Former DAMAGEPLAN Frontman Reports On THE MERCY CLINIC's Live Debut

Former DAMAGEPLAN and current THE MERCY CLINIC frontman Patrick Lachman has issued the following report from THE MERCY CLINIC's shows over the weekend as the support act for BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and BRAND NEW SIN:

"Well, we fuckin did it. We got out of the garage and made it official. What a way to start out for us. I must thank Zakk, Barb, Nick, Craig, and J.D. for letting us jump on the bill. Moby (Zakk's wonder-tech) was instrumental in helping as well. The guys in BRAND NEW SIN are fuckin cool as well. Joe was a key factor in making the show happen too. Those guys are some hard-workin', hard-rockin' sumbitches!

"I got into L.A. a day early and had some time to chill. As I mentioned before, I took a trip to ESP and hung with the GWAR guys and my boy Allen at ESP. We had dinner and then went to the titty bar. Woohoo! Good times. Friday was rehearsal in BODY COUNT's studio to tighten up before the show. A few times through the set and we were ready to go.

"Saturday we loaded up for the Fillmore and before heading down we did a photo shoot with my old friend John Harrell from Burrn! magazine. He is now working for Metal Edge too, so we may get two features out of the deal. There will be an interview soon to go with it. When we got to the Wiltern and loaded in it was like a huge sense of accomplishment. The moment of truth, if you will. This was the next big step in our evolution. Things went smooth, we did a quick soundcheck, had some lunch, then just shot the shit with the guys from BRAND NEW SIN and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY until it was go time.

"Doors were at 8pm and we were on at 8:15 so I was a bit concerned that everyone would be outside trying to get in, but much to my surprise the crowd was filing in quite steady as we were about to hit the stage. The pit was packed and the rest of the place filled up as we started playing. The cheers began, but I was walked out last people went nuts. I said, 'Welcome to the birth of THE MERCY CLINIC...Let it burn!' Fuckin surge of power. People were totally into it. We went straight into 'Can I Become Me' and the heads kept banging. I was truly impressed at the response to songs most people in there didn't even know. That's the true test.

"I knew it was important to acknowledge Dime, but I wasn't sure how I was going to do it. I noticed a guy in pressed against the barricade was holding a big poster (that now belongs to Nick from BLS) that said 'Dimebag 4 Ever.' I grabbed it and held it up for a while but said nothing. Just the sound of the crowd was all that needed to be heard. We ripped through five more to round out the 30-minute set and off we went. We had a nice afterparty in the dressing room and I saw a ton of old friends before, during, and after the show. We hit the Rainbow for a few drinks then it was time to crash for a couple hours since we had to head to San Francisco in the morning. I'm fucking thrilled about our debut...

"Special thanks to our badass L.A. crew Vince Dennis and Marcello Palomino for busting ass!

"Off to SF... Up at 8am and out the door to get northbound. We got to Brian's and chilled for an hour before heading to the Fillmore. We were fired up since it was sold out in advance. Another nice theater that always brings a great crowd for rock and metal. Damn, I've played there 3 times in 3 bands now! We had plenty of guests again — Scott and Jack from EMG, my boy Jimi Dunlop, Doug and J.D. and the Dirtbag crew, Phil from MACHINE HEAD came to support, lots of friends and family, so it was a blast even before he show started. Luckily the doors were at 7pm and we were on at 8pm this time. As showtime crept closer, the place got packed. I was up in the balcony with Nick from BLS just talking and people just started screaming at us. It was great, the crowd was fired up!

"The Fillmore stage is significantly smaller that the massive one at the Wiltern, so we had some 'spatial limitations' setting up in fron of Craig's big-ass kit. The crowd more than made up for it! We played the same set and the intensity topped L.A. even. We had the eyes and ears of every person there. They started pits to songs they didn't know. I love it!

"After the show it was a rager. I found our infamous forum member 'PoppaWheelie' (Mike) downstairs and said it's time to meet the band. His friend and I dragged him up the stairs, wheelchair and all and got his ass drunk. Jimi D. even bought us 2 more cases to keep it rolling. After we dispersed, Josh and I ended up at some titbar wasted before heading home. Had to catch a plane in the morning and nurse my hangover back to the Lone Star state.

"Special thanks to our kick-ass SF crew Doug, J.D. and Adam, the BLS family and crew, BRAND NEW SIN and crew (especially Mark!) and all you guys that showed up early to see us. RESPECT TO ALL!"

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, THE MERCY CLINIC also features in its ranks drummer Bevan Davies (DANZIG, COMES WITH THE FALL, JERRY CANTRELL),guitarists Brian Harrah (PROFESSIONAL MURDER MUSIC) and Josh Stinson (DRIST),and bassist Steed Najera (TRIPLE SEVEN). The group, who are currently unsigned, have demoed over an album's worth of material, including such cuts as "Numb" (mp3),"Drag Me Under", "We're Only Human", "The Day the Sun Refused to Shine", "Let It Burn" (mp3 clip) and "Can I Become Me?" (mp3 clip).