Chris Merkley / Merkley & Morgan / Digger Jones / The Crooners

Artist Information

Biography

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Push play on the jukebox above to hear tracks from Merkley's latest solo album, "Thirty Miles from Nashville", The Crooners 2006 release, "So Many Places, as well as sneak previews of songs from the upcoming Digger Jones album...
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Country boy moves to the big city to play music and realizes he can build a tour bus almost as big as his factory loft apartment. Country boy moves back to the country to build a bus...

Since becoming a full-time musician in 2001, Merkley has played in the streets and clubs of over a dozen different countries...throughout the course of four European and six American tours. In his travels, he has performed in a variety of venues and settings. He has taken the stage in historic clubs such as the Double Door Inn (Charlotte, NC) and the Bitter End (NYC), as well as more modern venues such as the Belly Up (Aspen, CO) and Joe's Pub (NYC). Merkley has performed in the Museum of Modern Art (NYC) and the National Press Club (Washington DC) and also made numerous live appearances on local, college and national radio stations.

In addition to averaging over 100 shows a year, Merkley has also composed and produced original music for HBO and Cinemax and has been featured in several independent films.

Now based in Central New York, Merkley is performing regularly with a combination of solo shows, Merkley & Morgan, The Crooners and Digger Jones. He is also working to convert a retired school bus into an ecologically-minded tour bus...a project dubbed "The After School Special".

Instrumentation

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-Chris Merkley (guitar, harmonica, stomping feet and vocals)

Discography

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- "All Growed Up" (2011) - Digger Jones' debut full-length studio album released in April 2011.

- "Thirty Miles from Nashville" (2009) - Acoustic and electric originals stretching into rock, pop and blues.

- "So Many Places" (2006) - The Crooners debut of studio originals bridging the far corners of American roots music.

- "Ordinary Days" (2006) - An acoustic collaboration with Steve Morgan. Blues, country, pop and rock originals.

- "Small Change EP" (2005) - Acoustic and electric originals from stomp blues chants to blisco rock.

- "Nighttime Daydream" (2005) - Acoustic blues, folk and rock originals.

- "One Foot" (2004) - Live solo album.

- "Upstate and Downtown" (2004) - The Crooners live in central New York and New York City.

- "The Crooners" (2003) - Debut studio recording of The Crooners.

Audio

• Walkin into Walls
  Listen  
• Dead of the Night
  Listen  
• Tarbox "Thirty Miles from Nashville 2009"
  Listen  
• Got it Made ("Thirty Miles from Nashville" 2009)
  Listen  
• On My Way ("So Many Places" 2006)
  Listen  

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• "I like it...a lot."
  

  March 30, 2009

• "...channeling the same devil-may-care attitude as blues-rock neo-traditionalists the White Stripes or the Black Keys."
  

  March 29, 2009

• "Thirty Miles From Nashville simply deserves listeners attention."
  

  April 2009

• "...great blues sound and his playing on guitar and harmonica is world-class."
  

  September 7, 2007

• "...(New Kind of Blue) sounds like that first moment when the smoky blues joint became, through a few quick guitar riffs, the first rock club."
  

  March 7, 2007

• "...mines the rich history of the Blues while keeping it relevant for the new millennium."
  

  May 25, 2006

• "...an allegiance to old weird America, and a willingness to stray from the time-honored formula, even if only a little."
  

  March 3, 2005

Setlist

Typical set: 45min - 1hour
Performances: Up to 3 sets in a night...original and cover music depending on the setting.

Original material:

'Thirty Miles from Nashville' (Chris Merkley 2009)

Wading
Walls in the Way
Got it Made
Ashes of Yesterday's News
Gravity
Carousel
Way to Live
Tarbox
Long Distant Sigh
Baby Elephant

'So Many Places' (The Crooners 2006)

On My Way
New Kind of Blue
Mr. Liberty
Different Names

'Ordinary Days' (Merkley and Morgan 2006)

Ben Brown
Everywhere I Go
Pick and Pull
In Betweens
All Right

'Nighttime Daydream EP' (Chris Merkley 2005)

Moonshine
Black Box Blues
Brand New Day
Somewhere in the Middle
New Socks Old Shoes
Lately
Tuesday

'Small Change EP' (Chris Merkley 2005)

Nothing Much Grows
Lay Me Down
The Line
On the Run
Off in the Distance


and some covers...

"Bron-y-aur Stomp" (Led Zeppelin)
"Get Back" (The Beatles)
"Walkin' Blues" (Robert Johnson)
"Heart of Gold" (Neil Young)
"Oh la la" (The Faces)
"Better Together (Jack Johnson)
"Key to the Highway" (Big Bill Broonzy)
"Lovin' in my Baby's Eyes" (Taj Mahal)
"Boom Boom" (John Lee Hooker)
"Up to the Country" (Canned Heat)
"Tell me Mama" (Little Walter)
"Spoonful" (Howlin' Wolf)

Basic Requirements

Calendar