mardelay

"Catchy guitar riffs, melodic bass lines, and high energy drums make up the foundation of this 5pc indie rock band. Mardelay is quickly becoming one of Indy's premiere original bands." - Red-Halo.com

"Since their inception as a three-piece, Mardelay has expanded both their lineup and their sonic palette. The results have earned them a great deal of notoriety..." - IndianapolisMusic.net

The band known as Mardelay -- set to release debut album "What We've Become" -- is a lot different from the Mardelay that's fared well in local Battle of the Bands competitions.

Old-school Mardelay was a three-member jam band. Today's Mardelay is a multi-textured modern rock quartet with a cello player.

Singer-guitarist Matt Street and drummer Steve Fulton are the only constants.

"New ideas and new faces," Street says.

So why keep the Mardelay name?

"A lot of people have asked that question: 'You're a totally different band.' But I'm not a different person," Street says.

A native of Vincennes, Street grew up as a fan of muscular indie-rock bands Guided By Voices and Built to Spill. On the new album, his tastes, and the mainstream influences of Fulton and bass player Scott Krueckeberg, find common ground.

"It's not just me writing the songs anymore," Street says. "Everybody is starting to get a part of it, and it's showing up in the music. We want this album to be successful, so we can do another album where even more of everybody is heard."

Standout tracks of "What We've Become" include melodic rave-up "Now!" and the ballad "Light On" -- which spotlights Emily Richardson on cello.

Richardson, who also plays keyboards, joined Mardelay's lineup during the making of the album.

"We wanted to keep some artistic roots in the record, and not just have a bunch of guitars going crazy all the time," Krueckeberg says. "Cello was the first thing that came to mind. It fit the mood of a particular song. Once you get it in one song, you get addicted to it and you want it in there all the time."

Mardelay will celebrate the release of "What We've Become" April 25 at Radio Radio. The band is part of the Indy Uprising promotional collective, which also features bands such as State, the Last Good Year and Henry French and the Shameless. (French has become an adjunct fifth member of Mardelay).

"It's a way to promote each other and have everyone stick together and pool resources," Krueckeberg says of Indy Uprising.

"It makes it easier for people to learn about other bands just through ones they already like." - David Lindquist - Metromix