Shawn Mercer and the Boondock Blues Band: Press/Reviews

Community” builds “Opportunity” – New Folk Venues Make Space for Local Artists


By Bob McKillop











The word “Community” gets bandied about a lot when folk music fans talk about their favorite music venues. Contributions from a bunch of community supporters can help a venue to overcome the difficult numbers game that small presenters face, and create new opportunities for local artists.


[Image]


This past fall, Shawn and Molly Mercer, of Bucksport, managed to launch a new monthly music concert series, [ http://www.myspace.com/overthebridgeproductions ]“Over the Bridge Productions”, in the Alamo Theater. They distilled support for their new venture from the businesses, media outlets, and organizations in and around this small Maine town. The list includes a motel, a downtown eatery, the popular acoustic music radio station [ http://www.weru.org/ ]WERU, an art gallery, and a local small business group.


At left, The Alamo Theater in Bucksport, ME.

















Anna Maria Tocci and her business partner Kim Anderson have captured that same type of energy at the foot of Munjoy Hill in Portland’s east end. The North Star Music Cafe opened its doors in April of 2007, and since then, has become the center of a large community of social activists, artists, poets, songwriters, performers, and the gentle people who seek out and support those creative types. This classy, yet extremely comfortable and laid back room provides a wonderful way for local music to find an appreciative audience, and for regional and national touring musicians to introduce Portland’s music fans to their practiced craft.


Below, the cozy and welcoming spaces at [ http://www.northstarmusiccafe.com/ ]The North Star Music Cafe in Portland


[Image]





In Lewiston, The [ http://www.themapleroom.info/ ]Maple Room opened its doors late last year, and brought a new high-quality listening room to the region. [ http://www.taylormesple.com/ ]Taylor Mesple and his wife, Rebecca, along with business partner and venue manager Aaron Slocum, have created a space that prioritizes intimacy between the performer and the audience, top-notch acoustics, and the juxtaposition of great local talent with the very best in national and international touring songwriters and performers. This team’s formula for success also includes a large dose of support from local businesses and community organizations.





[Image]


On the other end of Congress Street from the afore-mentioned North Star Music Café in Portland, Tom Rota has returned to work at a venue that he helped operate a few years back; but this time, he’s in charge! He is doing a great job of re-establishing a wonderful listening room at One Longfellow Square (formerly known as The Center for Cultural Exchange). Tom has worked hard to reach out to the Maine music community, and to develop collaborative concert deals with local artists that result in benefits to both parties. The activity in this room has exploded in the last several months since Tom took over the operation. Portlanders have been treated to the very best in touring and local talent, in a great room, and at a reasonable price.


At left, the entrance to [ http://www.onelongfellowsquare.com/ ]One Longfellow Square, at the corner of State and Congress Streets in Portland, ME.





These are only the best examples of a long list of music venues that have opened their doors in the last year or so, expanding the opportunities for Mainers to enjoy great folk music. The common threads that run through these operations are: 1) the integral role that music plays in the personal and professional lives of the venue operators; 2) the role that community support plays in keeping the doors open; and 3) the spot that these venues have reserved for local Maine musicians and artists in their vision for success.


And those local musicians and artists have made the most of it! [ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=71259260 ]Clara Berry is a young songwriter and keyboard player from Biddeford, who played at the [ http://www.mesongwriters.com/members/default.asp ]Maine Songwriters Association weekly showcase and open mic at the North Star Music Café on several occasions this past year. Taylor Mesple, of the Maple Room, is a regular host of that series, and caught Clara’s set there; Clara is now working with Taylor on her debut CD, and Taylor booked her into an opening slot at the Maple room in front of [ http://www.piercepettis.com/index.php ]Pierce Pettis.





[Image]


Hosting the weekly MSA Showcase night is only one way in which Anna Maria Tocci supports local musicians at the North Star. Anna Maria is a [ http://www.annamariatocci.com/ ]gifted songwriter and performer herself; she is securely checked into the network of local talent, and provides many opportunities for those folks to get their stuff in front of the attentive North Star audience. Recent and upcoming local acts include [ http://www.myspace.com/nancycartonio ]Nancy Cartonio, The Mutineers , [ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=226125094 ]Keith Dover, [ http://www.vanessatorresmusic.com/news/ ]Vanessa Torres, [ http://www.saracox.net/ ]Sara Cox, [ http://www.davidbullard.com/ ]David Bullard, and [ http://www.carolyncurrie.com/ ]Carolyn Currie. Watch for a special treat on occasional Sunday afternoons: “Squash and Gourds” is highly-entertaining bluegrass band featuring mandolin, bass, banjo, and fiddle players who are quite accomplished for their tender ages!


