Lieutenant At Exit/In

January 20, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – Independent label Dine Alone Records has partnered with revered musician Nate Mendel to release his first solo album, If I Kill This Thing We're All Going To Eat For A Week, under the moniker Lieutenant on March 10th. Mendel, also known as bassist for popular rock band Foo Fighters and highly influential emo act Sunny Day Real Estate, is venturing into uncharted territory as the primary songwriter, guitarist and singer for his first solo project, Lieutenant. "I'm not an enthusiast of solo projects," states Mendel. "Bands are bands for a reason and it seems that once the celery is out of the soup, you're just left holding a stringy, watery vegetable. However, I knew there was more wanted to do in music, and wasn't feeling that beginning another band would be a valid option." After two decades of honing his technique on bass, Mendel was determined not only learn to play the guitar and sing but also develop his songwriting if for no other reason than to prove to himself he could succeed, and if a decent album came out of it then all the better. Mendel entered Foo Fighters' Studio 606 in August of 2012 with meticulously constructed demos and arrangements and melodies worked out for each of the songs. With the help of drummer Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse) the two laid down the backbone of the record, tweaking the tracks as they went along. Soon after, producer/engineer Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Helmet) joined Mendel in studio to assist with the infamous Neve console. "Toshi is a very talented and creative engineer," Mendel adds. "I give him a lot of credit for the overall sound of the record. He'd often step out from behind the mixing desk, pick up a guitar and propose an idea that we'd then finesse together. Many of my favorite moments on the record are things we came up with on the spot: the synth lead on "Prepared Remarks," the guitars mimicking a French horn on "Belle Epoque," a guitar morphed into a steam engine on "Lift the Sheet." During the recording, Mendel and Kasai hosted a slew of guest musicians in the studio including guitarist Page Hamilton (Helmet) and Josiah Johnson (Head and the Heart) who appear on "Believe The Squalor" and vocalist Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate) and Foo Fighter bandmate/guitarist Chris Shiflett who appear on "The Place You Wanna Go." Despite only recently picking up the guitar and vocals, Mendel finds a natural groove on If I Kill This Thing We're All Going To Eat For A Week. The music draws listeners in with sincere lyrics and keeps them moving with echoed, jangly guitars as heard on standout tracks like "Rattled," "Prepared Remarks" and "Belle Epoque." Lieutenant recently made its live debut with a string of warm up shows in Southern California. The lineup in tow featured Mendel along with Christian Wargo (Fleet Foxes) on bass, Paul "Pablo" Wilson (Snow Patrol) on guitar, Jorma Vik (The Bronx, Mariachi El Bronx) on drums and Kasai on keys. Additional spring dates will be announced soon, including a performance at SXSW in March. Follow Lieutenant at https://www.facebook.com/lieutenantband for additional updates. Get tickets: http://ticketf.ly/1zvsDX7