Henry Merit is a singer/songwriter from the North Shore of Boston, MA. The self proclaimed “long lost emo Beatle,” Merit plays a blend of folk rock and indie pop, mixing catchy choruses with confessional lyrics. His sound draws to mind artists such as Elliott Smith, the Beatles, and the Shins. Beginning his career at the age of 9, Merit played lead guitar in the rock band, Black Diamonds. In the band’s 8 year existence, they released two EPs and played venues such as House of Blues Boston and the Hard Rock Cafe. The band even earned the Guiness World Record for the World’s Youngest Professional Rock Band. As a solo artist, Merit has played Boston mainstays such as The Middle East Upstairs, The Jungle, and Midway Cafe, as well as playing as far as Nashville, Denver, New York and Los Angeles. His intimate debut EP, Highly Influenced, was released in 2018 followed by his next release, Box on the Ear, in 2019. Merit reemerged with his Beatlesque single “Starting Over” in January 2022, followed by the single, “Frank,” in May 2022. The upbeat single was produced by Boston music scene veterans Dan Nicklin and Nate Leavitt at Henley Row. His latest single, “Suburbs” is described as a “buttery-smooth scoop of suburban melancholy” (617 Reviews). Produced by singer/songwriter Robert Harrison (Cotton Mather, Future Clouds and Radar) in the Texas Hill Country, the song completed a coming of age trilogy of singles. In the fall of 2022, Merit toured the eastern United States, kicked off by playing at the Lovelane Hoedown, headlined by Barenaked Ladies, and ending in Austin, Texas. A new EP is due for release in 2024.

Baruti KMT-Sisouvong (pronounced buh-ROO-tee KE-met-SEE-soo-VAWNG), is a PhD Candidate studying Vedic Science, i.e. Consciousness Studies, with Maharishi University of Management researching Mystical Experiences among Freemasons and Rosicrucians. Additionally, and along with his wife, Mina, he also serves as Director of the Transcendental Meditation Program in Cambridge and the larger metropolitan area of Boston, MA.

An avid bibliophile and consciousness researcher, Baruti maintains an extensive and ever-growing library of spiritual, esoteric, and metaphysical texts. In addition to reading, writing, and research - both traditional and otherwise - he enjoys Philosophy, doing yoga asanas, reading Vedic literature in Sanskrit, preparing plant-based meals, travel, cycling, teaching Transcendental Meditation and facilitating Advanced Lectures with his wife, Mina, and being a doting husband and Dad to their two children--Chloë Rose and Emerson James Warren.

Follow Baruti to learn more—Instagram: @baruti; Twitter: @baruti; Facebook: @baruti.

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