At left, [ http://www.themutineers.com/ ]The Mutineers











[Image]


Shawn and Molly Mercer, up in Bucksport, have their musical sonar pinging away in that area’s talent pool, and have booked a local or regional opening act for each of the shows that they have scheduled so far, and into the future. Portland’s [ http://www.mariemoreshead.com/index.cfm ]Marie Moreshead warmed up the crowd for the fabulous [ http://www.markerelli.com/ ]Mark Erelli; [ http://home.comcast.net/~chrismerenda/chrismerenda/index/front.html ]Chris Merenda, of the [ http://www.themammals.net/ ]Mammals, opened for [ http://www.jessklein.com/ ]Jess Klein. Local western swing and blues duo Jay and Bjorn Peterson will play a set before another act with local roots, the [ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=82372518 ]Ameranouche Trio, on January 24. Boheme is an Orono jam band that will open for [ http://www.lucyvincent.com/ ]Lucy Vincent this coming April. There will be plenty of other opportunities for local openers at the Alamo; [ http://www.billmorrissey.net/ ]Bill Morrissey, [ http://www.tracygrammer.com/ ]Tracy Grammer, and [ http://www.karensavoca.com/ ]Karen Savoca are some other great headliners who are booked in Bucksport this coming spring.





At left, Jay and Bjorn Peterson











[Image]


Jonathan Call is a young man from Portland with a catalog of upbeat, uplifting acoustic songs shot through with jazz, blues, and reggae influences. He does a great solo acoustic set, and lately has been fronting a very tight trio that he calls “Jon Call and the Foundation”. Jon is totally psyched about these new local venues. He bagged an opening slot at The Maple Room on January 25, before [ http://www.livingstontaylor.com/ ]Livingston Taylor takes the stage. (pssst…. Brunswick’s [ http://www.judcaswell.com/index.htm ]Jud Caswell is opening for Liv Taylor’s second Maple Room show on the 26th!) Jon Call has also booked his CD release party in February with Tom Rota at One Longfellow Square.


Above, [ http://www.joncallmusic.com/ ]Jon Call





[Image]


Putnam Smith writes and performs acoustic, old-timey banjo music, and has been seen around Portland a lot lately. He was delighted when he, Sarah Jessup, and the Low Tide String Band attracted a standing room only crowd to One Longfellow Square for a combined concert on a Saturday night early this month. Tom Rota made this group of performers a deal that worked out great for all parties; the room was full, the ticket prices were reasonable, and the performers got some great exposure. Tom has booked a passel of local acts as headliners or openers, including [ http://www.truthaboutdaisies.com/ ]Truth About Daisies, [ http://www.meganjowilson.com/ ]Megan Jo Wilson, [ http://pambakerblues.tripod.com/index.html ]Pam Baker, [ http://www.kateschrock.com/ ]Kate Schrock, [ http://www.myspace.com/sugarsmallhouse ]Samuel James, [ http://www.mosesatwood.com/ ]Moses Atwood, and the [ http://www.jerksofgrass.com/ ]Jerks of Grass.





At left, [ http://www.myspace.com/putnamsmith ]Putnam Smith











Promotion and booking is hard work for these songwriters and performers; it’s not easy to land exciting and important gigs here in Maine, or anywhere else. It takes loads of talent, preparation, persistence, and a great attitude. But with presenters and venue operators working just as hard to support local music, these artists at least can feel that their hard work has some chance to pay off. The sense of community that infuses the folk music scene in Maine will continue to increase the likelihood of success for these venues and artists. Ultimately, it is we, the folk music fans, who take home the prize!

Shemekia Copeland at the Grand in Ellsworth.


Having seen Shemekia Copeland on a couple of occasions in the past, I anticipated that last Saturday night’s return performance at the Grand would be a good one.


What I didn’t anticipate was just how good it would be. She took command of the building from the moment she walked on the stage, and she never relinquished her hold until she walked off nearly two hours later. She had the audience in the palm of her hand throughout.


Ms. Copeland often gets categorized as a blues singer because of her affiliation with Alligator Records, but that’s not telling the entire story, particularly when she’s playing live — her music genre jumps almost at will— this last Saturday night she rocked particularly hard, more so than when I have seen her before. With a fine assist from her crackerjack band, she roared through up-tempo numbers like “Wild, Wild Woman,” “Who Stole My Radio,” and most of all, on the blistering encore of “It’s 2 A.M.” It was irresistible stuff — one would have to be dead to have not wanted to get up and boogie, and several dozen people in fact did get up to dance the night away.


