Norm joined Mezmer in April 2001. A Michigan native, with many years of club playing experience under his belt Norm moved with his wife Kibbie to Missouri in the late Summer of 2000. Norm brought that much needed bottom end to the band left vacant by the departure of long time friend and Mezmer bassist Randy Jones in the pursuit of a much higher calling. Norm left Mezmer in August of 2002.

His top three musical moments are:

1.) His first guitar, a Suzuki Classical, which showed up under a tree on December 25, 1965 along with a copy of the album "HELP!"

2.) Playing "Peaceful Easy Feeling" on a borrowed Guild acoustic in a club in Long Beach, California for beer in late 1977 with Mississippian Dale Kent, who bestowed onto him his "Southern" papers.

3.) Playing "The Star Spangled banner" on his Gibson Firebird at 2 AM on Tony Prus's rear deck in Morristown, Tennessee in August 1989. The doctor in the house in back gave the correct time.

The first "PRO" band was "The SURFERS" in 1966 with longtime friend Marc Brabb. Other early credits include "THE GREAT BRAIN ROBBERY" and another band with Marc that penned a "TEN YEAR'S AFTER" copy tune called "Tit-Whompin' Mama, which was a bust.

In the late 70's, Norm played with Dale Kent and another sailor in clubs in San Diego, Long Beach, Subic Bay and Yokosuka, mainly for beer. Mainly jams in the 1980's and his permanent liaison with wife Kibbie in the early 90's led to the rekindling of the passion.

The mid-1990's saw Norm first as the anchor for Ted Buckley's Country Blues Band, "LA GRANGE," featuring guitarist Chris Chapman, and later, Jim Britton's band "BOUNTY HUNTER," a West Michigan Country Rock Band. The late 1990's saw Norm and Kibbie kicking around the Charlevoix and Traverse City areas. Their last Northern Michigan gig was the famed "The Castle," which previously headlined names such as: Stevie Nicks, Huey Lewis and the News and Ringo Starr.

For all you gear heads, Norm plays a Custom Shop CARVIN LB75 and a '67' HOFNER Beatle Bass. His back-up axe is a CARVIN LB40. His favorite amp is a Gallien Krueger 800RB pushing a Hartke 4 X 10 and a Mesa Boogie 1 X 15, bi-amped.

In addition to his work with Mezmer, Norm Batchelder enjoys going to the stock car races and watching his wife Kibbie redecorate the house.