The Mertons

The Kentucky music group the Mertons plays a rollicking make of roots rock or grain belt rock, using the focus on the “rock.” A whole lot of their materials is certainly bolstered by amped-up guitars that garner evaluations to Uncle Tupelo, early Boy Volt, or Spirit Asylum. The music group, consisting of vocalist/songwriter J.P. Hanly, drummer Preston Gorman (who was simply later changed by Brad Frank), and brothers Steve and Jason Simpson (electric guitar and bass, respectively), emerged jointly in Frankfort, KY, in 1996. The group released their debut record, Girandole, a muscular mixture of heartland rock and roll, in 1999 on Blackdog Information. The record was made by Jeffrey Reed and Chris Hudson (who are in charge of labelmate Blue Mountain’s House Grown).