Troy Mercy
* Blues Unusualist *
“Brave New Blues
for a Mean Old World”
MUSIC:
LISTEN & GET IT
RIYL:
The Black Keys, The White Stripes, GA 20, Marcus King, Led Zeppelin
Elusive Americana & Blues guitarist Troy Mercy performs raw and wild vintage-toned Rock & Roll. It's cracking guitar music surely, but it's his singing and songwriting that stand him a cut above the six-string rabble.
While this marks his debut solo effort Troy Mercy earned his bones through years of touring with heavies* such as Booker T (of The MGs) & The Fabulous Thunderbirds. He has performed with Blues originators like Hubert Sumlin, Billy Boy Arnold and Pinetop Perkins, and he played guitar on two Grammy-nominated albums with Kim Wilson.
Troy Mercy's original music draws on expansive influences and he often performs live in the Power Duo format like The Black Keys, The White Stripes, and Flat Duo Jets.
Let The Night Begin,Troy Mercy's debut album out in May 2026, was produced by Tim Carman (Parlor Greens, Canyon Lights, formerly GA-20). Expect songs you'll be singing in your head later. This is raw and wild vintage-toned Rock & Roll that's being created in the present.
*four years as guitarist in The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Kim Wilson's solo band (often as two-guitar team with Kirk Fletcher)*three years as touring guitarist in Booker T Jones' (of the MGs) band. For one year as two-guitar team with Marc Ford.*through working as guitarist for harmonica legends Jerry Portnoy & Kim Wilson, and pianist David Maxwell, Troy played many shows backing up blues greats like Hubert Sumlin, Dave Myers, Calvin 'Fuzz' Jones, Willie 'Big Eyes" Smith, Pinetop Perkins, Billy Boy Arnold, Louisiana Red.
PRESS
MNPR MAGAZINE, England UK
March 17, 2026
REVIEW- Troy Mercy Debuts Soulful New Music Video For ‘A Place Of Our Own’
The blues-rock landscape is shifting, and Troy Mercy is the one holding the compass. His solo work reveals a songwriter of surprising depth.
Mercy has forged a signature style that combines the economy of the power-duo format with a “Brave New Blues” sensibility. When performing live, Troy Mercy is joined by drummer Harrison Foti, creating a high-octane stage presence reminiscent of The Black Keys or The White Stripes. Yet, as critics have noted, it is Mercy’s vocal delivery and songwriting that truly set him apart from the “six-string rabble.”
FULL REVIEW: https://www.mnprmagazine.com/releases/troy-mercy-a-place-of-our-own-video/
THE BIG TAKEOVER
March 16, 2026
VIDEO PREMIER- Troy Mercy “A Place Of Our Own” Gitcha Records
The Faces and Curtis Mayfield discussing a particularly shit work-week over a pint somewhere in Electric Ladyland. Have you ever been?
Evidently, Troy Mercy has. For his second single “A Place Of Our Own” Mr. Mercy sets down his guitar flamethrower featured in his previous single “Traveling Light” and instead lays down some first-rate soul licks honed during his years spent touring with Booker T. Jones.
Full Review: https://bigtakeover.com/news/video-premiere-troy-mercy-a-place-of-our-own-gitcha-records
Glide Magazine
March 3, 2026
SONG PREMIERE: Troy Mercy Steps Out Boldly with Blues and Soul-inflected Glam Rocker “A Place of Our Own”
“There’s nothing polite about the way Troy Mercy attacks a guitar. The elusive Americana and blues-schooled songwriter trades in raw, vintage-toned rock and roll that feels ripped from a sweat-soaked juke joint and rewired for the present tense. The riffs crackle and bite, but it’s Mercy’s gravelly conviction as a singer and the no-frills punch of his songwriting that elevate him well above the six-string pack.
Mercy’s vocals seem to levitate over his groovy guitar work, creating a sound that feels simultaneously psychedelic and ready for the late-night club. This is vintage-toned rock and roll, sure — but it’s being forged right now, in real time, by an artist who knows exactly where the blues have been and isn’t afraid to push them forward.