But Ms Copeland offered more than rock and roll. There was the slow blues of “Ball of Tears,” the funk of “Living on Love,” the Delta-tinged “Beat Up Old Guitar,” and a soulful rendition of “Ghetto Child” that would have done Aretha Franklin proud. Ms. Copeland’s magnificent voice was in fine form, and she showed it in all its power on Saturday.


While the singing itself would have been worth the price of admission, what really made Ms. Copeland’s show memorable was how she made the audience such a part of it. She’s one of those performers who is humble and accessible onstage; you never get the feeling that she’s just going through the motions — she’s always smiling, bantering playfully in between songs, and just seeming to have an all-around good time. The audience responded by loud applause for every song (including a standing ovation for “Ghetto Child”) and boisterous laughter at her jokes; and several dozen people took up the pre-show offer to go dance in front of the stage — some of them for nearly every song.


I never can quite figure out why the Britney Spears and J-Los of the world hit the stratosphere of performing, and artists like Shemekia Copeland remain stuck at lower levels, playing venues with just a few hundred seats. She really does deserve to move into the big arenas with her talent, perhaps she someday will. But at the same time, I’m a little bit selfishly glad that she hasn’t, because until she does we’ll be able to keep seeing her up close and personal in places like the Grand.


Special mention also needs to go out to the opening act, Orland native Shawn Mercer, who with Mitch Markowitz offered up a set of acoustic blues and American music that was much appreciated (particularly the somewhat bawdy “Woodman’s Blues”). The music was loose, a little sloppy at times, but always spirited, and most of all fun. They did what any good warm-up act should do - they warmed up the crowd. All in all, a grade-A show from start to finish.

Shawn Mercer and the Boondock Blues Band
By Pat Shaw
edge staff writer


The Maine Edge Edition 41BANGOR -


The phone rang and a voice on the other end said, “We have a spot for you to play.” For Orland native Shawn Mercer, being an artist in Maine means knowing the value of playing a show anywhere at anytime. It was an easy answer – yes, Mercer and his Boondock Blues Band would be there.


The event was the benefit show held Sept. 3 for the Workers Center of Eastern Maine, organized by the Eastern Maine Labor Council and Maine Food and Medicine. Mercer is no stranger to Maine Food and Medicine - he has played for their Fourth of July event the past five years, and he was excited to be involved with this event. They were the first band of the night, opening for the Gilpin Railroad Incident and headliner James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards.


Their unique blend of rock, funk and jazz set the tone for the night. Playing all original songs, many audience members enjoyed being able to relate to the tunes. Some even left their seats behind to dance by the front of the stage.


Focusing on playing original songs and keeping the music exciting is the band’s goal.
“[It’s about] taking the music and adding more texture to keep it interesting and bringing the music to places where originality is appreciated, staying away from covers and doing all exclusive songs,” Mercer said in an interview.


Coming up with these songs is a different story. At first, Mercer tried to sit down and write lyrics, but he found it to be frustrating. Then he realized he’s better at telling stories, and from then on that is what he stuck with - telling stories about real life that everyone can relate to. This theme of easily accessible songs about everyday life was recurring throughout the night.


The band agreed with Mercer when he said their experience that night was great, and all thought they played a good show. Brad O’Brian, the band’s bassist, joked that being onstage for 45 minutes without messing up is what made the show great for them.


Other big highlights for the band that night included the large crowd's reception and the cause they were playing for. Band members said it was good to see a small organization putting on an event and receiving such a large turn out. The show may not have made a large amount of money, but the band helped get the word out to the people.


The band’s next performance will be Oct. 13 at Woodman’s Bar and Grill in Orono for UMaine’s Homecoming Weekend. Be sure to check out their web site at www.shawnmercer.com for information on upcoming gigs and free downloads of their songs.

