On Sept. 14, the 193 Coffeehouse hosted their first music show of the Fall ‘23 semester, featuring bands Dirty Glitter and Namé (pronounced Nah-May). Both bands are locals to southern Rhode Island, with members simultaneously attending school at the University of Rhode Island as well.
The entire event was first orchestrated by Fin Maloney, founder of Dirty Glitter and event coordinator for 193. Dirty Glitter was recently founded by Maloney and his close friend Jia, with this show being their first.
“We’ve always really had the same taste in music,” Maloney said. “Since [Jia] goes to another college far away it was kinda our last chance to start a band.”
Their main influences can be found in the alt-rock and emo genres, including bands like My Chemical Romance, Radiohead and The Smashing Pumpkins. Along with that, Maloney and Jia frequently attended basement and small venue shows in Providence, which were a part of the city’s punk scene, something which added more fuel to their fire.
Dirty Glitter was set to be the one and only band to play that night, however they didn’t want to be the only ones playing there. Plus, they also didn’t have a drummer. This then led Maloney to reach out on social media to see if anyone was interested in substituting. Eventually, Johnny Mernick, guitarist and frontman of Namé, responded. He filled in for drums and his band ended up headlining for the event.
Mernick has had a decent amount of history and experience with making and performing music, first starting out when he was a child.
“My brother and I, we started making music when we were like 8 and 10,” Mernick said. “We kinda saw other bands our age making their own music and writing songs, so when my brother was 17, he started his band Two Minute Warning.”
Mernick and his brother recorded an album together before rebranding themselves as Blue Holes after members kept dropping in and out. Then, finally they landed on Namé as their new name. Their inspirations can be found within alt and progressive rock, with names like Green Day, RCHP and Pearl Jam being mentioned as early influences.
The night had finally arrived, as did a decent turnout as both bands performed a mix of their own songs. Outlooks on their performances slightly differed with each band though. A bit nervous at first, Maloney believed that Dirty Glitter’s first show was a bit rocky.
“I wished that we had more time though,” Maloney said. “But that’s just how it is in the music world… I feel like you’ll never be 100%, only just 70% ready.”
Ultimately, though, he believed that the show went well and that the band did a great job. Mernick, on the other hand, was more enthused with how Namé did.
“I think it was our best show yet, a lot of people were there and everyone was dancing,” Mernick said. “If they could sing along they could.”
Needless to say, both bands were a hit with the audience.
However, now that show was done and through what will be in store next for these acts? For Dirty Glitter, things aren’t entirely concrete, as member Jia will be away from the band for a while until she returns from school in December. Still, Maloney and the other members plan to keep on practicing until then, possibly even recording and releasing material in the near future.
“We definitely have a lot of energy as a band and we really had a lot of fun working together,” Maloney said.
Namé is also looking ahead, as they are planning on releasing their first album late next month on various streaming platforms. The album is 13 tracks long and was recorded earlier this year from January to March, with further additions to songs being made over the summer.
“I definitely think the band can go far,” Mernick said. “I write all these songs with my brother, and he writes great songs. We’re so in tune with music I feel we can definitely go places.”
More information about both bands can be found on their Instagram pages @dirtyglitter.ri and @ournameisname.