Brittany Ann Tranbaugh and Olivia Ellen Lloyd event image
Mercury Lounge, Lower East Side, Manhattan

Brittany Ann Tranbaugh and Olivia Ellen Lloyd

Two sharp country-folk songwriters share the early bill at Mercury Lounge — Brittany Ann Tranbaugh and West Virginia's Olivia Ellen Lloyd.

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FolkSongwriterEarly show

Mercury Lounge's early slot is one of the most underrated bookings in the city — a full set in a 250-capacity room that lets you out with the whole evening still ahead. Brittany Ann Tranbaugh and Olivia Ellen Lloyd both write the plainspoken, detail-heavy country-folk that needs a quiet room to land, and Lloyd's West Virginia songwriting draws comparisons to the best of the Americana class. A real listening show that does not eat your night.

What to expect

A small standing back room with the stage low and the audience close, and a front bar separated by a corridor. Two songwriters play in sequence, largely acoustic or small-band. It ends early enough to go somewhere else afterward.

Good to know

  • F to 2nd Avenue or J/M/Z to Essex Street; Mercury Lounge is on East Houston
  • 21 and over with ID
  • This is the early bill — the venue runs a separate late show the same night
  • The room is quiet and attentive; it works as a listening show
  • Merch is sold by the artists at the back of the room
  • The Lower East Side around Houston is dense with post-show options

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Common questions

Is this the early or late show?

The early bill. Mercury Lounge runs a separate later show the same night with a different lineup.

What kind of music is it?

Narrative country-folk and Americana songwriting, played largely acoustic in a small room.

Is there an age restriction?

Yes, Mercury Lounge shows are 21 and over with ID.