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By ALAN K. STOUT
Friday, December 21, 2001     Page: 13

Last week, Music on the Menu visited with singer and songwriter Eddie
Appnel, who – after 12 years – recently left the band Mere Mortals. Appnel
offered his take on his split from the group and his memories of their time
together and talked about his musical plans.
   
Today, in the spirit of fairness and equal time, we’re talking with
Mortals’ guitarist Pat Flynn, who along with bassist Mark Keisinger and
drummer Marko Marcinko, has opted to carry on. Flynn says that though a name
change is imminent, Mere Mortals – which once was voted the area’s “Best
Original Band” by Times Leader readers – is alive and well and still
committed to making music. He says a few simple “philosophical differences”
led to Appnel’s departure, but out of respect to his former bandmate, he
declines to discuss specifics.
    “In any situation like this, everybody is going to have their own side of
the story as to why and how things happened the way they did,” Flynn says.
“In truth, only the four of us know what led to the split, and only the four
of us and the people close to us know what we’ve been through as a band and
about our ups and downs, successes and failures and our dedication to the
music.
   
“I’m sure we could all write a book about things we like and dislike about
each other. That’s human nature, that’s part of being in a band, and that’s
basically life. But we all feel that to discuss the specifics on what happened
wouldn’t be right or be fair to the great people that have supported us for so
long.”
   
With Appnel, the highly talented Mere Mortals released three critically
acclaimed albums: “In Search of Simple Things,” “Grin,” and “Mondegreen
Dream.” For a dozen years, the band was known for its stellar musicianship
and crafty songwriting but – because it played almost all original material –
sometimes had a hard time competing in a market saturated with cover bands.
Still, the band remained committed to its own music and spent time earlier
this year in the studio working on a new album. Flynn says that though
Appnel’s decision to leave was abrupt, the band is adjusting as best it can.
   
“It’s a traumatic situation when you lose a member such as Eddie, who
you’ve worked with for so many years and who you were in the trenches with,”
Flynn says. “All you can do is deal with it, keep busy, and move on, which is
exactly what we’ve done. He took one road, and we took another. We wish Eddie
luck and happiness, both professionally and personally, with everything he
does in the future. With all of the craziness in this world, life’s too short
to harbor any negativity towards him. It’s just not worth it.”
   
In recent months, the band has worked with four different singers and
recently decided upon a permanent new vocalist. Now standing center stage is
“Smith,” a vocalist from New York City who Flynn says has been a perfect
fit.
   
“We’re really excited about him, and we’re going to be writing, recording
and performing with him,” Flynn says. “He’s the total package. He’s an
amazing front man, singer, songwriter and guitarist.”
   
Flynn says the band – which got its name from former member Austin “Buzz”
O’Malley – is now finishing up its previously booked shows under the Mere
Mortals moniker. These performances, he says, do include a large amount of
cover material, but he quickly adds that once these dates are fulfilled, the
band’s name and songs will change.
   
Some tunes from the set list already have.
   
“We’re not doing any Mere Mortals songs,” Flynn says. “Even though each
one of us has played a major part in the creation of that music and it will
always hold a special place in our hearts, that chapter is closed. Our sights
are firmly aimed for the future, and our goals haven’t changed. We’ll continue
to record and do our own music and to grow as musicians.”
   
Like Appnel, Flynn says he also chooses to recall the many positive
milestones of Mere Mortals, rather than just the events of the past few
months. He says the accomplishments, the awards and, most important, the music
are theirs forever.
   
“We worked closely together for a lot of years, and we’ve been through a
lot as a band,” he says. “No matter what goes on that leads to a split, down
the road, the trivial negativity isn’t going to matter.
   
“Nobody can take those memories away from us, and there’s a lot of great
memories there.”
   
MDRV CUTLINE:
   
Members of the band Mere Mortals soon will be working with a new name. A
new vocalist, `Smith,’ has joined the talented area group, and the band plans
to keep writing and recording original material.