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ACOUSTIC ROCK & MODERN FOLK
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BAND BIO |
WHAT'S NEW SPRING/SUMMER 2011
We've got new studio recordings! Click to play samples
Knew You (lead vocals: Marian)
Dial This Number (lead vocals: Craig)
Rest of Your Life (lead vocals: Charlene)
BAND BIO
The editors at Hudson Valley Magazine selected Project Mercury "Best New Band" of 2006, and they are also a favorite at Rockland Magazine. Brewing up a custom blend of acoustic rock and modern folk with traces of blues & classical, their special ingredients are three-part harmony, guitar, violin, cello and bass.
The band has been on the Hudson Valley and New Jersey music map for over 10 years. Launched initially by singer-songwriter-guitarist Marian Mastrorilli as a full-blown rock band, she and violinist-vocalist Charlene Donohue refocused into the more audience-friendly acoustic genre. The picture was complete with the addition of Craig Fox on guitar and vocals in January '03; in January '05 Jeanne Fox rocketed Project Mercury into a string quartet with her mad cello and bass skills!
Part of the fun of a Project Mercury show is the element of surprise. Will their next song be introspective and dramatic, with a violin and cello arrangement? Will it be upbeat and witty, bursting with harmony? Or will it rock the house? With a camaraderie that comes across onstage, PM is harmonious both literally and personally. Three distinct voices take turns in the spotlight and back one another: Marian's airy soprano, Charlene's earthy alto and Craig's rich baritone. Jeanne's cello and basslines interweave with violin over a backdrop of solid acoustic guitar work.
Project Mercury is currently in the studio working on a new CD. Their 6-song mini-CD Down to Earth, released in '05, features the earnest acoustic sound of the band's "pre-Jeanne" days as a trio. Their first CD Light This Candle, released in '02, uses full production and arrangements to showcase roots in 70's rock and singer-songwriter balladry. It gained airplay on over 60 radio stations, including WFUV, WNTI, WFDU and WVKR.
The band has built a solid
reputation by performing steadily at festivals and venues
throughout NY and NJ, including a winning songwriter's slot
at the NJ Folk Festival's New Folk Showcase in '02. Their
tri-state travels have taken them from as far north as Caffe
Lena in Saratoga Springs, through Bodles Opera House in
Chester and The Knitting Factory in NY, to The Saint in
Asbury Park, NJ. They have shared bills with Sarah Lee
Guthrie, Mark Erelli, The Kennedys, Cliff Eberhardt, Galdalf
Murphy & the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Terence
Martin, Sloan Wainwright and regional colleagues Pat Wictor
and Red Molly.
PERFORMANCE
VIDEOS
Watch this one now,
or click here to
watch 'em all!
VIDEO
MONTAGE
Project Mercury's classic
tribute to Palisades Amusement Park "At Palisades" is now a
video, created by the Park's historical society leader Vince
Gargiulo! Check it out
on YouTube and visit the Park's website.
VISIT
us on Facebook & MySpace
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BUY CDs ONLINE |
Click on the album art to purchase from CDBaby. Individual tracks are also available at iTunes.
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BOOKINGS HISTORY |
Festivals & Benefits: Artworks Westchester, Blank-Fest (4x), Harvest Moon Festival (3x) and Dylan Tribute at Warwick Valley Winery (9x in 2011!), Edgewater Arts Festival, Empowering Women at Watchung Arts Center, Heirloom Tomato & Music Festival (2x), Mamapalooza, New Folk Showcase at '02 NJ Folk Festival, Nyack's Mostly Music, Outpost in the Burbs Gala, Sugarloaf Fall Festival,WFNP's Smiles Across Miles, Woodbridge Folk Festival
Albany: Art on Lark, Caffe Lena, Congress Park, Hilton Center, The Larkin, Rock2Rebuild, Undergrounds Coffeehouse
Connecticut: Buttonwood Tree
Hudson Valley, NY: A.I.R. Studio, Ale Mary's, Aroma Thyme, Arts on the Lake, Best of the Hudson Valley Party, Black Cow, Bodles Opera House, chThonic Clash, Clarkstown Concerts, Coven Cafe, Cubbyhole Coffeehouse, Danny's Cafe, Dockside Pub, Gadaleto's, The Hickory, High Falls Cafe, Hudson House, L'Artista, Lighthouse Coffee Co., Local Music Live, Lost & Found Coffeehouse, Lycian Centre, Moon Over Piermont, Nyack Street Fair, Ramapo Valley Brewery, Tower Records, Tribes Hill events, Warwick Valley Winery
MA: Berkshires Arts Festival (2x), Masterworks Arts Fair
NJ: Asbury Cafe at The Saint, Beantowne, Cafe Cafe, Cool Beans, Crossroads Coffeehouse, Hillside Cafe, Luna Stage, Mexicali Live, Mine Street Coffeehouse, Ninety Six West, Sanctuary Cafe, Stanhope House, Tavern in the Park, Uncommon Grounds, Victor's House of Music, Winona Folk
NYC: Acme Underground, C-Note, Ethical Cultural Society of Queens, Eureka Joe's, Gaslight, Joyous Life, Knitting Factory, Lion's Den, Orchard House Cafe, Starving Artist, Sun Music, Vox Pop
PA: John & Peter's Place
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SUCCESS with PRESS |
Courtesy of NJ's Bergen Record & Herald News
Feature Spotlights
Journal News, Rock on Bronx, Acoustic Live, Polly's Picks at Hudson Valley Magazine, Favorite Band of Rockland Magazine, NJ's The Observer, Westchester's The Item, Morristown's Daily Record, Jersey shore's Night & Day, Bergen Record
Reviews (Read excerpts)
Dennis Halsey at Best Female Musicians, Tommy Marin at I.M.E., Ashley Petkovski at Muse's Muse, Amy Lotsberg at Collected Sounds, Les Reynolds at Indie-Music.com, Kathleen Myers at Hudson Valley Arts & Lives
In-Studio Radio Broadcasts
Red Planet Radio, Rockland World Radio, SmartWomen Radio, WFDU, WGHT, WRHL, WNTI, WRPI's Mostly Folk with Sonny Ochs, WRRC, WSPN, WTBQ, WVKR 's Regional Frequency and Scene Unseen
TV Appearances
Channel 10 News, Poughkeepsie Live on Time Warner Cable. Featured in indie filmmaker Kristina Latour's documentary on the Blank-Fest VIII benefit concert.
Internet Spotlights
Artist of the Day on Whole Wheat Radio, "Zoe's essentials" pick at radioIOAcoustic, concert review and interview at Best Female Musicians, JavaMusic indie pick, Critic's Pick at The Rogovoy Report; Featured Artist at Indiegrrl.com, Kweevak, JerseyJam; Garageband's Pop Song of the Day for Children at Play and oldie One of the Stars.
acoustic rock in New
York
acoustic rock in New Jersey