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The Hills are Alive with Bluegrass
Photos by Dante Fontana
(page 1 of 2)
Although Alex Stephens and Jillian Secor grew up exploring the local mountains, rivers and forests, it wasn’t until after high school (El Dorado, which the couple both attended) that the two connected.
Stephens’ musical history began at age 12 when he taught himself to play the guitar and progressed through punk rock, finally settling on Merrygold’s signature folk and bluegrass sound when he learned the mandolin. In contrast, Secor was raised amongst a clan of tow-headed siblings singing Mormon hymns, never hearing live music until she reached her teens. That was also when she bought her first album, Alison Krauss’ Union Station. (Krauss is the artist Secor’s angelically powerful voice is most often compared to). “I sang before I spoke,” Secor shares. “Melodies are constantly running through my head and songs are how I organize my thoughts and tell stories.”
The duo officially formed in 2008, writing their own songs and performing locally in favorite venues such as The Wine Smith, Cozmic Café and Boeger Winery. Only one year later they released their first album, Headin West, under their former name Trout and Parrot, which to date has sold over 1,000 physical copies. Having grown tired of people asking which one of them was Trout and which was Parrot, the couple changed their name to Merrygold in anticipation of building a larger band. “We just sort of grew out of it,” Stephens says. “We wanted a name that reflected where we’re from, the outdoors, and the history of Gold Country.”
