Singer-songwriter based in London. Dark, intricate, guitar led tracks with textured vocals.

By Eli Coyote Mandel (Writer For Saturday Night Live)

From their youthful days of quad-lead-singer-rock-n-roll to their indie-roots-rock-tour-mania all the way to their brief stint as a Swedish synth-pop collective, the Brothers Koehler (Shannon and Spence) have remained the creative anchors of San Francisco's The Stone Foxes. 

And now, with Spence pulling a full-on Brian Wilson, writing songs in his sand-filled Malibu beach mansion, Shannon has taken on the role of "full-time microphone boy," leading the charge in the studio and on the road. In this new set-up, the dudes still pull from a hot pool of talented collaborators, both familiar and new.

With the release of their latest EP "Gold", it's clear that the hill-folk turned flat landers have evolved their studio technique from "point the horn at the gut bucket" to a fuller and more sophisticated sound. They've managed to capture and even elevate the unadulterated joy of seeing them live. Even so, one thing remains eternally true of the Stone Foxes; If you die without seeing them live, it will have been a wasted life.

"A distinct joy."- Consequence of Sound "Irresistible."- USA Today "thunderous electric guitar riffs."- NPR

Sonic Blues, indie, classic rock, all coexisting as one in the passion-, soul-driven four-piece band Mergence — a band that will not only draw you in, but keep you on your toes and soles, while you sway with every note.

To ensure they never outgrow their name, they called themselves Mergence and birthed a unique sound that will only continue to grow, expand and embrace a wide range of musical genres. Influences range from hip-hop and funk to jazz and instrumental, and their diverse backgrounds are seamlessly and intricately melded into the style heard today.

Compared to the likes of The Black Keys, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Pink Floyd, it is undeniable that Mergence’s distinctive trait is the passion and soul infused in the performance of each track.

Mergence’s meditative lyrics are as raw as its sound, threading themes of life, love, sex and death. Their tracks evoke a strong reaction from their devout, diverse following, from young to old and from all walks of life.

With an earthy, catchy sound, Mergence is as real as it gets. Their live shows and performances are an unequivocal match to the quality of their tracks and album — because they’re recorded live, too — packaged into a lustfully smooth sound, collaboratively and effortlessly produced by the band’s diverse members, including vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Adam Bruce, Yod on guitar, Brandon Shupe on bass and Jason Roedl rounding out the rhythm section on the drums.

Catch their singles on Valley radio station 106.7 KWSS; read about them in virtually every local music zine, including Java Magazine, Phoenix New Times and College Times — all boasting vibrant, rave reviews of both their live performances and debut album, “Those Vibrant Young People are Dead”; or catch them live on their 2012 southwest tour by checking out their website at mergenceband.com.

Discography ››
›› Harvest·Wintertime (Single, November 2011)
›› Those Vibrant Young People are Dead
(Debut Album, February 2011)

A Few Reviews ››
Recognition ››
›› 2011 Rock Local Awards presented by The Morning
Infidelity on KWSS 106.7 FM
and Best Live Band
›› Java Magazine Top 20 Local Songs for 2011, “Me & My Family vs. the Robots
“
Mergence is one of those bands that make locals proud of the Phoenix music scene. The music is hypnotic and flirtatious … crammed neatly with passionate solos, dark chord progressions, catchy bluesy riffs and strong melodic vocals. — Phoenix Music Beat Examiner
“
Mergence has emerged as something of the flagship band for our thriving indie rock community and their wake is something wonderful to surf in. — Java Magazine

