The Cranberry Merchants Talk To Fanbase Music Magazine About New Track Nerve And Upcoming Music Video

Interviewed By Duzzy Clayton

Intro

The Cranberry Merchants are back with their latest and in my opinion best single yet. Every time the band releases something new, I feel they just keep getting better and better, and Nerve which is the name of the band’s new single is nothing short of a masterpiece

I sit down with The Cranberry Merchants and talk to them about the new single as well as a new up-and-coming music video

Enjoy The Read

Interview

Hi, Guys welcome back to Fanbase Music Magazine, can you give us a brief introduction on who The Cranberry Merchants are and where you come from?

Hi Duzzy, and thanks for having us on again. We’re a rock duo from Atlanta, GA in the USA, comprised of Steve Moore on guitar and bass, and Dianne Moore on Drums and keyboards. We both do some vocals.

The last time we featured you, you were releasing Forbidden and also a new music video, how did you feel those did because it looked like they did awesome with stations all around the world?

“Forbidden” did really well, charting on a number of radio stations around the world. It also won for Best Alternative Song in the Spring 2023 quarter of the World Songwriting Awards. Our Lego-animated music video for “Walkabout” did pretty well also, finishing as a finalist for Best Music Video in the Summer quarter of the WSAs too!

Let’s talk about your latest release which I think is an amazing track, can you tell us what the song is about and how you came to the name Nerve?

“Nerve” is about the type of person who tries to blame others for everything wrong in their own lives without really taking any responsibility of their own actions. This person points fingers and tries to manufacture a reality that suits them, despite being fake, instead of actively trying to change for themselves. This song vents the frustration with this type of person by telling them they have a lot
of nerve.

You seem to making a statement with this latest track, what are you hoping people take away from the track?

To whomever this applies, I guess we’re hoping that they will understand how ludicrous this type of behavior is and be realistic about taking responsibility for their own welfare and happiness. To those it doesn’t apply to, who are likely on
the receiving end of this, we hope it will help vent a little bit of that frustration
with such people.

This is definitely one of the heaviest and angriest tracks you have released, especially in the guitar intro and hard-hitting drums, can you tell us about some of the instruments that were used for this track?

Steve recently got a new Mooer GE100 multi-effects guitar pedal, which opened the door to some new heavier sounds for us. The rhythm guitar uses a very grungy type of distortion, while the lead guitar uses a very metallic-sounding Wah effect. The drums are being played on an Alesis DM5 electronic kit that paired with some reverb and panning effects, give it that very surrounding
industrial sound.

How long did it take to record the song?

Once arranged, it took about a week to record all of the instrumentation & amp; vocals and another week to work on any post-production effects, mix, and mastering. However, this track had a bit less tinkering in post-production than our previous releases, since we wanted it to have more of a raw feel to it.

What was the recording process like?

Like our last few releases, some of the writing and arranging was actually being done while we recorded. We started out with a sequencer pattern on the keyboard and tried out different layers of other instruments to build a groove. The drums first took it in an industrial direction, while the rhythm guitar gave it more of an angry feel. The bass is actually just a single slide-note played on the synth in the intro and choruses to give them a little punch and depth. Once we had lyrics/vocals in place, the lead guitar was added to sort of mimic the grinding, whining feeling of the subject matter.

You will be releasing a new music video soon, what can you tell us about that and when will it be released?

Yes! We’re currently working on a music video for “Nerve” that we hope will be out in early December. It’s a bit different from previous videos in that we ourselves will only be in there minimally, performance-wise. The video will be more of a series of abstract images that go along with the disturbing nature of the song; things that illustrate the smothering, restrictive, and even painful frustration of dealing with someone who has been brainwashed into believing that others are to blame for everything wrong in their lives. Like in our previous Lego-animated videos, we’re experimenting more with the Stop-Motion software to create some of this feeling, but with non-Lego objects. (Watch for the rocking
chair pin-cushion from the Nerve cover art to make a couple of cameos!) It’s going to be a bit on the weird side. LOL!

Thank you for doing this interview, do you have any last messages for our readers?

As always, we’d simply like to thank you and all those who support us and our music. Being an indie artist is extremely dependent on those who enjoy it to share it around and make it known to others. So know how much we appreciate anyone who takes the time to listen, watch, purchase, and pass along the things we create.

To Listen to The Band Talk About The New Track On The Anything Goes Podcast Listen HERE