Merge Ahead for Upcoming Festival...

Merge Records started 20 years ago in Chapel Hill, NC with some 4-track recordings, a couple of cassette tapes, and some hand-stuffed 7" vinyl. Many singles, albums, and late nights later we're happy to be here and happy that you're still here with us!

All year we'll be celebrating the past, present, and future of Merge but this summer we're throwing a party to mark this anniversary: XX MERGE, five days of live music by Merge artists past and present in the summer heat of sunny North Carolina - July 22nd - 26th.

More than 25 of your favorite Merge artists including...
SUPERCHUNK
SPOON
CONOR OBERST
SPENT
M.WARD
THE ROSEBUDS
DESTROYER
GUV'NER
POLVO
PIPE
THE BROKEN WEST
& many more expected & unexpected!

Ward Off Those Winter Blues...

M. Ward on Letterman (2/17/09)


To mark the February 17th release of his new record, Hold Time, singer-guitarist M. Ward gives a special solo performance. Hear selections from the new album, recorded live from the studios of WNYC in New York. The acoustic performance includes an interview with M. Ward as he takes questions from listeners, WNYC's Alana Harper and All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

Listen to the performance & the interview.

M. Ward First Listen on NPR...

M. Ward's Hold Time won't be released until Feb. 17th, but listeners can hear the entire album here on NPR Music as an exclusive preview, beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET Monday, Jan. 12th.

From NPR
The songs of singer-guitarist M. Ward seem to drift in on the crackling radio waves of a distant time. Warm and intimate, his largely acoustic and usually spare arrangements are a tribute to what Ward sees as the greatest era for American music: the 1950s and early '60s, when singers like Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison infused country-rooted pop with honesty and romance. Ward's latest album, Hold Time, continues this tradition, with a gorgeously produced mix of finger-picked guitars, upright bass and shuffling rhythms, all tied together by his achy voice.

M. Ward Video: Hold Time...

Here is the video for Hold Time, the title track from M. Ward's upcoming February 17th release.