On The Verge

Mercury Landing

New York, N.Y.
Funk-Infused Rock
www.mercurylanding.com

“We’re a funk-infused rock band,” says guitarist/vocalist Corey J. Feldman. “We like to play upbeat, energetic rock music and we’re not going to veer away from that in the near future.” Formed in 2005 at NYU as Mercury Landing, the group discovered its final two members on Craigslist. Feldman jokingly says that the posting read, “Rock band to play Bonnaroo looking for keyboard player.” After going through nearly seven lead guitarists, Mercury Landing recently decided to scale back to a four-piece band, with Feldman now taking on lead guitar duties as well. “Our goal is to play as many shows as possible this year and put another album out—we’re writing a lot of music,” says Feldman, who is also penning a rock opera. The band’s 2007 debut full-length album, Eyes Against the Sky, explores reggae, pop, Latin and funk, drawing on influences like the Allman Brothers, James Brown and Talking Heads. “I love music and what it does to the people around me. It’s leading us through a great path in life,” Feldman says. “It’s just a feeling that you can only get when the audience is really with you, jumping up and down, yelling the words to your song.”