Into The Unknown: Mean Street R.I.P

On Saturday, January 31, Mean Street will play their last Auckland show under that name. I sat down with Billie and Emily to find out what the future holds for the band and tried to get a few clues as to what their new band name will be.

It was a bit like interviewing one of grunge’s true legends; like a shy Kurt Cobain, Emily Littler was not prepared to talk too much about the battles she has had with other bands, promoters and venue owners, she was firmly focused on putting that in the past and moving onto bigger and brighter things. Billie Rogers, as much an integral part of the band as Emily, was happy to share her thoughts; but just like Krist Novoselic, she always had a smile on her face and her words were complementary to her band mates.

After being named Mean Street since early 2006, the band has decided the name is no longer suitable. It’s something that has been on their minds since the beginning, and with recent changes to the band’s line-up they decided time was ripe to make the change. A few months ago the band picked up a new drummer, after many frustrations with their previous drummer led to conflicting ambitions. New drummer Alex Brown, previously in The DHDFDs, has stepped into the band perfectly and has sparked a new drive in both Emily and Billie to release a record and tour new places both locally and overseas. Emily explains, “We have to change our name because there’s bands overseas called that and we’ve got a new drummer and we want to go in a new sort of direction. We’d always known we’ll have to change it sooner or later. We’ve been trying to think of new names for years and we were just like, nah, we’ve got to set a date and do it by then, otherwise we’ll just fuck around forever.”

As of yet, it is hard to know if the band has decided on a new name. When asked the hot question Billie answered “No” while at the same time Emily said “Yes”. Right now they are not giving any clues away, their new name will be announced live on stage at Camp A Low Hum sometime between February 6 and 8. The new name will then become the face to a new set of recordings the band hope to get done for release sometime in the immediate future. Recording has been a frustrating process so far for the band, trying to get things done on a low budget but to a quality they actually like has proved difficult. Emily says “the problem with getting people to record you for free is that you can’t make them do anything. We’re going to try and do it one last time for free or for a small amount of money.” Their lack of quality recordings is somewhat limiting the band’s ability to go forward, both Arch Hill Records in New Zealand and several Australian labels have expressed interest in the band but things can only progress when the band has those precious recordings.

“At the Kings Arms the bar staff are young people who want to go out clubbing…”

 

The band also plan to tour outside of Auckland a bit more throughout 2009. With the Auckland music scene in a recession, bands seem to be fighting just to make a buck, making it a less desirable place to play. Emily says “I think a lot of bands in New Zealand see music as a competition…I think it would be better if there was more of a scene because it doesn’t seem like there’s many bands at the moment.” It’s a thought echoed by Billie, who says “People aren’t really supporting each other like they should and it’s a bit of a shit time for live music. I don’t think there’s much respect between bands.” Remembering back to a few years ago, Emily recalls the live environment being very lively, “I remember back when there was Teenwolf, The Whipping Cats and Kill Surf City and nobody cared that you were playing with the same bands each week. People would still go and dance and be happy.”

Perhaps part of the problem stems from the lack of supportive venues in Auckland, club nights seem to be taking over several venues and all-ages shows are few and far between. It wasn’t until late last year that Mean Street played their first all-ages show, and despite not getting paid their full guarantee both Billie and Emily agree it was one of the funnest shows they have ever played. Billie says, “We loved that, I was smiling the whole night after that, it had such good energy.” For their final Auckland Mean Street show they have chosen to play at Whammy, which Emily says is “the only good place to play.” Whammy’s friendly management style and vibe is attractive to young bands, supporting their DIY attitude and giving bands who may be stereotyped as ‘trouble makers’ a place to play. Mean Street has had plenty of dealings with less supportive venues, most notably The Kings Arms. Emily recalls, “At the Kings Arms the bar staff are young people who want to go out clubbing so they want you to play really early and they don’t even give you a rider or anything. And you have to pay to play there.”

When Emily, Billie and Alex return to Auckland after Camp A Low Hum they will no longer be in a band named Mean Street. Perhaps with a fresh start and a new name, they may be able to convince people to show them some more respect. With little room for egos in such a small city, the music community would definitely benefit if everyone came together. Money may be tight, but demanding money while other bands miss out will not help in the long run, especially when the money is being put towards making good quality music.

To win a double pass to Mean Street’s last Auckland show, email your name to music@einsteinmusicjournal.co.nz with Mean Street in the subject line.

Mean Street- You Do The Math: MP3

Mean Street- Myspace

 

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand
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