Orland ex-mbetal head finds his place in the Boondocks
Friday, January 19, 2007 - Bangor Daily News


Shawn Mercer can trace back the moment that his life in music changed to one night in Camden nearly four years ago.
"I went to see Greg Brown at the Camden Opera House. I had just gone through a divorce, so I was in a lot of emotional turmoil ” the kind of stuff that's really great for songwriters," said Mercer, 33. "My current wife introduced me to his music. He just tells stories in his songs, and it seems true and real. It made me feel like I could try to tell what I know from my life in my songs. It was a huge inspiration for me."
After a decade and a half that included a few long years tormenting college friends with his self-described "painful" guitar playing, a stint in a metal band and a lot of Pink Floyd covers at open mike nights across the state, Mercer finally had a true musical direction. And soon enough, the songs started coming.
Now with his own band "Shawn Mercer and the Boondock Blues Band”, Mercer is a long way from his humble origins. He has a full-length, self-titled album of scrappy, warm, bluesy folk-rock under his belt, available at www.cdbaby.com and through his Web site, www.shawnmercer.com


And he's playing gigs, though not at many bars; he's a family man with a wife and kids and a big plot of land in Orland. Case in point: Mercer and company will play a show with alt-folk trio the Toughcats at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Blue Hill Town Hall. At 4 p.m. that day, both bands will perform on WERU 89.9 FM.
"I like to play my own tunes, and it seems like a lot of bars in Maine want covers. Plus, with a family and a full-time job, I can't really be getting in at 1 a.m. all the time," said Mercer, who is a teacher at Troy Howard Middle School. "I've had a lot of fun playing festivals and coffeehouses and organizing my own shows. It's fun to work with other cool musicians, and you tend to attract people who really like to hear original music."
In the style of his heroes Neil Young, Mark Lanegan and, of course, Greg Brown, Mercer writes deceptively simple songs with a rough, unpolished edge. Bass player Brad O'Brien, drummer Eric Sanders and mandolin player Steve Tanguay add an earthy bar-band feel to straight-up blues rockers like the thoughtful "Back Roads" and the anthemic "Boondock Blues." The indomitable Merlan the Intrepid Traveler rounds out the lineup with his soulful harmonica licks, and Tree By Leaf singer Sirii Soucy contributes backing vocals.
Though he didn't consciously choose to play the blues, that style seemed to fit with Mercer's outlook on life.
"I've always loved the blues, but I was always into the Seattle grunge stuff, that's sort of down," said Mercer. "But my personality is more upbeat and about having fun, so that's the music that I ended up playing."

Saving the forests
Preserving the Maine woods at the Grand
By Beth Farnham
edge staff writer
ELLSWORTH - While Maine has far more untouched forests than most Eastern states, the numbers are getting smaller. Local blues artist Shawn Mercer hopes to save part of his hometown's land at the Concert for the Wildlands, Friday, May 11 at the Grand in Ellsworth.


4,200 acres of undeveloped land lie in the Orland region. The forest, home to much wildlife - black bears, deer, turkeys, eagles - also has a 14-mile trail for biking, skiing and snowmobiling.
The Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust, an East Orland-based nonprofit land trust, purchased the Wildlands in 2005. Great Pond hopes to maintain the Wildlands in its current, natural state through its Campaign for the Wildlands, a fundraiser in which they hope to raise $2.8 million by the end of June.



Orland musician Shawn Mercer organized the Concert for Wildlands at the Grand in Ellsworth. (Photo courtesy of the artist.)


“The Trust must meet its fundraising goal by the end of June in order to pay back a $1 million zero-interest loan,” said Marcia Gronewold Sly, coordinator for the campaign. The Trust has already raised $2.6 million in just two short years, yet it still has a small balance to pay off.


Which is where Shawn Mercer comes in. He created the Concert for the Wildlands to raise money for the cause.


"I used to spend a lot of time on the land," said Mercer, an Orland native who plays with his Boondock Blues Band, a group of folk & blues artists from the coastal region. "I want folks to come out, have fun, and maybe join the land trust."


Mercer and the Boondocks will be joined by Downeast folk trio Tree by Leaf, guitarist Eric Horschak and Castine native Julianne Gardner.


Tickets for Concert for the Wildlands are $15 and are available at grandonline.org. For more information on the Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust, visit their website at greatpondtrust.org.

Singers Offer Songs To Save the Wildlands

Written by Nick Gosling


Thursday, May 03, 2007


ORLAND — When Shawn Mercer was growing up he would often hunt and fish on a largely undeveloped piece of property bordering the eastern side of Great Pond Mountain.


There, a Mercer family tradition sprouted with trips to secluded Hothole Pond, once listed as one of the top 10 scenic ponds in the organized territories by a state survey.


Years later, Mercer and his own family live bordering that piece of property, which is now called the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands. The 33-year-old teacher and part-time blues musician still trudges his way onto the property now and then, but hunting and fishing have been replaced largely by mountain biking and horseback riding.


