Mercer and Johnson are Brock Johnson and s.mercer. The duo put their first recordings online for free in June of 2010. They immediately took off to find places that would let them play, as often as possible, logging thousands of downloads and hundreds of thousands of miles.
The band uses a mix of traditional string-band instrumentation on their recordings, to craft songs that vary in origin from traditional style ballads and up-tempo numbers, to songs influenced by singer-songwriters and modern indie rock.
Live, the two feature mostly mandolin and bass in a stomping shouting manner that people find enjoyable.