Musician, Producer, AuStone Merrick is my side project. I am one of two lead guitar players in the Dallas-based hard rock band “Legacy” (www.legacyrocksdallas.com). Legacy writes some fantastic lyrical material in the hard rock and metal vein; Stone Merrick is my exploration into a world of progressive, instrumental metal. I plan to touch on styles ranging from the straight ahead (Maiden), to thoughtful and quirky (Rush), symphonic metal (Nightwish) and many more. I will be joined on this voyage by artists such as Timo Somers (Delain, Arrow Haze), Vikram Shankar (Redemption), Mary Zimmer and more.

What Inspires Me
The act of creating a song, and of making that song interesting. The idea that one can tell a story without words- by blending melody, harmony and a constant “tweak” to the ear of the listener. I want to write music that can be enjoyed.

My influences may very well reflect my age- Rush, Iron Maiden, Triumph, Kansas…as I have immersed in newer music I have added to that list. Dream Theater, Symphony X, Nightwish, Epica, Vanden Plas, Redemption, Hollow Haze, Delain…I am also hugely influenced by the friends I have made within the music business. Men such as Pascal Langelaar (shown holding my custom and world’s first 070S) continually push me to do more and better work, while keeping me grounded.

• Classical
• Metal
• Rock
• Symphonic Metal

Aristides Guitars (exclusively), Aristides 050 bass and Fender Jazz Geddy Lee 4-string bass, Superior Drummer, Native Instruments Kontakt 61-key controller, Two Notes Torpedo Studio, Revv 100p, SansAmp Geddy Lee 2112, DigiGrid D audio interface, Waves Soundgrid Server system, SSL 360, Adam Audio A77X studio and iLoud desktop studio monitors.