“Spinning” an Unconventional Web:
An interview with Nathan Mercado AKA Spider Cherry, Musician and Entertainer
By Denise Marsh
There are musicians and then there are MUSICIANS…..Picture this: You are casually enjoying a drink, laughing with a friend. and a medium build, curly-haired, British accented man comes up to the stage and starts playing from two keyboards. The keyboards are not stacked on top of each other but rather one is in the front of the stage and the other to the right of the performer. You don’t really know what to expect but your intuition is screaming, “ This is going to be good” and it definitely was. I met Nathan Mercado aka “Spider Cherry” when Covid was still wearing on people’s minds. He came up to the intimate stage at Village Music Café and Store in Wellington and started playing the keyboards and singing, bringing intrigue and excitement to the audience. Spider Cherry knows how to “read the room” and most of his act is improvisation; feeding off of the audience’s vibe. S.C. will begin one song and fuse it in with another in perfect timing- not missing a hint of rhythm. He quickly became one of my favorites for live music entertainment, and I can guarantee he will do the same for you. Let’s get to know the man behind the “web.” ( I am a sucker for a full-on British accent so this was a pure delight for me).
Inside the “Web”
AW: When did you first start singing and playing the keyboard? Who or what inspired this passion?
SC: I was about five years old. I did the music and the singing together. I kind of always wanted to sing and play music. I guess, because my parents had a Baby Grand Piano and I would go over to it, tap it, and play around a little. My dad and mom saw that I was very interested in it and so it began. It is hard to remember those years. My parents didn’t have any musical background and couldn’t sing well. I am sort of “self-taught”. I had basic lessons when I was a kid, learning the notes: c, d, f, g, etc. I am more of a “play by ear” or “wing it” kind of guy. I just do it as I go along .
I play from my emotions and the vibe I get from the room. I try to “read the room” and appropriate the music. Sometimes I go a bit “berserk,” depending on the crowd, that’s all I will say about that. Sometimes it is fun to give people the impression that I am “mental” and play with the music; it keeps the show going. I tend to “mirror” life.
AW: How did you come up with the stage name “Spider Cherry”?
SC: I write a lot of music, but it’s more in the background and it really shouldn’t be that way. I’ve been pushing my music more now and writing quite a bit between the scenes. When I came up with the name, “Spider Cherry,” it was when I was doing and writing a lot of theatrical stuff . For example, I wrote in the style of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and no one’s really heard any of my new stuff. I’ve got a lot of stuff “under my belt” this year and I’m actually about to reveal it. I usually push to the next level and there’s some fear attached to it.
The cliché, “it’s who you know, not what you know” is very accurate with making and selling music. In music, it’s really about who you know and who you surround yourself with that makes it work or not work. “Spider Cherry” came from a film called “Spinal Tap” which was a spoof made in the seventies; it was a spoof of a rock band. It was called a “Rockumentary”-a spoof documentary that was very funny. It was about some funny American guys pretending to be British. I thought to myself “I need to be creative” with marketing. How could I come up with something that would stick?
I’ve always liked the band name Guns and Roses; you can put the logo together of- a gun and a rose, and it is simple to remember. If I wanted to market something I had to be smart; put things that go together that people will remember. I thought of a monkey and then (laughing) I said, “nope.” But then a spider came into my head. I went to the dot.com and searched to see if that name had already been taken or not. No one wants to be second in line. We’re all copying someone; its part of our DNA and from our moms, of course. I am spider-like when I play two pianos at once and I’m kind of using a lot of limbs. I kind of have eight legs, well not really…It is about the yin and the yang and the sweet and the poisonous if you will; the good and the bad.
I sometimes use a drummer and sometimes I don’t. I was a soloist during the “Corona” (covid) era, when there wasn’t a lot of work and the budget was usually low. I had to pretty much do my own thing. But, I don’t really like doing the solo stuff, I like to play off of other musicians. You can call me “spider,” I tell people. Ironically, I had a presumptive understanding of where I was going at a young age. I remember being dressed up as spider man instead of a school uniform and getting in trouble in school.
AW: How easy or hard is it to mask your British accent when singing?
SC: I’m from London Originally. I don’t purposely do it. I mean, I had singing lessons for a few years.
There’s two parts of singing. We can either get a better tone or “singing voice” or you can keep your “natural voice.” It’s like tennis or whatever you do as a “serve” in a sport; the one, sound, timing they all relate in a certain position. I can, depending on the song. I can do imitations as well. I prefer to do natural though.
