Since the release of their debut album "Kind of light", The 88 have been growing like the Blob. Okay, maybe thats not most flattering way to put it. But they have been sweeping titles and awards non-stop since they dropped "Kind of Light",
they have stayed in the top 100 CMJ charts and are in heavy rotation at several LA radio stations. They have spilled over into film, television and talk radio. They have sold-out the Troubadour and The Viper Room. I have even heard from
my contacts in LA that certain celebs never fail to attend their shows.
The album is a mix of R&B, classic rock and a wee bit 60's pop feel. Its refreshing to listen to in that it doesn't make any demands on the listener. There is no pretense-Its just music recorded by good musicians for the sake of good music.
Check out their website. Their are sample mp3s. Listen to them and you'll probably like them.
KM: How did all of you meet and how was "The 88" formed?
Adam: Keith & I went to Calabasas High School together. My friend Kevin Berntson & I wrote a song together our senior year and
decided to record it on the last day of school. He said he knew this guy, Keith who had a really good voice & he
would see if he would be interested in singing on this demo. (He heard him singing Spinal Tap songs) Keith and I
were just acquaintances at the time. I remember having conversations with him about David Bowie and The Rolling
Stones and Led Zeppelin in English class in 10th grade but we never really hung then. So we recorded this song and
I thought he had an incredible voice. It was on that last day of high school when we recorded that I knew this was
what I wanted to do and that I wanted to be in a band with him. We formed a band, played some shows, recorded some
songs, and Keith and I started discovering a lot of music like Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, The Band, etc...It was
very different from what the other guys in our band listened to so we decided to look for some new people to
play with. I placed an ad in the Recycler magazine looking for a drummer and that's how we met Mark. The funny
thing is, I knew he was THE guy before I even heard him play - just from talking with him on the phone.
He was into all the same music we were into. Carlos was actually our guitar player in our first band but when
that band broke up we lost touch for a while. After Keith and I played with Mark, which was a match made in
heaven, I placed an ad in the Recycler for a bass player. I was browsing through the ads one day and I came
across a "guitar player available" ad that said, "influences: Beatles, Joe Cocker, Dylan, etc..." I called him up
and it was Carlos! I told him that we found a great drummer and we just needed a bass player and asked him if he
was interested in playing bass. The rest is history. We became known as the Freeloaders and played around town at
the Troubadour and the Alligator Lounge. We met Brandon through our friend Jason Muller (of the band Nervous Return).
Jason gave him a CD of ours and invited him to come see us play at Molly Malones. Brandon thought we were really
great and asked if he could play tambourine with us at the next show. We thought that would sound good since there
was a lot of tambourine on the CD which we couldn't pull off live with just the four of us. He ended up coming to
a few rehearsals and playing more percussion. One day he asked if he could play acoustic guitar with us.
We really liked Brandon's work ethic and he brought a lot of new ideas to the table so we asked him if he'd join
our band. He was the one that came up with the name, The 88.
KM: You guys are on the OC soundtrack how did that come about and do you watch that show?
Adam: We have an agent, Danny Benair at Natural Energy Lab who places our music into films, TV shows,
commercials, etc. The OC contacted Danny for some new material and he sent them our CD. They ended up liking it
and using it in a few episodes.
KM: How did you come up with the name "The 88"?
Adam: Brandon came up with the name. It's the title of a French Kicks song. Also there are 88 keys on
a piano.
KM: Can you tell us a little about The 88's creative process?
Adam: Keith usually has an idea and will play it for us during rehearsal. Sometimes he'll play us songs
he records on his 8-track at home. And from there, we all come up with ideas and parts that make the songs our own.
KM: Do you have any kind of philosophy behind your music?
Adam: We love to play music together and record. We work hard at what we do & hope that people will like it.
KM: Do any of you have formal musical training?
Adam: I took piano lessons from the age of 7-10, but mainly taught myself. Keith got me into the Stones
and I loved the piano on Exile on Main Street and Sticky Fingers. I started listening to that on headphones while
sitting at the piano and figuring out what they were doing.
KM: What are some of your musical interests and influences?
Adam: I love The Band, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones. There's a new guy named Richard Swift who we all love.
(www.richardswift.us)
KM: How long did it take you to record "Kind of Light"?
Adam: We never really sat down and decided, "Ok let's make a record." So we would record a song here and
there and the next thing we knew we had over 20 songs recorded.
KM: When are you recording your next album?
Adam: We just started recording some new songs. We have a bunch of new material that we're very excited about.
KM: What are your stops this tour?
Adam: We're not on tour right this moment. We've been concentrating on recording some new material. However, we
are hoping to get out to the East Coast in October 2004.
KM: How have your previous tours gone?
Adam: We recently did a small Southwest tour in April that was a lot of fun. We got to play in Tucson, New Mexico,
and Austin. When we were in Austin we played a show with The Thrills and The Sleepy Jackson.
KM: Have you had any strange experiences on tour?
Adam: Yes, I've never seen anyone play as much Playstation as our sound engineer did in the van.
KM: How have you been received so far on tour?
Adam: So far, it's been really great. I know it can be hard to play out of town when nobody has heard of you, but
we did a lot of promoting before we went to these places and it seemed to really pay off.
KM: How would you describe one of your live shows to someone who has never been to one?
Adam: You gotta come see Carlos's new haircut.
KM: What other bands do you recommend for people who like your music?
Adam: Richard Swift, Sondre Lerche, and The Moore Brothers.
KM: Do you have any advice for young musicians trying to break the scene?
Adam: Put everything you got into what you do. It takes a lot of work, but it's worth it when you start seeing
the results. Also, get your music out there. Post your MP3's online and pass out CD samplers of your music.
KM: What are your hobbies?
Adam: I'm also an engineer so I love recording all kinds of music. I enjoy taking pictures, watching movies, and
making vegetarian food.
An interview with Adam Merrin of The 88 by By Keith Martin
