The Mercy Stone, Above the Towers Review

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The Mercy Stone is a pop ensemble that is built on tight grooves, catchy vocals, and imaginative soundscapes.  The ensemble has influences from: Indie Rock, Neoclassical, Jazz, and Pop that combine to form a popular music that has profound musical depth as well as enough hooks and drive to keep the ears attention. The Mercy Stone was founded by composer/guitarist Scott Grady in 2016. After spending several years studying music composition in an academic setting, Grady sought to put his composition chops to work within a project that would have the substance and sophistication fitting for a contemporary-classical concert stage as well as the accessibility that would be palatable to rock audiences. Grady filled out the rest of the ensemble with: bassist/composer Shawn Graham, Emmanuel Ventura-Cruess on cello, drummer Joris Daniel Hoogsteder, Steven Ragsdale on saxophone, and woodwind performer, jazz saxophonist and music educator Nathan King.  Their first album, Ghettoblaster (2017) was a tapestry of styles and sounds. Now the ensemble is releasing their second album, Above the Towers.  The album contains ten tracks that bridged the musical divide between popular music and art music in a way that is musically stimulating and rhythmically diverse.