Check out Beau Stapleton's new project: Computer vs. Banjo!
and new solo EP "Will I Shine For You Still"!
Check Out Lucas' new EP!
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Walking into the club, you look up at the stage in anticipation of the evening's performance, curious about this band Blue Merle. But instead of the usual array of electric guitars and stacked amps, what you see are acoustic guitar, mandolin, violin, upright bass, and drums. "The people file in, and they're looking at the stage, seeing these instruments. And until we step out onto the stage and pick them up, I think they're expecting something else," says Blue Merle mandolinist/guitarist Beau Stapleton Something else, indeed. Blue Merle is a band that doesn't simply defy expectations; it renders them irrelevant. Despite its mostly acoustic instrumentation, the band is well practiced at the art of catching an audience unaware and transporting it to a place of pure rock pleasure. It's a trick they've honed through heavy roadwork--whether opening for the likes of J.J. Cale, Badly Drawn Boy, or Jem, or playing festivals ranging from Farm Aid to Bonnaroo and perfected with their Island debut, Burning In The Sun.
Between the scruffy sweetness of Luke Reynolds' rough, expressive tenor and the orchestral richness of the band's intricate arrangements, Burning In The Sun is an album that is easy to get lost in. Produced by Stephen Harris (U2, Dave Matthews Band, Kula Shaker), its sound is immediately inviting and disarmingly nuanced. Some songs, such as the string-drenched "Every Ship Must Sail Away" and "If I Could," are lush with harmony and emotional portent, while others--particularly the insinuatingly propulsive "Boxcar Racer" and "Either Way It Goes"--bubble over with rhythmic energy and melodic allure. Throughout, the music carries the sort of inventiveness and depth of feeling found only in the best rock songwriting.
A few current videos from the bands members.
