Throughout Nicholas Merz’s stellar “Great Spiders,” a familiar feeling washes through my veins even though his upcoming album, American Classic, comes with its own sharp edge. Surreal narratives unfold in Michael T. Workman’s incredible video, where reality’s dark maw looms out of sight, kept at bay through cryptic laughter, half-blind cats, and a whole lot of sweat. “Great Spiders” walks a line meandering through basement punk rock and outlaw acid flashbacks. Merz gives away the truth of it all in the opening line. “Here’s this joke, alright? Listen for the punchline,” he croons, “It’ll make you laugh… or cry.” The veil between the two is gossamer-thin and stained with God-only-knows, but once the horns begin to wail on “Great Spiders,” there’s no turning back. Merz only deals one-way tickets.
American Classic will be released in February on Aagoo Records. Nicholas will be on tour in November:
1 Los Angeles, CA – Gold Diggers
2 Las Vegas, NV – Square Bar
4 Butte, MT – Clark Chateau
5 Missoula, MT – Monks
6 Bozeman, MT – East Gallatian Yacht Club
7 Spokane, WA – Baby Bar
8 Secretsville, WA – Secret Show
9 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
10 Nanaimo, BC – The Hole
11 Victoria, BC – TBA
12 Vancouver, BC – Green Auto
13 Snoqualmie, WA – The Black Dog (Afternoon show)
13 Portland, OR – The Fixin’ To
14 Arcata, CA – Richards’ Goat
15 Oakland, CA – The Golden Bull
16 San Jose, CA – Orifice
Foxy Digitalis depends on our awesome readers to keep things rolling. Pledge your support today via our Patreon or subscribe to The Jewel Garden.
