NFV Song Spotlight: Lower Merion's Wolf Shirt (How I Picture Dallas)

Lower Merion is the brainchild of Ryan Pollie. Playing alongside him are Ben Absent, Brooke Tannehill (who plays under the moniker Brookelen), and Pearce Gronek (who plays with Tannehill in the band We Shrunk). 

Lower Merion at The Goldfish

I first crossed paths with Ryan Pollie back in 2017 at the Bootleg Theater (for those in the know, let's all take a brief moment of silence) where he fronted a band called Los Angeles Police Department. This is what I wrote at the time, "Los Angeles Police Department's name might make you think punk, but instead you get some smooth melodies. The lead singer let the audience know, 'My music is very vulnerable.'" On why I figured that the band was a punk band, well, if you hang out at The Smell enough, I think you know what I mean when it comes to the sometimes unusual naming convention of bands. I then crossed paths with him again at the Bootleg Theater in 2019 where he was playing under his own name. Once venues re-opened in 2021, I saw him much more frequently and in fact covered one of his 2022 sets for Buzzbands, which you can read here. Also, playing that night was one of my favorites, Mara Connor.

Lower Merion at The Goldfish

I happened to notice recently that he had a new band. I was unable to attend their first show at The Fable, but got to catch the second show at The Goldfish.

The band is so new that their setlist included the lyrics to their songs. The music verges on the experimental with fuzzy vocals. Up front and center was guitarist Absent, playing the guitar from every possible angle and body position to give the music additional layers of artistry. On the sides were Pollie and Tannehill providing additional instrumentals and shared lead vocals. As the band reached the conclusion of their set, Pollie announced to the audience that they had only one song remaining. Gronek on drums made eye contact with Tannehill and held up two fingers. Ha ha, this is a band that only played a 5 song set and he had somehow lost track. Of course, I think that Pollie lost track of the song count, because the band kept on faking out the audience about when a song was ending -- playing unexpected codas. 

Lower Merion at The Goldfish

Their last song of the set was "Wolf Shirt (How I Picture Dallas)." It is the first of their songs with a music video. You can watch the video here. It is a pixelated gem to tie in with the unconventional sounds of the band. 

They started off the song with Gronek standing up and playing the drum kit with a slow and dramatic motion. The duo vocalists came in with a tuneless drone. It created an atmospheric  transitional state between sleep and wakefulness. The occasional clashing of instruments indicated that morning was just around the corner with all the hustle and bustle, but maybe just not there yet. 

I'm not like you.
I was not ready.

Lower Merion at The Goldfish

Note 1: if you listen to their music on Spotify, you can hear someone coughing on "Errands." 

Note 2: The night was hosted by Rocknite. This night represented my third time at one of their events. Each night has been packed. They've tapped into something that has the LA music scene excited. Congrats to them.

Setlist: Snow Covered Toes, Catch, O2 a.T.S.a.n.B.O.L.R., Errands, Wolf Shirt (How I Picture Dallas).