Meese Releases Full-Length, Debut Album Nationwide on Atlantic Records
The music industry has been abuzz with news following the release of Broadcast, the full-length, debut album by CCU alumnus Patrick Meese and his self-titled band. Distributed by Atlantic Records, the album features catchy, pop-based tunes by the four-piece from Denver, which includes Patrick's brother Nathan alongside Mike Ayars on guitar, and fellow CCU alum Ben Haley on drums. Broadcast hit store shelves on June 30, and last week the band's song "Next In Line" was named Single of the Week on iTunes.
Produced by Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, Depeche Mode), Broadcast highlights the range of Meese's stylistic interests, including guitar-driven rock, avant-garde electronic, and melodic piano pop. "I wanted something that was dancy and edgy on the CD, a song that would really incorporate our electronic personality with the rock side of things," Patrick said of "Next In Line." "It's got a great beat, and I love how the rhythm of the lyrics works with the beat. It's honestly my favorite song to play live."
The band's lead singer and songwriter, Patrick came to Colorado in 2002 with plenty of sobering life lessons already under his belt, including an in-patient stint in a drug rehab program in Montana. With a new road before him, he found revelation in music, and while studying the craft at CCU, he fronted the vocals for a number of local bands -- playing along on drums, guitar, or piano. In 2005, Nathan moved to Colorado, and the brothers' discussion about starting their own band began to take shape.
Not long after Nathan's arrival, the Meeses met Ayars and Haley, both playing at the time for another local band, For the Holiday. The foursome struck up a quick friendship and, a few months later, Meese was formed. One year later, the group's demo of "Tell Me It's Over" was in regular rotation at Denver modern-rock station KTCL/93.3FM, gaining the notice of some major record labels. And by October 2007, Meese signed with Atlantic Records and went into a busy season of recording and touring.
Surrounding the release of Broadcast, the band has been touring with The Fray, Jack's Mannequin, and Copeland, has introduced its first music video, and is busy with plenty of publicity. Patrick credits CCU as part of his rise to success. "The future looks very bright," he says, "and I owe much of it to the professors who invested extraordinary amounts of time into teaching me the fundamentals of music." Not all the guys in Meese are Christians, but faith strikes a resonant chord in Pat's and Ben's work. "My goal is to show others that music is a gift from God," Ben explains. "Hopefully our music prompts people to listen, and through that to notice something different about us."