Spotlight – House of Mercy Music Hall

Spotlight on Erik Brandt

jonreischl — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:58:37 +0000

Erik Brandt has been the ringleader of the award-winning eclectic Twin Cities-based Urban Hillbilly Quartet since 1995. By night, he plays music. By day, he teaches high school English in St. Paul, MN. He’s played in venues all over the USA, Canada, Australia, and on various street corners throughout Europe. He’s also taught Shakespeare, grammar, haikus and standardized test prep.

Erik Brandt performs April 17, 2026

On stage, Erik performs mainly original material drawn from the Americana vein. Most of his original tunes can be found on the nine albums he’s recorded with the UHQ and his four solo albums, including his latest, Folksinger. When choosing covers, he pulls liberally from the catalogs of Bob Dylan, The Flatlanders, Johnny Cash, and other Americana heroes. As a multi-instrumentalist, Erik switches between acoustic guitar, piano and accordion during performances.

His music has been influenced by and compared to: Americana powerhouses The Jayhawks, Gillian Welch, and Uncle Tupelo; Georgia’s Vigilantes of Love; Britain’s The Waterboys; Australia’s Paul Kelly; Canada’s Bruce Cockburn; and folk/jazz pioneers David Grisman, Paris Combo and Tin Hat Trio.

He’s the DJ and host of “Good Acoustics” on 88.5 KBEM-FM and also accordionist for the Roe Family Singers and Mega Yacht Jazz Combo.

Though Erik mostly performs solo, he is often joined by guests from UHQ and other bands on stage. The combination of his different instruments, songwriting talent and musical guests makes his live performances dynamic and unique.

Spotlight on Obsidian James

jonreischl — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:12:32 +0000

Obsidian James is an Afro-Indigenous Artist from Harlem, New York. He fell in love with music on a subway platform as countless musicians poured their hearts out to anyone who would listen. James started writing and performing songs at the age of 14 and now he has been releasing music for the world to hear since 2024.

Obsidian James performs March 21, 2026

www.youtube.com/@ObsidianJames

Spotlight on Ben Kyle

Russell Rathbun — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 22:14:33 +0000

Minneapolis based Ben Kyle is the Belfast born singer/songwriter and architect behind the Irish-Americana outfit Romantica, the self-titled album BEN KYLEand the award-winning songs Mercy and Don’t Settle. American Songwriter described Mercyas “Perfect” and the Huffington Post has dubbed Kyle “A Sleeping Giant.”

The recipient of 10 International Songwriting Competition awards, Ben has worked with Ringo Starr, Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams, Alejandro Escovedo, Sara Watkins and Dan Wilson and collaborated with Austin, TX roots sweetheart Carrie Rodriguez, on the duets album We Still Love Our Country; a subtle collection of country standards and sprightly originals that enjoyed radio success in the States, Europe and the UK.

Emigrating to Minnesota from Belfast, Northern Ireland with his family as a teen, Kyle synthesized the Roots sound he absorbed in midwestern America with his childhood steeped in Irish folk music and went on to release 5 heralded albums as the singer/songwriter and voice behind the Americana critical darlings Romantica. Paste Magazine named Romantica’s 2007 release America “One of the Best Albums of 2007”, although No Depression declared that their 2016 release Shadowlands was “Undeniably their best.”

In early 2016, Ben fell ill with an acute expression of Lyme Disease. Eight years and a deep healing journey later, he is overcoming and returning to the studio and stage with a new inspiration that promises beautiful things to come.

Spotlight on Angie Talle

jonreischl — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:53:03 +0000

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Angie Talle is a Minneapolis-based mixed media artist whose work includes large-scale mosaic art murals and collaborations that seek to engage the community. In addition to her career as a visual artist, Angie is the host of the Dwelling in Magic podcast and leader of her band, Ang and the Ranch Hands

Ang and the Ranch Hands perform at Mercy Music Hall on December 20th!

Here’s an episode of Dwelling in Magic where Angie interviews John Hermanson, who is also on the bill for December 20th.

Spotlight on Danny Schmidt

jonreischl — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:14:03 +0000

Named to the Chicago Tribune’s list of the “50 Most Significant Songwriters in the Last 50 Years”, Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter Danny Schmidt has amassed a cult following for his poetic, poignant lyrics. With a craftsmanship and emotional depth drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen and Townes Van Zandt, Schmidt is considered a preeminent writer. Sing Out Magazine proclaimed that: “Schmidt is a force of nature: a blue moon, a hundred-year flood, an avalanche of a singer-songwriter. His songs are a flood of poetry, mythology, folk wisdom, and surprise. He is perhaps the best new songwriter we’ve heard in the last 15 years.”

Perhaps the best new songwriter we’ve heard in the last 15 years.
Sing Out Magazine

Danny’s thrilled to be back in the Twin Cities. He was with beloved St Paul-based record label, Red House Records (Greg Brown, Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka, etc) for almost a decade, and built a deep love of the Twin Cities during that time.

Danny performs December 6th

Artist website: https://www.dannyschmidt.com