FULL REVIEW: https://glidemagazine.com/322999/song-premiere-troy-mercy-steps-out-boldly-with-blues-and-soul-inflected-glam-rocker-a-place-of-our-own/
Slang Of Ages
February 3, 2026
REVIEW- Short Cuts: “Traveling Light” from ‘Let The Night Begin’ — Troy Mercy
“Troy Mercy doesn’t introduce himself on Let The Night Begin so much as he kicks the door off the hinges and dares you to keep up.
…but it’s his songwriting that separates him from the retro revival pack… This isn’t nostalgia cosplay. It’s a shot across the bow and a great intro to the full album”
FULL REVIEW: https://slangofages.com/short-cuts-let-the-night-begin-troy-mercy/
The Fire Note
January 30, 2026
VIDEO PREMIER- Troy Mercy - “Traveling Light”
“A fuzz-soaked jolt of freedom—‘Traveling Light’ sounds like a lifetime of blues muscle finally cutting loose. There’s no narrative gimmick here—just performance, attitude, and the kind of reckless joy that made rock & roll feel dangerous in the first place.”
FULL REVIEW: https://thefirenote.com/videos/video-premiere-troy-mercy-traveling-light/
Music Savage
January 30, 2026
Hot Takes - Week of 1-26-26
“Songs we think you should hear without the pomp and circumstance.”
FULL POST: https://www.musicsavage.com/hottakes-week-of-01-26-26/#:~:text=Featuring:%20Troy%20Mercy%2C%20Marfa%2C%20Carsie%20Blanton%2C%20MT,The%20Sheepdogs%2C%20Tabitha%20Meeks%2C%20The%20Sky%20Chiefs%2CBlues Power-Duo with a Rock & Roll Heart
*
Blues Power-Duo with a Rock & Roll Heart *
Troy Mercy Tour History Highlights:
*EST. 2024*
performing as his Guitar/Drums duo
FESTIVALS:
The Delta Blues Festival - Venice, Italy
The Wine & Blues Festival - Venice, Italy
White Mountain Boogie & Blues Festival - Thornton, NH
Boston Harbor Distillery Blues Festival - Boston, MA
The New England Winter Blues Festival - RI, MA, CT
The Electric Festival - Brimfield, MA
MitchFest - (with Curtis Salgado, Cliff Goodwin) - Hygienic Arts - New London, CT
The Northeast Blues Guitar Summit - Hartford, CT
HEADLINE:
WICN 90.5FM “Emerging Artist” Series - Worcester, MA
WCUW 91.3 FM Frontroom - Worcester, MA
Lizard Lounge - Cambridge, MA
The Fallout Shelter - Norwood, MA — SOLD OUT
The Bull Run - Shirley, MA
The Drake- Amherst, MA
Vincent’s - Worcester, MA
CO-BILL:
Colony - with Anthony Krizan - Woodstock, NY
Colony - with The Jamie McLean Band - Woodstock, NY
The Drake - with GA-20 - Amherst, MA
Starlite - with GA-20 - Southbridge, MA
The Drake - with Canyon Lights - Amherst, MA
The Lizard Lounge -with The Hi-Jivers - Cambridge, MA
Off The Rails - with The Delta Generators - Worcester, MA
SUPPORT:
BankNH Pavilion - for The Black Keys & Gary Clark Jr. - Gilford, NH
Rooftop Film Series - for the movie premier of “Berman’s March” - Industry City - Brooklyn, NY
Starlite - for GA-20 - Southbridge, MA
Alchemy - for McKinley James - Providence, RI
The Bull Run - for Toronzo Cannon - Shirley, MA
Hygienic Arts - for Roomful Of Blues - New London, CT
The Press Room - for Ace Monroe - Portsmouth, NH
DISCOGRAPHY
"Let The Night Begin," Troy Mercy's debut album on Gitcha Records (out on Vinyl, CD, and digital May 29, 2026), was produced by
Tim Carman (Parlor Greens, Canyon Lights, formerly GA-20).
Winner of The Boston Blues Challenge
“BEST DUO” 2024/2025 - Boston, MA
Featured at The Blues Hall on Beale Street at
The Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge - Memphis, TN