tony vincent: past to present... Billboard magazine has written about his strong mainstream-pop potential, and his voice has been described as "hauntingly hopeful". With Tony Vincent's new band, "mercer", he is poised to bring his unique voice, award-winning songwriting and dramatic stage performance to the masses. After starting an independent record label out of his college dorm room in Nashville, Vincent used college radio to help land him his first recording contract, recording two hit albums with EMI and three full years of touring. Desiring a change of scenery that would challenge him musically, Vincent headed for New York City. The plan was to gain more experience to further his fledgling recording career. To his surprise, however, he found himself leaving the big apple almost as fast as he arrived, hitting the road once again—this time, with the national touring company of the pulitzer prize-winning rock opera, RENT. It was to become one of a string of musical theatre and film opportunities that were to temporarily frustrate Vincent's dream of a main-stream recording career over the next few years. "I enjoyed the opportunity to perform live on stage 6 nights a week on Broadway and London's West End—whether it was as "Roger Davis" (RENT), "Judas Iscariot" (Jesus Christ Superstar) or "Galileo Figaro" (We Will Rock You)—because it allowed me to have my days free to spend time writing songs and focusing on my own music," says Vincent. "That's where I found real creative freedom and could remain grounded in the reasons I moved to New York in the first place. Being in the public eye each night also gave me an opportunity to work with some of the city's really strong writers and artists. Early in those New York days, I often felt I wasn't making much headway in my recording career. But it soon became clear what a blessing it was to be able to experience the city and be inspired by its other talented writers." Over the past year, Tony Vincent made a huge decision to forgo any theatre opportunities and focus on his music once again without any distractions. Hooking up with hit producer (and former college mate) Adam Anders, the two began collaborating on new creative, ideas and music. Almost immediately the two knew they had something special going on. As work progressed, and Anders became more in demand to produce projects for major labels, Vincent forged additional writing partnerships, including indie-songwriter Nate Campany. "I was working with some of the best and hottest people in the business," says Vincent. "The project really began to take shape, and for the first time as a songwriter I felt like I was writing truly honest material—stuff that I was proud of and that I wanted to share. I was singing in a more comfortable place, and I think that after listening to the end product, it will become really clear to the listener as well." And so it's time: Tony Vincent and his new band "mercer" are geared up to fulfill what Billboard foreshadowed just a few years back—to hit the main-stream market with a new kind of rock-influenced pop designed not only to "wow" in live performances [and recordings], but—and this is at the core of Vincent's creative intentions-give hope through his lyrics as well.