I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each

Here's two clips from The Mermen, featuring the beautiful guitar work of Jim Thomas. I reviewed their album The Amazing California Health and Happiness Road Show, and interviewed Thomas, back in 2000.

I also named ...Health and Happiness Road Show one of the top albums I heard that year, saying,

A true artist, Thomas plays thoughtfully and with great craft and spirit...This is an album to fall in love with, this is an album to mediate on, and this is an album to restore your faith.

And you won't often see me say that about a guitar showcase.

If I've wetted your appetite enough, here's the first clip. It's live footage of the surf trio playing in a bar, in early 2001.



You may notice that footage is very simple, they just stand and play, and it's lovely.

In that interview I said,

Later in the conversation we discuss videos. [Thomas] doesn't want to make one. I agree with him. If your reaction to this music is anything like mine, it will be very strongly visual. Even acknowledging videos powerful say on the charts, this is music that you don't need a video for (always assuming any music "needs" a video, but that's another topic for another piece). You don't need a video coming in and saying this is the visual for this music.Or to put it another way, Thomas may want his record to sell, but not if it means he has to be on the cover half-naked a la Mariah Carey.

Then we have a live performance from a couple of months after the first. Some video production tricks have been added to this one, and they're actually completely cool (girl on girl fire dancing! Who do I know who enjoyed that?). But again, the brilliant guitar playing is all you need.



(h/t Jennifer Neil for giving me the idea of looking for Mermen live videos.)