Merrick Section

"Merrick Section's music is a roomy brand of Americana rock, easygoing but polished. It's got pop hooks, but an expansive musical sense.." James Heflin - H. S. Gere and Sons

Merrick Section “Merrick Section” (Independent, 2009)




Cut-above Massachusetts roots rock debut

On first listen, the debut album by this Massachusetts band is a solid but unremarkable addition to the bulging catalogue variously described as heartlands rock, roots rock and numerous other sobriquets. Well played, well sung, but nothing to get particularly excited about. As usual however, perseverance pays off and subsequent spins reveal a band with more ambition than the norm and the chops – both written and played – to back it up.

All three members sing and vocal and instrumental leads are swapped with the casual abandon that bespeaks serious sympatico, all of which gives “Mandalay” and “You Can’t” that effortless toe-tapping, head-wagging irresistibility, “Lucky Stars”, complete with classically-styled guitar solo, proper muscular stomp appeal and “Another Invitation” a sound that’s John Mellencamp crossed with The Jayhawks. So far so superior, but there’s more. “Cross On The Highway”, which features aching vocals from Christine Andrews, is a proper country tragedy while “Mary Maudlin” displays genuine empathy with its subject and “Northeast Ghost” an affecting elegy for an area devastated by recession and changing economic times. A band that hopefully lots more will be heard from.


Date review added: Saturday, January 09, 2010
Reviewer: Jeremy Searle

- Americana-UK.com

LiveWire Awards: 2009's Best Local Discs
By Donnie Moorhouse
January 14, 2010, 8:50AM

Looking back, it was quite a decade for local music. Springfield’s very own Staind turned into one of the most popular acts in the business and the region’s metal scene graduated acts like Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, and All That Remains to the national and international stage.

Northampton’s supportive music community gave rise to Ware River Club and Winterpills, to name just a few, again pushing local talent to a more-worldly audience.

All of those bands showed promise early on, submitting locally-produced recordings here and to other outlets for review. Staind’s “Tormented” (now somewhat of a collector’s item) and Shadows Fall’s “Somber Eye to the Sky” were feted in this column for being innovated, inspiring, and rising to the head of the stack of local CDs.

Looking forward, who will carry the torch for 2010 and beyond? Here is a collection of five, culled from entries in this year’s LiveWire Awards, who stand a good chance to make some beautiful noise in the decade ahead.

Jamie Kent and The Options - “The Collective” - For a real surprise, track down the five tracks on Jamie Kent’s EP “The Collective.” Kent possesses a great voice and a fearlessness to be admired as he drifts through glimpses of blues, jazz, and rock notes that suggest Steely Dan influences without being derivative. This one has true promise. Check out jamiekent.com

Bright Nights – “Holiday Music Collection” - What’s better than Bright Nights? Springfield’s great Winter Wonderland could only be improved if it had its own soundtrack. So….credit the folks at Spirit of Springfield for creating the “Holiday Music Collection” as part of Bright Nights 15th Anniversary celebration. The disc features the classics sung by the area’s most talented performers including Frank Manzi, Sam Plotkin, Ashley Gearing, and Eric Bascom. The CD was recorded, mastered, and mixed at Rotary Records by Warren Amerman. For more information, log on to brightnights.org.

Mark Nomad – “Soul Proprietor” - Nomad carries the torch for local blues musicians this year with “Soul Proprietor,” a 10 song disc recorded live in one night during the summer. Nomad balances originals like “Don’t Waste Yourself,” and “Rocking Horse,” with the Junior Wells penned “Snatch Back and Hold It” and James Brown’s “Talking Loud and Saying Nothing.” Available through marknomad.com

Eva Cappelli and The Watershops Band – “Valentine” - Cappelli turned a few trips to open mic nights into a burgeoning career as the leader of a pretty cool band. “Valentine” is a 10-song disc about love, unrequited and otherwise, that showcases not only her writing and singing talents, but also the talents of her assembled group of musicians known as The Watershops Band. The title track is the real highlight, a stirring torch song that anchors the disc. Find them at evacappelli.com

Merrick Section takes its name from a West Springfield neighborhood but pulls its sound from Austin, Texas and the alt.country / Americana movement. Jim Walsh (drums, guitar, vocals), Tom Doherty (guitars, vocals), and Jeff Burch (guitars, vocals) strum and wail through some lo-fi, high lonesome gems highlighted by the opener “A Crested Wave,” and a wistful “She’s An Angel.” The band has a page at myspace.com/merricksection

- Springfield Republican

Merrick Section is in the neighborhood
Written by staff
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Lisa Denoncourt

Merrick Section is bringing its alt-country/Americana rock to The Lucky Dog on Friday, Feb. 26. The band’s sound features a rock edge with electric guitars mixing with driving percussion, balancing out its unique spin on the genre. Members include Jim Walsh (drums, acoustic), Tom Doherty (electric/acoustic guitar), and Jeff Burch (bass, guitar), with all three contributing to vocals. The West Springfield trio, named after one of the city’s neighborhoods, is excited to come to Worcester.

“Although we’re based in West Springfield, we have some pretty deep Worcester roots,” says band member, Jim Walsh, noting that Doherty was born and raised in Worcester.
The band’s self-titled debut features 12 polished tracks. “The songs on the disc were written in a 10- to 12-month period starting in the summer of 2007,” Walsh says. “I wrote them on acoustic guitar, with no actual plan to go in the studio, because I was intending to relocate to Austin Texas.”

After a family member became ill, plans changed and Walsh turned to Plan B, turning his relocation funds into studio funds. In a whirlwind week, the band managed to work out arrangements and hit the studio. Luckily, it was a smooth seven days at Zing Studio in Westfield and Merrick Section wrapped up quickly.
Influencing the album’s style were Wilco’s Being There and The Sound of Lies by the Jayhawks. “I loved how both CDs featured simple songs, simple melodies, but still managed to rock.” Walsh says. Merrick Section performs easy-going, well crafted songs that offer a steady rock beat. Songs range from the irresistibly catchy (“A Crested Wave”) to the simmered down (“She’s an Angel”), showcasing all three members’ singing and instrumental talent.
In the CD’s liner notes, the band thanks “the city of Austin, Texas for the original inspiration that became these songs and this project.” Austin’s influence is noted on many tunes, such as the distinct country growl on the track “Lucky Stars.”
With two more albums’ worth of material waiting in the wings, (with a possibility of debuting a song or two at The Lucky Dog, Walsh hints) the band is hoping to return to the studio soon to reprise its blend of country, rock and roots.

“The finished product is very much a collaborative effort with the three of us,” says Walsh. “I am incredibly lucky to have these guys as friends and as musical partners.”

Merrick Section will be onstage at The Lucky Dog Music Hall, 89 Green St., joined by Dave Magario, The Great Whiskey Rebellion, and The Glenn Stewart Band. 8 p.m. Take a listen to Merrick Section’s CD at myspace.com/merricksection.

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- Worcester Magazine

American music
Merrick Section is one of those bands that doesn’t fuse disparate musical genres together so much as it finds leisurely paths between different musical points. The breezy hoe-down Americana of “Another Invitation” gives way easily to the ’70s-esque rock sound of “Promises” or the contemporary country sound of “Cross on the Highway.” But the leaps seem effortless, like they all come from the same band, and give Merrick Section a truly enormous-seeming range. Merrick Section performs with the Glenn Steward Band, the Great Whiskey Rebellion and Dave Magario at 8 p.m. Friday at the Lucky Dog Music Hall, 89 Green St., Worcester. (Victor D. Infante)
- Worcester Telegram and Gazette