Mendel, also known as bassist for popular rock band Foo Fighters, highly influential emo act Sunny Day Real Estate and The Fire Theft, is venturing into uncharted territory as the primary songwriter, guitarist and singer for his first solo project, Lieutenant. After two decades of honing his technique on bass, Mendel was determined to step into a new role as the songwriter and frontman.

Mendel entered Foo Fighters’ studio, Studio 606, in August of 2012 with meticulously constructed demos, arrangements and melodies worked out for each of the songs. With the help of drummer Joe Plummer (The Shins, Modest Mouse) the two laid down the backbone of the record, tweaking the tracks as they went along, while producer/engineer Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Helmet) joined Mendel in studio to assist with the infamous Neve console.

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.”

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.