On the back patio of The Union, located at 18 W. Union St., three members of Merchant Market huddled on a bench in the corner. The band goes on in 20 minutes. It's Friday night, but the concrete is still hot while conversations and smoke ooze out into the alley.
Vocalist Mak Price just graduated from Ohio University in December 2023 and felt the itch to start a band. Merchant Market was formed with a slew of musicians who have since left the band, but alongside Price, two original members remain: keyboardist Carl Mccutcheon, a junior studying music production and rhythm guitarist Kaed Fulton, a senior studying graphic design.
Along with Price, Mccutcheon and Fulton, the current Merchant Market lineup includes lead guitarist Andre Man, a junior studying music production, drummer Bo Reese, an electrician, and bassist Diego Buhay, a junior studying biology.
Price said the majority of the group’s influence comes from musicians of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The blues and psychedelia of this era provided a basis for the kind of music the band wanted to make, she said.
The band The Doors is characterized as a merging of blues and acid rock. Price said The Doors were extremely influential to Merchant Market. The Doors vocalist Jim Morrison’s ferocious vocals and provocative stage presence align seamlessly with darker themes and psychedelic musicality from the rest of the band. They became a massive counter-cultural symbol in the 1960s as a result.
“The ‘60s and ‘70s was the beginning of the counterculture movement and I think that holds a lot of weight because it was the first time in America people really started to go against the grain, kind of say, ‘We don’t have to live super conservatively, we can have fun and we can like live music and dance in fun ways,’” Fulton said.
Price said Morrison’s depth, both lyrically and within his image, spoke to her. Mccutcheon added keyboardist Ray Manzarek of the Doors was influential in the role the keys play in the band. Manzarek specifically is known for his fusion of jazz with psychedelic rock.
“The Doors have a particular sound when it comes to the keys, just this groovy, sick … I don’t know, it's cool,” Mccutcheon said.
Mccutcheon added the keys create dimension in the band’s sound.
“The keys, I think, definitely bring a depth into it, it's the bluesy rock sound,” Mccutcheon said. “The psychedelic feel, it definitely expands the sound a lot.”
The music of the ‘60s and ‘70s was heavily influenced by political happenings. The Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. and conservatism changing within the American identity spurred many rock artists known as “the greats” today into embracing music as a way to spread a message.
“Whenever you reach a platform that large, I feel like you should almost have an obligation to use that platform to benefit your society and help with stuff like that,” Fulton said.
Price also emphasized the role that various queer identities play in how the band made a place for itself in the Athens music scene, as the rock scene has long been dominated by men.
“I love that we have that diversity here because there’s a lot of men and it can be intimidating with that as well,” Price said. “Even as a singer, there aren’t a ton of female singers.”
Price said she appreciates the sense of camaraderie between bands in the Athens music scene and emphasized the importance of making connections with other musicians instead of falling into competition.
“There’s a lot of stresses with bands and whatnot,” Price said. “But getting to play with everyone is the best part of it.”
Even as someone new to playing in bands, Fulton said the experience has overwhelmingly been a good one.
“I was just super excited, especially the aspect of performing was super cool to me and just being able to work with other people that had a similar interest in some really cool music was awesome,” Fulton said. “I’ve loved every one we’ve played with now.”
Assistant Opinion Editor
