The Merci Buckets
Fredericton, NB
Flirting with the dark and moody aspects of indie rock, while simultaneously delivering an energetic, raucous spectacle of a performance, The Merci Buckets are walking that fine, interstitial line of the East Coast experience. Somber reflections on small-town reveries, and regrets, all spun off in a sardonic and off-the-cuff way - that sweet, sweet intersection between the crushing lows and dizzying highs. It’s a real tightrope walk.
“A lot of Travis’s lyrics draw from his real-life experiences living here… analyzing the microcosm which is small town New Brunswick” says bassist Paul Hayes about what the makeup of guitarist/vocalist Travis Flynn’s songs have drawn from.
“There is a feeling of desperation for something bigger,” he explains.
The project started with humble beginnings, but has popped off and grown extremely quickly - Hayes and Flynn met at a show by fellow Fredericton rockers Chillteens, and hit it off. The band then later added good friend and drummer Dawson Burnett to round out the trio, and it was off the ground in a flash.
Heavily steeped in the community, the band has recently partnered with She Said Feck records, will be recording their debut album with infamous, gritty bluesman Keith Hallett, and has collaborated on ashtrays as merch with local artist Kate Hamill. After releasing their debut single “No Cap” in September of 2022, the band later played the FESTFORWARD music festival in October of 2022, as well as dropping a live video of their performance at Xeroz in Moncton.
“It is an awesome feeling to collaborate with all our friends,” says Hayes. “Things seem to be moving fast with this project and we are diggin’ it!”
Excited to release their debut later this year, dig into more live shows - and even get on the road sooner rather than later - the band is just elated to be able to bring their unique blend of genres, and their absolutely electric brand of live performance to anyone they can.
“We tend not to play the songs the same every time we play them. The structure is tight but musically it's loose. And as far as an “energetic live show” goes, we try to put it all out on the line when we perform and use all the energy we got.”