Watch the video now @ www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl8gcVqTA9s

From the forthcoming album The Good in The Bad

Robert Mertz is a 27-year-old lyricist & music producer who moved to Providence, Rhode Island in June of 2010 to pursue the next phase of his musical career. After months of job seeking, Mertz replied to a job listing for a Teacher Assistant position at a preschool program run by the Groden Center Inc. The program offers services to students with autism spectrum disorders, behavioral challenges, & typically developing peers. Mertz was offered the position & eagerly turned in his pizza dough for play-doh. He has been working as a Teacher Assistant for the past three years, and it was his current work environment that inspired a key part of his latest musical endeavor.

"It can be difficult to find a balance in maintaining a full-tme job & launching an artistic career. That's why I like working with children; it keeps me creative & makes me feel as though the time I spend away from my music is still time well spent."

It was during the process of developing his new album The Good in The Bad, that Mertz discovered the beat (by SXMPLELIFE) that inspired him to write a song reflecting the dynamic he has witnessed firsthand in the classroom & on the playground.

"It immediately sounded like a love song to me. Marshall's (SXMPLELIFE) music is usually very emotional & those warm strings seemed to be singing about love. When I got the idea of writing a love story from the perspective of a preschooler, I just ran with it."

The songs playful narrative naturally lends itself to a visual counterpart. Mertz shared his musical creation with his preschool family & along with accolades came the suggestion to create a music video to accompany the song. With the assistance of a former coworker/film major, preparations for the music video for "Madame Butterfly" began.

"I knew that if we made a video for this song, it had the potential to be something really special. There are a lot of references in the lyrics that paint vivid pictures, but at the same time, I knew that we couldn't match every lyric up with a visual, so it became a challenge to find the right balance. When my supervisor suggested using the video to promote the preschool, it just seemed like the perfect idea."

To enroll your child at The Livingston Center Preschool, please call 401.421.2062.

For more information about The Groden Center, please visit www.grodennetwork.org

"I'm pumped that we were able to capture footage that well-represents my inspiration for the song. It's funny, too, because the best shots we got came from the kids playing organically, with little instruction from us. Everybody had a lot of fun making the video & the parents & families loved it when we showed it at the preschool graduation ceremony, which means a lot to me."

You can watch “Madame Butterfly” at MertzMusic.com or on YouTube

Music fans can look for Mertz’s The Good in The Bad, set to be released March 4th, 2014.