Merit fills the musical void between art-inspired indie rock and testosterone driven modern rock.

10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Modern Rock, ROCK: Acoustic



Details:
"Imagine if Concrete Blonde grew up listening to the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs..."
-The Village Voice

"They come up with something that is essentially unheard of in current music, a new sound."
-Neufutur.com

"Pick this [new double EP] up, its only a short matter of time before the mainstream really catches on."
-Smother.net


Karen O. Patti Smith. Chrissie Hynde. Kaia Wilson. All have been mentioned when describing Meritâs vocals. Vocal powerhouse Brenna Merritt fronts the Syracuse-based rock act Merit, completed by guitarist Hal Appleby, bassist Wil Mecum and drummer Jeff Nelson.

Meritâs music has been described as a more rock version of Rainer Maria, Metric, or any other buzzworthy female-fronted indie band. Itâs also reminiscent of a more indie version of Damone. Merit has never been described as Merit, despite filling the void that lies between testosterone-driven modern rock and the art-inspired indie rock.

Merit has always been the band that stood out. They did not fit at the bar gigs with guys wearing tank-tops in nu-something bands. They were never quite hard enough or predictable enough for the radio rock shows. They were considered âtoo rockâ for the indie or emo shows, yet Merit played them all, which helped land them on the 2006 Warped Tour. This versatility can be seen through the company they keep â sharing stages with bands including Liz Phair, Damone, Thousand Foot Krutch, Bif Naked and Ryan Stahr (of Rockstar Supernova fame).

Merit has been winning over crowds from Michigan to Massachusetts and from Canada to North Carolina when playing in support of their 2004 debut album When We Fight. Their self-titled sophomore effort dropped on May 9, 2006 and this disk further showcases Meritâs versatility, as the release is an electric â acoustic split album. The band began support for their most recent effort with their second Canadian tour, Warped Tour and then northeast dates through Fall 2006. The album is currently at every college radio station in the US and has been supported by XM satellite radio.

Despite forming in 2002 the band did not really begin to break out of Syracuse, NY until they released When We Fight via Aux Records in 2004. The record brought a tremendous amount of local praise and awards including the Brian Bourke Award as the Best New Artist at the 2004 Syracuse Area Music Awards. A national college radio campaign followed and netted Merit an album that was heavily supported in New York City and Los Angeles, the two largest radio markets in the US. Further radio support came from KRock in Syracuse where the single Man On A String broke into the top ten of their rotation â surpassing heavyweights like Coheed And Cambria, Taking Back Sunday, the Beastie Boys, and Yellowcard among dozens of other national acts. XM satellite radio caught on as well and started featuring the bandâs single.

As Meritâs second release has started making the rounds to bloggers, podcasters and other indie media the buzz is building. An interview and filmed performance by Fuse TV at the Warped Tour further thrust Merit further into the forefront. With a second college radio campaign underway and a fallâs worth of shows ahead, expect critics to abandon half-hearted comparisons to the latest female-fronted acts and begin to simply describe the band using their own name. They certainly live up to it.