Mediocre Gatsby releases the Dead Summer EP (Diverse Chorus Records) on May 3, 2024
The band is a “folkternative”/ punk band that began in 2020 in State College, Pennsylvania, from the remnants of local acts Pink Cigarette and Kevo Can’t Dance, following a Misfits tribute set on Halloween. Gregg (drums/backing vocals) and Kevo (guitar/vocals) felt instant chemistry during their first few practices in Gregg’s garage. The guys found common ground over craft beers, drawing influences from a wide range of artists like Elliott Smith, Mavis Staples, and Glassjaw, as well as the music scenes from Greenwich Village folk and Gilman Street punk.
Quarantine was the duo’s sagaciously titled debut, back in 2021. Mediocre Gatsby then began playing basement shows in State College and Altoona, Pennsylvania, with bassist Andy M rounding out the lineup. In 2022, Gregg returned home to Texas, but not before he and Kevo recorded the songs that would eventually become the Dead Summer EP. The EP was finished with the help of Austin’s Vinh Diep, who not only played bass and guitar, but mixed and mastered the EP.
“Our upcoming Dead Summer EP is a four-song, harrowing lullaby,” Kevo says. “It tells a story about the tribulations of growing up and the conflicting feelings and understanding that it’s never too late to reinvent one self. The lyrics are a mix of journal entries and lyrics scripted during the covid time of uncertainty. Even though a lot of what is being said in these songs are full of despair, the high energy sound that guards these words are meant to present a feeling of hope and change.”
In support of the new release, the band says they have the Wagon Queen Family Truckster gassed up for a short Midwest run, on the Farmers Market / Art Bazaar junket.
Photo by Kat Kenealy.
Social Media