Mercury's Antennae (USA)

(http://artistecard.com/mercurysantennae/)

Ethereal, hypnotic, driving, cinematic, haunting… these are good words to describe Mercury’s Antennae. Comprised of vocalist Dru Allen, multi-instrumentalist Erick R. Scheid and bassist Cindy Coulter, the band’s sound is distinctly reminiscent of ‘90s-era Projekt acts ranging from the heavy moodiness and guitar drone of Lycia to the unadorned acoustic beauty of Love Spirals Downwards. The group also draws on ambient and tribal influences, contemporary electronica, the sweet melodic pop of 4AD, and the blissful guitar noise of bands like Curve.

Scheid co-founded the band Translucia in 1994. After appearing on the Cocteau Twins tribute Half Gifts on the now defunct Dewdrops label, Translucia were signed to Toronto’s Plan 11 label, which released two albums. Allen has studied and performed classical, world and rock music for over 25 years. Best known for fronting the darkwave act This Ascension, she is also one-half of the neo-classical heavenly voices band Mirabilis. Coulter (This Ascension, Faith & the Muse) joined the band for the 2015 tour line-up, officially turned Mercury's into a trio.

Mercury's Antennae was born 2010 at a fateful Lovespirals show in San Francisco. Having recognized Allen from her work in This Ascension, Scheid approached her with the idea of collaborating on music. An enduring connection formed as Allen gave voice to a number of instrumentals Scheid had previously recorded. Other compositions came to life, spontaneously conceived as the two jammed with acoustic guitar and voice. They each brought their own unique approach to Mercury’s Antennae; Allen’s soaring, multilayer vocals fused with Scheid’s electronic experimentation and trusty guitars to create songs of rarified style, power and grace.

Fans of darkwave, heavenly voices and spacious atmospheres have all found themselves at home with A Waking Ghost Inside, the band’s debut CD. This alchemy of harmonic, swirling guitars, lush instrumentation and dream-felt and sirenic vocals was released on Projekt Records in April 2014, accompanied by spring and summer West Coast touring.

January 2015 saw a follow-up release, the digital-only EP The Guides (available on Projekt’s Bandcamp site) and the premiere of Mercury’s Antennae’s first video for the track “The Guides v.2.” The limited edition maxi-single "Killing Time" was pressed for the band’s 2015 summer tour. Projekt released physical and digital copies of Beneath the Serene, which the band toured for in the summer of 2016.

They continue to tour the West Coast of the U.S. annually, and have their European live debut at Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2018 in Leipzig, Germany. A new album is planned for the fall.