Mike Merz & the Can o' Worms

Merz's solo sinner/songwriter project from 1996 to the present. The "band" mutates according to Merz's multi-stylistic whims. Over 30 musicians have backed Merz up over the years, including:

LESLIE BALL: harmony vocals on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("One More Time")

DOUG BRATLAND (c/o Prest Asbestus & Lori Wray): all bass on MERZWORLD; bass on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("Easy for You to Say," "Human Resources," "One More Time," "Kites," "Higher Beings Command," "Don't Wanna Go There;" live bass

BILL CLARK (c/o Heifer): pedal steel on BUZZKILL NATION ("Everything's Cool," "Ripple")

JEFF CLOWDUS (c/o Bigfoot): electric guitar on BUZZKILL NATION ("Everything's Cool," "Ripple")

MATT COHEN: sitar on BUZZKILL NATION ("Drag & Click"); live sitar

BEN CONNELLY (c/o Steeplejack): lap steel on BUZZKILL NATION ("N.O.E.W.D."), MERZWORLD ("Brighter Future"), and THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("Human Resources" coda); live bass and lap steel

LIAM DAVIS (c/o the Moviegoers, Frisbie): cock-rock electric guitar solo phoned in from Chicago on BUZZKILL NATION ("Rock & Roll")

JOHN "SERVO" DeSALVO (c/o KMFDM, Sister Machine Gun, Brutus): samples & programming on BUZZKILL NATION ("Drag & Click")

JON DUNCAN (if a band comes around that he hasn't played with, we'll let you know): theremin on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("Easy for You to Say," "Human Resources")

THOR EISENTRAGER (c/o Cows): electric slide guitar solo on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("Human Resources")

SARAH GIOIA: violin on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("Gates of Hell")

BRETT GROSS (c/o Milk): electric guitar solo on BUZZKILL NATION ("Friendly Ghost")

CAROL HALLENBECK: organ on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("Kites")

DAVE HOLM (c/o Bigfoot): bass on BUZZKILL NATION ("Everything's Cool," "Ripple")

THE REVEREND MATT KESSEN: live vocals

KARI KJOME (c/o Pimentos for Gus): live drums

DAN LEVINE (c/o Pimentos for Gus): bass on BUZZKILL NATION ("You Don't Like Punk Rock Anymore," "Drag & Click," "Hair in the Soap Dish," "N.O.E.W.D."), handclaps on BUZZKILL NATION ("Hair in the Soap Dish"), bass solos on BUZZKILL NATION ("Drag & Click," "Hair in the Soap Dish")

WILLIAM MULLEN (c/o Scott King Trio, Lori Wray): all drums on MERZWORLD, drums on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("Easy for You to Say," bridge and coda of "Human Resources," "One More Time,"  "Kites," "Higher Beings Command," intro, outro, and Mitch Mitchell drum solo during "Gates of Hell;" live drums and floating head

KENT MUSSER: cello on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("Higher Beings Command")

DAN NYCKLEMOE: answering machine message on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("Gates of Hell")

J. BENNO NELSON (c/o National Dynamite): electric guitar solo on BUZZKILL NATION ("N.O.E.W.D.")

JIM PARKER: live bass and mandolin

JUSTIN ROBERTS (c/o Pimentos for Gus): harmony vocals on BUZZKILL NATION ("My Other Job," "Friendly Ghost")

STEVE PRICE (c/o Rex Daisy, 2 Tickets 2 Paradise): live bass and vocals

RICH RUE (c/o the Hightops, What's the Deal, the Limousines, Dream Diesel): electric guitar on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET (wah- wah, tremolo and Dole Pineapple commercial guitar on "One More Time," slide solo on "Kites," backwards and forward guitar solos on "Don't Wanna Go There"), banjo on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("One More Time" and "Don't Wanna Go There;") live electric guitar and vocals

MIKE RUEKBERG (c/o Rex Daisy, 2 Tickets 2 Paradise): harmony vocal on BUZZKILL NATION ("Rock & Roll"), live vocals

TRACY SPUEHLER (c/o Pimentos for Gus): violin and fiddle on BUZZKILL NATION ("Friendly Ghost"), live fiddle

ANDY SULLIVAN (c/o Steeplejack, Twin City Rollers): banjo on BUZZKILL NATION ("N.O.E.W.D.")

WILLIE WISELY: electric guitar solo on BUZZKILL NATION ("You Don't Like Punk Rock Anymore")

LORI WRAY: all harmony vocals on MERZWORLD; harmony vocals on THE ODD SIDE OF THE STREET ("Easy for You to Say," "Kites," "Higher Beings Command"); live vocals and guitar

TOM ZLABINGER: live bass

Contact Mike Merz c/o
Junior Birdman Media
P.O. Box 50392
Minneapolis MN 55405 USA
(651) 649-4457
www.juniorbirdman.com/merz.html
mikemerz@juniorbirdman.com

MIKE MERZ / DISCOGRAPHY / CONCERT CALENDAR / CONTACT / REVIEWS / LYRICS / MP3 / RealAudio / TRIVIA / LINKS / PIMENTOS FOR GUS