home, gotta make some babies, gotta have a real life - I'm getting too old", Swindle remarked.
Unfortunately, the remainder of their East Coast tour dates saw cancellation after cancellation due to the coronavirus and efforts to stymie it's spread. Fredo Disco recently posted to their instagram that "the Coronatour has been OFFICIALLY CANCELLED!", celebrating the times they had and the connections they made. I hope Swindle and Co. get a chance to rest, recalibrate, and come back swinging - it'd be a shame to let all that talent lie dormant!
In lieu of all these cancellations - Have Mercy has announced a livestream set for Friday, March 20th at 7PM EST/ 4PM PST. We’ll for sure be hosting a watch party via our Facebook.
