Burgess, a happy ‘Mere Mortal’

By Bill Gilman

Journal Staff Writer

Sean Burgess For years, he heard young girls shout “Mr. Burgess! Mr. Burgess!” to get his attention.

These days, it’s “Sean! Sean!” but it’s just as satisfying.

Two years after tearfully resigning his teaching position at Squannacook Elementary, in Townsend, to pursue a dream, the rock music career of Sean Burgess is starting to take off in a big way.

Burgess is the drummer for “Mere Mortals”, a hard rock band with a British influence that has made an immediate splash on the Los Angeles music scene. Their first album, a self-titled EP with just four tracks, caught the attention of Steve Jones, a former member of the British punk band, “The Sex Pistols.” Jones has an afternoon show on L.A.–based Indy 103 FM.

“We had sent the CD in to a local radio show and somehow he got his hands on it,” said Burgess, 34. “He loved it and he started playing it.”

Jones liked the group’s sound so much that he was quoted in an industry magazine as saying “Mere Mortals” was one of his favorite new L.A. bands.

The EP got excellent reviews and was included as a “pick of the week” by Filter Magazine. Burgess got a chance to see the the name of his band on the list, rightabove that of one of his idols, Paul McCartney.

“Mere Mortals” formed in early 2004 via the power of the Internet.

“When I got to L.A. I was looking for a band that needed a drummer and I found these guys on [the Web site] ‘Craig’s Board’,” said Burgess. “I was the last one. The bass player had joined them about a month before, also through ‘Craig’s Board’. The guitar player and Axel [the lead singer] had been together about a year. But they met the same way.”

The success of their debut EP has led to better bookings and a video of the track “Cracked” that was directed by Jon Gries. Movie fans will remember Gries as “Uncle Rico” in the film “Napoleon Dynamite”. Gries also played “Broots” in the TV series “The Pretender.” “He’s a musician too,” said Burgess. “He has a band called ‘Carnival Dogs.’ We’ve actually opened for his band a few times.”

The band’s early success also led to an offer from the label “Hot Pie” to produce a full-length album on spec. If it goes well, the label could sign the band to a contract. The yet-to-be-named CD will have 11 tracks and is expected to be released in the fall.

“We hoped to have all the tracks done and mixed by Labor Day,” said Burgess.

Burgess, who has a degree in music education from UMass-Lowell, said he has fond memories of the nine years he taught in Townsend. He enjoyed a special relationship with his students at Squannacook, many of whom took their first instrument lessons from him. According to parents, he was part teacher, big brother, inspiration and rock idol rolled into one.

“The kids really loved him, he was so great with them,” said Karen Clement, parent of a former Burgess student.

So close was the bond between teacher and students that several members of the Squannacook student chorus sang at Burgess’ wedding in 2001.

Burgess has played music professionally throughout his adult life. During the time he was teaching, he was also a member of several “cover” bands, as well as one original band, “The Delierients” that enjoyed some success.

“I always kept my students up to date on what was going on with my career,” said Burgess. “Like when [The Delirients] cut our first CD, I walked them through the process.”

Burgess even created a small sound studio in the music room with another teacher, allowing students to experience some of the music-making technology.

After “The Delirients” broke up, Burgess said he knew that if he were to pursue his dreams of a career in rock music, it would have to be in either New York or Los Angeles.

“To be honest, I didn’t want to go through another winter, so we decided to experience the California sunshine,” he said.

Burgess said that telling the Squannacook administration he was leaving was one of the hardest things he has ever done.

“They didn’t think I was serious. They were laughing because they thought I was joking,” he said. “Here I am with tears welling up in my eyes.”

Burgess and his wife Theresa, who works for the L.A. Daily News, live in Hollywood. Their home is just minutes from most of the venues played by the band.

For more information on Burgess and “Mere Mortals” log onto their website at www.meremortalsmusic.com.