Mere

Mere came together in Denver, CO, in 2000 around guitarist and keyboard player Brian Bason, bassist Tony Burke, and vocalist Cory Tenbrink. The band began to promote its highly melodic adult alternative sound at area clubs, and soon after forming issued its debut, A Mere Nine Songs. Local buzz led to opening spots for national notables like INXS and Seven Mary Three, and its second independently released LP, The Standing That Was, received encouraging local press. In July 2002, the band won a $25,000 scholarship from the Music for Youth Foundation (MYF), a non-profit founded to promote the careers of musicians aged 13-25. By this point, Tenbrink had left the fold, to be replaced by Christian Brucculeri. The band continued playing in Denver, but set its sights on the national stage when it made the finals of the third annual Coca-Cola New Music competition in September 2003. Pitted against two other hopefuls, Mere would play that October at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, with the victor performing for a national TV audience at the American Music Awards in November. ~ Johnny Loftus