AW: I have noticed during your routine, you do voice impressions rather well, especially singing in “character”. Did you always have this talent?
SC: I try to put my personality in it; on and off the stage. You really have to be yourself and if you’re not confident in yourself than you’re not going to be good on stage. It’s kind of like I “became” who I am while I was on stage.
AW: What are some of your favorite songs to play?
SC: I like a lot of the classics. I should probably listen to some new music but there’s so much stuff out there! I mean, I feel like I play the classics mostly like : Queen, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, etc. When you play selective music it’s what is on the “queue” and that is how they market music. It is “branded” like food and the major food chains: McDonalds, etc. People eat it even if it isn’t very good for you due to the marketing, you are what you eat and you are also what you listen to. If you listen to Top 10, that’s what I tend to play. I can still appreciate Boy bands and bands like the Spice Girls; those are not bad music. But now, people are being marketed by a big producer or popular on Tik Tok because of the viewers and it loses importance and is not impressive to me.
AW: I have observed that you are on the young side and your audience is an older crowd most of the time. Is this demographic difficult to play for or easier?
SC: Actually, I try to deal with generational gap as much as possible. I think Covid just made the gap even bigger. The people that grew up without phones are so different from the people that grew up in a “phone culture.” I feel that there is a difference in personalities; the “phone people” can be “warped” at times. In comparison, people wo grew up without the phones tend to appreciate more, in my opinion. Older people tend to tip more and look for the talent in others. Whereas, younger people tip less and appreciate talent if it is about them. It’s a different level of appreciation and a lot of that can be attributed to the influence of social media. So, playing for a more “mature” audience is easier because the music is more perceptive. I love young people and being part of that generation but feel like the older person sees and appreciates that I am doing three things at once. I think I am an “old soul” for sure.
AW: You incorporate Comedy a lot in your routines to bond with the audience. How’d you become such a natural?
SC: My family influenced me a lot; my dad is funny and sarcastic. Plus, of course, we’re from England so we have that “dry” sense of humor based on varying levels (laughing) . I always wonder if the people “over here” are getting my jokes or not. There is definitely a different style of humor in America.
AW: You have quite the talent of playing two keyboards simultaneously; how did this style originate? Do you play other instruments?
SC: I play and write for guitar. I also play guitar and drums. Performing out has always been the piano. I started playing the two pianos together about six or seven years ago because my friend had a keyboard. I would come over and play on it and she offered it to me so I bought it from her and I already had one. I play it in a slightly unconventional way; instead of stacking the keyboards together, I play at a right angle. I tend to play with my eyes closed, so I “see the music” in my head and this particular angle works for me.
AW: What is something that you think people would be surprised to know about you?
SC: I think that people would definitely be surprised to see what videos I’m about to release. There’s a couple of tracks where I used my “comedic side” and they are sort of “self-deprecating.” I dress up like a baby (laughs aloud). Go to YouTube and type in “Spider Cherry, a little bit shy.” Also, this year there’s another one with a dog.
AW: How can people contact you and see where you’ll be playing next?
SC: I made things very simple and easy. All of my social media is “Spider Cherry” and that’s it. It will give you posts, music, happenings and dates of shows as well.
AW: What are your future plans for your music?
SC: I’d like to form a band to get going with the original stuff a little better. I find that people’s schedules are a little bit different these days; they are always busy. I also find that where I am situated at the moment people really get to know me and my “Spider Cherry” trademark. People see that I mostly play covers and they are used to this. I feel that if people suddenly heard me do originals, they’d be very surprised. I’ve been creating my own way of performing to put myself in every position that I know and where I can entertain. I have actually done a lot of shows in the army and the navy. I’ve been everywhere. I must say that I truly enjoy playing at Village Music in Wellington; it is a special kind of place. Steve and Donna Wiley, the owners are very good people.
You know, we live in a world where no one listens to a whole song; they mostly skip to “the good part.” There is a different level of patience these days. That is why I tend to start with one song and break it up with requests from the crowd. I know my music is definitely a product of this mentality.
A “Friendly” Spider
If you have never seen Spider Cherry perform you should definitely check him out on social media. He plays at various locations in West Palm Beach. I promise you that once you see him in action you will be hooked by the “spider.” I have never been disappointed by any of his shows and I end up staying till the end (which is rare for me). You might potentially think differently about spiders.
