17th South Magazine

Top Menu

  • Home
  • About US
    • Our Mission
    • Meet The Team
  • All Articles
  • Contact Us
  • Past Issues
  • Pick Up A Copy
  • Read The Current Issue Online

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Latest
  • Culture
  • Indulge
  • Happening
  • Living
  • Cover Story
  • Home
  • About US
    • Our Mission
    • Meet The Team
  • All Articles
  • Contact Us
  • Past Issues
  • Pick Up A Copy
  • Read The Current Issue Online

logo

Header Banner

17th South Magazine

  • Home
  • Latest
    • Artistic Acquisition

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • WESTSIDE WARES

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • PCM Premieres

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Burning Up

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Edge of Tomorrow

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • The High Gets Higher

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • COMEBACK KID

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • DYNAMIC DESIGN

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • European Experience

      November 1, 2018
      0
  • Culture
    • The Voice of Atlanta Radio

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Put a Sock on It

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Happy to Be Here

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Coming Up Roses

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Going Green

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • Stompin’ on the Westside

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • PAINTING THE TOWN

      September 27, 2018
      0
    • EAT WITH YOUR EARS FIRST

      September 27, 2018
      0
    • Atlanta-based designer Megan Huntz

      Fashion, Forward

      August 23, 2018
      0
  • Indulge
    • A Modern Classic Menu

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Drinks on Demand

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Family Affairs

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Food News - March / April 2019

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • A SEASONAL BITE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Happening Hood Hangout

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • How Sweet It Is!

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Cozy Up, Drink Up

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Food News - JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • Happening
    • ATLANTA ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • THE GREAT RACE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • FASHION FORWARD

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • LE JARDIN FRANÇAIS WINTER FLORAL DESIGN CLASS

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • 2019 ATLANTA BIENNIAL

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • VIRGINIA-HIGHLAND TOUR OF HOMES

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • YOUR BEST LIFE

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • MOSCOW BALLET’S GREAT RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER - DOVE OF PEACE TOUR!

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • BOO AT THE ZOO

      September 27, 2018
      0
  • Living
    • Minnesota's Shopping Mecca

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Treasured Acquisition

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Preserving the Past

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Cajun Country Culinary

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Spring Forward

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • West Highlands Retreat

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Highly Addictive Beauty

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • A Dose of the Ocean

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • A Gangbuster Alabama Getaway

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • Cover Story
    • BOOZY BLASTOFFS

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • BRUNCH BUCKET LIST

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • CREAM OF THE CROP

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • GET CRACKING

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • GLOBAL BEGINNINGS

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • LAST THINGS FIRST

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • RISE & SHINE …

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Matt Gryder and Matthew Fishman

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Antonio Brown

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • BOOZY BLASTOFFS

  • BRUNCH BUCKET LIST

  • CREAM OF THE CROP

  • GET CRACKING

  • GLOBAL BEGINNINGS

  • LAST THINGS FIRST

  • RISE & SHINE …

CultureHeadlinersJANUARY 2018
Home›Culture›Fits And Starts

Fits And Starts

By 17thSouth
December 28, 2017
3935
0
Share:

Mermaid Motor Lounge’s Josh Erwin dishes on his band’s debut album

Mermaid Motor Lounge began in fits and starts. The phrase with which they aptly named their debut album references a line in Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” but it also describes the writing and band formation process. “Sometimes it’s just like, bam! All done, right there,” says Josh Erwin, the band’s founder, lead guitar and vocalist. “And sometimes you get half of it, and it takes forever for the rest of them to come about.”

Mermaid Motor Lounge is a divergence from the bluegrass band that’s been Erwin’s bread and butter since the early aughts. The founding member of Packway Handle Band is now the leader of a five-piece that fits most neatly under the broad alt-rock genre. Erwin tells us how his new project evolved into fruition.

How did the conception of Mermaid Motor Lounge begin?

