OPEN MIKE
A Tribute to the Songs of Mike Merz, Volume One

"Wonderful!" --City Pages

An unforgettable salute to this celebrated songwriter asks the question: how do you cover an uncoverable artist?

16 recording artists from Chicago, NYC, and Minneapolis/ St Paul answer it with style.

Featuring songs by Mike Merz written both as a solo artist and for his erstwhile combo Pimentos for Gus, "Open Mike" shines where other tribute albums bog down in bland homogeneity: treatments of the material range from pop and folk to Stooges-style punk, desconstructive electronica and experimental post-rock (as wide a palette as its subject's!).

It's over an hour of Merz compositions. It contains a Mike Merz song you've never heard before.

And all of Mr. Merz's profits from sales of this CD will be donated toward AIDS research and prevention.

TRACKS:

1. "Don't Wanna Go There" performed by Trailer Trash
2. "Leo the Lion" performed by Lori Wray
3. "You Don't Like Punk Rock Anymore" performed by Flim Flam Man
4. "Protection" performed by Zapruder Point
5. "Higher Beings Command" performed by Irma and the Overlord
6. "Degradator" performed by Eric Ziegenhagen
7. "N.O.E.W.D." performed by The Cultivators
8. "I Wish I Was Dead" performed by Ben Connelly
9. "Mach Merz Ein Der Haus" (Runaway Train Remix) performed by Lost in Translation
10. "Friendly Ghost" performed by T. Griffin
11. "Perfect World" (previously unreleased) performed by Justin Roberts
12. "One More Time" performed by Liam Davis from Frisbie
13. "My Other Job" performed by Wake Up, Mr. Sparkle! (a Love Cars/ 12 Rods Supergroup)
14. "Like Riding a Bike" performed by Brad Cassetto
15. "Rock & Roll" performed by Cowlily
16. "Fun & Profit" performed by Mike Ruekberg