And the Mercer family still holds the traditional annual excursions to Hothole Pond to a small private campground that sits next to the Wildlands boundary.


“I’ve been going out there for a long time and had a lot of fun experiences,” Mercer said in a phone interview last Friday. “The best part of it, there’s nothing else out there. You can go out and feel like you’re in the middle of the wilderness and there’s nothing else around.”


Now Mercer is giving back to the property that has brought him so many memories and the conservation group that is working to protect that property from future development.


Mercer and the Boondock Blues Band will be joined by Belfast group Tree by Leaf and musicians Eric Horschak and Juliane Gardner in a benefit concert at The Grand on May 11 at 7 p.m. to raise funds for the Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust (GPMCT).


Proceeds from “Concert for the Wildlands” will go toward the GPMCT’s $2.86 million fund-raising goal that the group has been working on since 2005.


In 2005, 12 years after the formation of the Trust, GPMCT purchased the former logging property from a private owner for the sum of $2.86 million, thanks largely to a $1 million, no interest, two-year loan from an anonymous family.


The trust suddenly became the sole owner of 4,200 acres of almost completely undeveloped land — an 800-acre tract west of privately owned Great Pond Mountain and a 3,400-acre tract to the east of the mountain.


The group has been vigorously fund raising since then to repay the million-dollar loan by the deadline of June 30, 2007. It is less than $225,000 away from reaching that goal and has received overwhelming support from local families, individuals, businesses and the town of Orland, said Marcia Sly, campaign coordinator for the trust.


“By far the individual gifts make up the most of what we have,” said Sly. She calculates $900,000 of the $2.86 million has been from individual family gifts.


The trust is also looking toward the future by fund raising for a stewardship of the Wildlands, the way the late Stuart Gross looked to the future of the property decades ago.


Hampden and Bucksport resident David Gross still remembers his father and him climbing to the top of Great Pond Mountain, where Stuart would look east and gently remind his son how important it was to find a way to protect the lands before them.


Stuart died in 1997, never seeing that dream come to fruition. But he did pave the way to that goal with the formation of the trust in 1992.


David, president of the GPMCT board, said it’s a good feeling having realized his father’s dream.


“I only wish he could have lived to see it,” said David. “He always emphasized he wanted this to be a place of recreation for people.”


David calls the Wildlands the largest parcel of land that any trust in Maine owns, outside of the Great North Woods.


And it’s a piece of recreational-use property in many people’s back yards, people like Shawn Mercer, people who find the Wildlands worth fighting, and singing, for.


For more information on the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands or GPMCT, visit www.greatpondtrust.org or call 469-7190.



If You Go


What: Concert for the Wildlands.


When: Friday, May 11, at 7 p.m.


Where: The Grand in Ellsworth.


Tickets/info: Admission is $15. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at The Grand box office, 667-9500 or grandonline.org.


In Bucksport, get advance tickets at Bookstacks, Main Street, credit card payments accepted, 469-8992.

Take a trip to the boondocks with Mercer
By Tanya Mitchell
Staff Reporter


ORLAND — From taking a trip down a less-traveled road to connecting to one's heritage through song, Shawn Mercer's “Boondock Blues” touches on the aspects of home and family through a welcome variety of sounds.


Mercer drew much of his inspiration for the 13 songs featured on his CD from his experiences with building his family's home, a timber frame structure where he, his wife, Molly, and their children live off the grid in the woods of North Orland. The couple has four children, including Molly's son, Jeb, 10, and her daughter, Ivy, 8. Mercer and Molly also have two children together, Maizey, who is turning 3, and Ella, 1.


"A lot of these songs came through Molly and I getting together and the birth of our first child, and dreaming about the house we're living in now," said Mercer.


“The Nancy Song” demonstrates that dream state, as it described some of the frustrations he experienced when he launched his efforts to construct his family's home. Mercer's grandfather gave him a two-acre spread that was situated in the middle of a sizable chunk of land that had been in his family for generations, and Mercer found himself struggling for months over a right-of-way issue with one of the absentee neighbors. At the time when Mercer penned the song, he and Molly were residing in a small apartment in Bucksport and couldn't wait to move to their country dwelling.


"I wrote the song about what it would be like for us to be living out there. We do have some chickens now, that the kids have a good time with, but we haven't made any blueberry wine yet," he said, referring to the lyrics.


As for the title of the song, there are blueberry fields on the family land that he and neighbors have long referred to as "the Nancy field" because it was named for one of the former landowners. During the post-Civil War era, a couple named Abner and Nancy Crosby purchased that plot.