I had some songs that I’d written, and I wanted to try them out, so I asked Troy [Harris,] the bass player of Packway [Handle Band] if we could just put on a few duo shows and see what happened. I really wanted to [find out] if I could actually put on a show and be entertaining rather than just play. It went okay; it was a lot of fun. It was enough to be like, well, I want to try it again now.

How did you wind up moving from a duo to a full-blown, five-piece band?

When I started and was just playing with Troy, the more people I ended up adding, the better it sounded, not just because it’s an excellent group of people, but because the way that these things turned out to sound the best is when they’re actually fleshed out.

How do shows help you solidify your standing as a band?

Logging stage time is a whole ’nother way of practicing. You have something at stake—like you at least have your pride at stake when somebody’s gonna watch you.

How does the lore of mermaids play into the band’s identity?

Some people think mermaids are these great beautiful things, and they help people like sailors. And then there are some people who are like, ”No, mermaids are awful”—they trick you, and then they kill you. I have some happy songs, and I have some sad songs. But the best thing about it is that if I tell people the band’s name, everybody is like, “Oh, cool!” It’s kind of a happy thing to me. Everybody smiles when they hear about mermaids. It’s really difficult to find a normal looking mermaid. There are so many slutty versions, first of all. It’s that, or it’s Disney.

Well, maybe you can reinvent the image of the mermaid.

Right! Maybe so. I like the mermaid that we’ve got; she’s this humble lady, pointing to the East.

What dreams do you have for Mermaid Motor Lounge in 2018?

Getting it to where it’s just super tight and awesome. It’s already tons of fun, and we sound good together, but there’s a difference between hearing a band who’s played together for 10 or something years and then hearing somebody else who is new and together. The more time you’re together, the better everything is.

Mermaid Motor Lounge will play its album release show at Atlanta’s speakeasy music venue 230 Carroll in Cabbagetown on February 3. mermaidmotorlounge.com

 

STORY: Jodi Cash
PHOTO: Stephen Payne

TagsAtlanta’s speakeasy music venueCabbagetownFranz Kafka’s The MetamorphosisJosh ErwinMermaid Motor LoungeMermaid Motor Lounge’s Josh ErwinPHOTO: Stephen PayneSTORY: Jodi Cash
Previous Article

LOVE STORIES OF OAKLAND

Next Article

Truth of the Batter

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • CreatorsCulture

    Portrait Of Pride

    December 28, 2017
    By 17thSouth
  • Lindsay Lambert Day
    From The Editor

    From The Editor – June 2016

    May 26, 2016
    By 17thSouth
  • CultureHeadlinersOCTOBER 2018

    EAT WITH YOUR EARS FIRST

    September 27, 2018
    By 17thSouth
  • Cover StorySOUND CHECK

    NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

    April 26, 2018
    By 17thSouth
  • CreatorsCultureJUNE 2018

    Artistic Evolution

    May 25, 2018
    By 17thSouth
  • LivingNOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018People

    Community By Design

    November 1, 2018
    By 17thSouth

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You may also be interested in...

  • JUNE 2018LivingOut Of Town

    Delectable Duo

  • JUNE 2018LivingWellness

    Summer SWAPS

  • Fresh BitesIndulgeOctober 2017

    Spiced RIGHT

Visit Our Sister Publication

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates and to hear what's going on with our magazine!

Follow us

Instagram @17thSouth

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

Find us on Facebook

logo

17th South:
In the heart of Atlanta,17th South magazine reaches active, exploration-minded residents ages 24-65 who want to experience the best the area has to offer, through stories and features on individuals and businesses they can relate to in their direct communities. We feature of-the-moment and hidden gem restaurants, beautiful private homes, philanthropy, arts and cultural offerings, and the trendsetters and tastemakers who are making it happen!
Valuestream Media Group
simply-buckhead-magazine
17th-south-magazine

Contact Us

  • P.O. Box 11633, Atlanta, GA 30355
  • 404.538.9895
  • advertising@17thsouth.com

Find us on Facebook

Follow us

17th South Instagram

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Pick Up A Copy
© Copyright 17th South. All rights reserved.