The Mercury Program is an American musical group composed of Dave Lebleu on

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, Sander Travisano on

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, Tom Reno on

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, and Whit Travisano on

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

History

The first three members formed a trio in August 1997 and Whit Travisano joined in late 1999. Originally based in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...

, the band members live in different cities across the United States. Mercury Program's first two albums feature sparse, spoken-word vocals. However, beginning with the release of the 2001 EP ''All the Suits Began to Fall Off'', the band moved to an entirely

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

format. The band toured extensively in support of their critically acclaimed 2002 album ''A Data Learn the Language''. Then, following the release of the split EP ''Confines of Heat'' in 2003, the Mercury Program went on extended hiatus, sporadically working on new material over the next several years. Since then, the band has reconvened occasionally to record, release and tour. ''Chez Viking'' was released November 24, 2009, and on May 20, 2016, the band released the EP ''New Myths'', both on Lovitt Records. In 2018, ''A Data Learn the Language'' was recut and reissued as a double LP on vinyl.

Discography

*Albums **''The Mercury Program'' (Tiger Style, 1999) **''From The Vapor of Gasoline'' (

Tiger Style Tiger Style is an American independent video game studio. The studio was founded by industry veterans Randy Smith and David Kalina in 2008. Their first title '' Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor'', was released in August 2009, followed by ''Wak ...

, 2000) **''

A Data Learn the Language ''A Data Learn the Language'' is the third studio album by American post-rock band The Mercury Program, released in 2002 on Tiger Style Records Tiger Style Records is an independent record label located in New York City, New York. It is owned ...

'' (

, 2002) **''

Chez Viking ''Chez Viking'' is the fourth studio album by American post-rock band The Mercury Program, released in 2009 on Lovitt Records; seven years after their previous album A Data Learn the Language ''A Data Learn the Language'' is the third studio al ...

'' (Lovitt Records, 2009) *EPs **''

All the Suits Began to Fall Off ''All the Suits Began to Fall Off'' is an EP by American post-rock band The Mercury Program The Mercury Program is an American musical group composed of Dave Lebleu on drums, Sander Travisano on bass guitar, Tom Reno on guitar, and Whit ...

'' (

Boxcar A boxcar is the North American ( AAR) term for a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is considered one of the most versatile since it can carry most ...

, 2001) **''Confines of Heat'' (split release with

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

+ DVD,

Kindercore Kindercore Vinyl is a vinyl record pressing plant based in Athens, Georgia. It began as an independent record label, founded in 1996 by Ryan Lewis and Daniel Geller to help create a unified music scene of Athens. After the dissolution of the rec ...

, 2003) **''New Myths'' (Lovitt Records, 2016) *Compilation Appearances **''Back To Donut! (A No Idea Compilation)'' (

No Idea No Idea Records is an American independent record label based in Gainesville, Florida which focuses on punk rock and its sub-styles and produces both vinyl records and compact discs. The label also organizes The Fest, an independently operated ...

, 1998) *Singles / 7 inches **''The Mercury Program / Versailles 7"'' (split release with Versailles, Boxcar, 1998) **''Lights Out In Georgia 7"'' (Boxcar, 1998)

References

External links

Official Webpage 77 Boadrum Site Profile
Viva Radio, Sep 2007. (

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...

) American post-rock groups Indie rock musical groups from Florida Musical groups from Gainesville, Florida 1997 establishments in Florida Musical groups established in 1997 {{US-indie-rock-band-stub