Meese was supposed to be huge: In 2009, the Denver band had a completed major-label debut, the fawning support of alt-rock radio station KTCL, and big dreams. That’s about as far along the road to rock ’n’ roll glory the band got, though. The hype never translated past the buzz stage, and in May, the act threw in the towel. Frontman Patrick Meese and his brother, Nathan, aren’t out of the business, though. After bringing Patrick’s wife Tiffany into the mix, the brothers have formed The Centennial out of Meese’s rubble. As the trio prepare to release its debut EP, Second Spring, at the Hi-Dive Saturday, Nov. 27, singer/drummer Patrick Meese speaks with The A.V. Club about licking his wounds and recouping.
A.V. Club: There was a lot of hype and expectations for Meese when you signed with Atlantic, but hardly anything came out of that. What happened?
Patrick Meese: It was a lot in a row. By the time our record came out, both of our A&R guys had been fired and the new dude wasn’t too into it. He didn’t sign us, so I understand. We started touring after the record came out. We had a pretty long-term goal about touring and how to get singles out. That kind of got erased. Around the time that happened, our drummer quit the band. We had a replacement who did a great job, but it was still kind of a hit. Then things at the label got worse and crowds weren’t getting any bigger. It felt very sterile.
AVC: That kind of personnel change at the label has caused hundreds of bands to crumble over the years. Did you consider that as a possibility when you signed to the major?
PM: Oh yeah. I knew that the next day, I could wake up and everyone would be fired and I would be dropped. If you don’t have that in mind when you go into a major label, you’re probably in store for a rude wakeup call. Right now, it’s brutal, and the people at the labels are worried about their jobs. That affects how they work with bands on a day-to-day level. We knew what we were getting into.
AVC: You and Nathan were the core of Meese. Does The Centennial seem like a fresh start, or just a continuation of what you guys were doing in your last band?