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The Heavy Heavy Hearts began as the brainchild of founding member Beau James Wigington as he embarked on the writing and recording of his first solo EP “Whiskey is my Warm-up.” After a long recording process involving multiple session musicians, Beau found undeniable chemistry with session players Ralph Alexander (Kill Your Name) and Anthony Mancini (Night On Fire, Luke Christopher) and soon decided that a band was the necessary next step. After two performances at the legendary Whisky A-Go-Go in Hollywood, CA, Beau, Ralph and Anthony found Bassist Cooper Walker (Glens Martin, Dinosaur Tooth) to round out what would become The Heavy Heavy Hearts. In October of 2012, The Heavy Heavy Hearts held their debut performance at Molly Malone’s in Hollywood CA and released their first EP entitled “Dirty Lies” to great adulation. This up and coming band is quickly developing a buzz in Los Angeles as a heavy, soulful, highly-talented band, hell bent on fusing Blues/Rock with Country Soul, creating a unique yet worn in sound that calls back to Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf while maintaining the modern blues feel of bands like The Black Keys and Old Crow Medicine Show.

www.facebook.com/theheavyheavyhearts

You can't teach the blues. It's not something that can be codified in music books or learned on YouTube. It goes much deeper than that and it comes from the inside. It's about the way the guitar strings are bent and the sound gets transmuted directly from a player's soul. It's simple at the end of the day. Either you've got it, or you don't. JARED JAMES NICHOLS has definitely got it. The Wisconsin-born, Los Angeles-based singer, writer and guitarist's new EP Old Glory & The Wild Revival channels blues grit and gusto through bombastic arena-size rock 'n' roll. It's raw, raucous and righteously real. As soon as he got his first guitar at 14-years-old, the stage immediately called to Jared. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he grew up minutes away from The Alpine Valley Resort—where Stevie Ray Vaughan performed his last show. However, no divine coincidence could truly foreshadow just how adept at the six-string he would eventually become. He personally traces the beginning of his story back to a blues jam that his mother brought him to. "Two weeks after I got an electric guitar, I was on stage with all of these old cats from Chicago playing the blues," he recalls with a smile. "The music immediately resonated with me. It was all about the feeling and the soul behind it. None of these guys were music nerds. They were true blues guys playing what they felt. That power and reality struck a chord in me." Soon, he found himself practicing for twelve hours every day. Hitting up the local jams, he ended up sharing the stage with legends including Buddy Guy, "Honeyboy" Edwards, and "Big Jim" Johnson as well as opening for Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Derek Trucks. By his 21st birthday, he had logged over 500 gigs. After a short stint at Berklee School of Music in Boston, he headed out to Los Angeles where he garnered numerous accolades at the world-renowned Musicians Institute, winning the 2010 Jerry Horton guitar contest, the 2011 Les Paul tribute contest, and the 2011 "Outstanding Guitarist" award. 2012 saw him release his debut EP, Live at the Viper Room, gaining the notice of both Guitar World and Guitar Player and inking a deal with Sony/MTV's Hype Music Publishing. However, everything simply laid the groundwork for Old Glory & The Wild Revival. Teaming up with Aerosmith engineer Warren Huart, Jared began working on the five-song set in early 2013. Honing his voice as a guitarist, songs like the first single "Let It Go" speak through a delta-style soul with the right amount of rock bravado. "That one is a blues rock song about love and give and take," he reveals. "It's got its own style and it opens the door to what I'm doing". Elsewhere on the EP, "Blackfoot" charges forward with a riff as sharp as a tomahawk and a whole lot of spirit punctuated by Jessica Childress of The Voice's backing harmonies. "In Wisconsin, I was surrounded by Indian reservations and culture," he continues. "I'd do casino and reservation tours as a kid. When I wrote the song, I was reading about all of these badass tribes. I love that spirit and vibe inherent in Native American culture. The Blackfoot were truly bad motherfuckers. That lick is what I feel their culture represented." On stage, it truly comes to life. Jared's presence becomes amplified with guitar in hand. Audiences have experienced that everywhere from his performances at NAMM and SXSW to the iconic Sturgis Buffalo Chip Festival where he will play alongside ZZ Top and Kid Rock and the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary in Milwaukee this summer. Ultimately, he lives up to that idea of Revival in the EP's title. "I want people to get excited," he concludes. "I want them to feel like anything is possible in this music. I want them to know great blues rock exists. If I can give someone the same inspiration I was blessed with, I've done something right."




Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown are a rock and roll band based out of Nashville, TN. 

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