Four White Stallions by Tender Mercies by OCMusicMagazine
Heaven Knows by Tender Mercies by OCMusicMagazine
Have you noticed that TM is also TradeMark?
You might remember a little band called Tender Mercies we folks at OCMM fell in love with last month, thanks to the band’s stellar debut album. You might also remember that Patrick Winningham and Counting Crows’Dan Vickrey are the brains behind this alt-country group, and that they’ve dubbed the long-awaited album “the complete history of Tender Mercies.” These guys have been on repeat in my room for the whole holiday season, and so I was crazily enthused to get a chance to interview the man himself, Mr. Dan Vickrey.
We spoke during a baking party at my best friend’s house, a perfectly cozy setting for such a comfortable, casual chat. I sipped apple cider with the phone pressed to my ear, as Dan told me the story of how Tender Mercies came to be. The beauty of the album is in the purity and rawness of each song; this is, Dan said, the groups’ “first fresh batch.”
Tender Tunes, Merciful Vocals
“[It started] when I got out of college,” he began – 1991, by his recollection. The band’s earliest days we “loose…never really rehearsed,” and “always kinda half-assed,” he confessed, laughing under his breath as he spoke. It was merely a group of talented guys having fun together. Tender Mercies parted ways over time, but Vickrey’s move back to San Francisco in 2005 brought the band back together. The band knew it was time to lay down the tracks in earnest, and conveniently, as Dan pointed out, “now you can make a full-blown record in your house.” So, in a quick eight sessions spanning about two months, Tender Mercies recorded their debut album, using the same songs they’d jammed on back when I was three years old.
“You get your whole life to write your first batch of songs,” Dan explained as I bit into a chocolate chip cookie and scribbled down his words. When compared to Counting Crows, for whom Vickrey has played guitar for seventeen years, Tender Mercies is a drastically different, more personal experience for the musician. “When I write, I feel like [the songs] are mine, kinda,” he said. These were songs written organically, without any pressures or deadlines from a label. Vickrey and Winningham wrote the songs almost a generation ago, but the genuine spirit in which they were written contains relatable and genuine emotions, making each song a timeless one. Not to mention the careful attention to detail in each song – “When you have twenty years to write a song you can really get them how you want ‘em,” Vickrey joked.
As for future endeavors, Tender Mercies is taking it easy, ready to “see what the new year brings.” They are looking forward to touring in the coming years – they’re even considering opening for the Crows, which Dan is excited about. For now though, the band plans to enjoy their holidays and bask in the glory emanating off the beautiful fruits of their labor – which, I might add, has been warmly received by many a music lover.
“We all like the songs,” Dan said as we wrapped up the interview. “It’s nice to hear… the positive response.”