Mercer's songs are also a tribute to his family's history and their relationship to the region. “Grampy Captain” carries listeners back in time to days when schooners and steamships roamed the waters off the New England coast, and sailors belted out sea shanties. The song is about Mercer's great-great-grandfather, who was once a master of the only five-masted schooner to be constructed in Belfast, the Jenny Flood Kreger. The vessel was constructed by Matthews Brothers in the early 1900s, said Mercer, who added that “Grampy Captain” inspired him to conduct some historic and genealogical research. After taking a trip to the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Mercer learned that the ship got stuck before its inaugural launch, which in those days was considered bad luck.


A newspaper clipping from The Baltimore Sun described an instance when Mercer's great-great-grandfather sailed the ship into that harbor with all the sails set. Mercer noted that was something that was considered a bit of an oddity in the days when steamships were becoming the preferred way to travel for mariners.


"There are some tendencies in my family, particularly in the male line, to do things the old way… and maybe show off a little bit," he mused.


Over time, the schooner was left in a harbor, the location of which is unknown to Mercer. The ship eventually sank at its final mooring spot, Mercer explained.


Mercer shrouded that particular song in secrecy when it came to his family, and only his mother had heard the song performed live until last Christmas. That's when he played the tune for his father and grandfather as his gift to them.


For those seeking the grittier sounds of the blues, Mercer said the title track (“Boondock Blues”) offers lyrics and song that could fit the description of where the music was made. The CD was recorded at Ezra Rugg's Studio EZ in Freedom, which Mercer said was constructed from the remnants of an old barn.


On tracks such as “Floats Lightly,” and “Me My Mo,” Mercer had a little help on the vocals from Siiri Soucy of Tree By Leaf, an addition Mercer said was a great one for his first shot at making a CD. Rugg, in addition to spearheading the mixing of the CD, was also the bassist for “Boondock Blues.” Over the course of three days, Mercer (vocalist and guitar player) joined two of his friends from the western Maine and New Hampshire region to bring his songs to life. Steve Pullen of Conway, N.H., who plays slide guitar, harmonica, banjo, fiddle, mandolin and mouth harp, and Justin Ward of Stow (drums and percussion) helped fill the songs with smatterings of everything from bluegrass to folk.


In terms of live performances, Mercer's backup on stage consists of bassist Brad O'Brian, a harmonica player known as "Merlan, The Intrepid Traveler” and fellow Troy Howard Middle School teacher Steve Tanguay. Mercer teaches alternative education at THMS. Tanguay plays the mandolin, harmonica and bass. Eric Sanders also helps out, said Mercer, who added that while Sanders is not a member of Tree By Leaf he does work with them occasionally. In addition, Soucy jumps in on the vocals from time to time.


"We've had a great time, we've done a bunch of shows together, and we're becoming great friends through our love of music," said Mercer of his musical support. "I keep meeting more and more interesting and cool folks through music."


Old-time country and bluegrass have been Mercer's musical influences as of late, and for the past 10 to 15 years, the blues has remained a constant music of interest. When he was initially learning to play during the 1990s, Mercer often learned by playing the music he loved, including Neil Young, Alice in Chains, The Screaming Trees, Radiohead and Blind Melon (particularly the “Soup” album).


“Boondock Blues,” said Mercer, is a creative representation of all things that are real to him, which he hopes listeners can both relate to and enjoy.


"I hope they'll at least get a smile and have fun with it; it's there for fun," he said. "I think also there are some examples of how we're trying to live our life in a way that we think is right, and I think that comes through in some of the music."


The CD can be found online at shawnmercer.com and at Belfast Music, Mr. Paperback in Belfast, Coastal Coffee in Searsport, Bookstacks and 5 Elements Gallery in Bucksport and at the Orland Market.

"Boondock Blues, in fact, is one comfortable listening experience."


Click the link to read the whole article.

5 out of 5 stars
Reviewer:
Loved the music *and* the lyrics. Use of metaphor was great! Siri's vocals and strings were a fine addition, too. Let me know when the next one is out.

5 out of 5 stars


Excellent and Original Accoustic Blues Album


This, I believe, is Shawn Mercer's first CD and contains 13 orginal songs. He works the territory between Folk and Accoustic Blues with wonderful lyrics and melodies. When I first heard Me My Mo with Siiri Soucy's distant harmony the song permanently imprinted on my memory. Mr. Mercer is a local Maine artist and I really love his unique blues style.