John Merchant: As a songwriter and arranger the focus remained on the song. Constructing music that compliments and moves literate, revealing, and honest lyrical content forward. Weather it be early original bands like Novocain Tongue, cover acts like Sweatin Bullets, rockabilly with Carl Bensen’s Wildcats, playing guitar, mandolin, lap steel, and accordion on internationally celebrated and acclaimed “Neighborhood Noir” by West Michigan based The Lonesome Trailers, writing and recording with Dutch Henry, to his latest release “Midwest Blues” featuring Ashley Youngstrom and his band “the Desolation Angels”, a relentless dedication to the song remains. The song is number one and will always has been for Merchant.