Opening Credits | Awards & Honors | Recordings/Studio
Current Projects | Past Projects
About Tracy
Multi-instrumentalist (8 and counting), vocalist, songwriter/composer and producer Tracy Jane Comer has never been one to settle for musical boundaries. An international award-winning songwriter influenced by a wide range of musical experiences, she has been described as "a musical force" (Kweevak’s Tracks).
Tracy is known for amazing versatility and solid musical "feel" in various styles, and she is a sought-after collaborator in her current home of Madison, WI.
Her current repertoire includes hundreds of artfully arranged tunes from mainstream and independent artists of all eras and styles, plus some of her own award-winning originals which have been aired on radio in the Americas and abroad. She's enjoyed involvement with everything from classical, rock/pop, folk, country, choral, contemporary Christian, and theater to jazz, having spent most of her life dedicated to music. Her performing instruments include guitar, piano, electric bass, cello, viola, violin, hammered dulcimer, and drums.
Tracy's passion for music has never been more alive than today. A self-described lifelong student of music, she has an unquenchable thirst for experiencing, creating, and sharing music in new ways. She is constantly learning, practicing, and arranging new material to bring to her audiences at venues in the Madison, WI area, as a soloist or in one of several distinct and diverse groups/bands.
Barrymore Theater
|Madison, WI (2011)
Opening credits
Tracy has opened shows for notables such as Dar Williams, Willy Porter, The Wailin' Jennys, Holly Near, L.J. Booth, Ellis Paul, Peter Mulvey, Nathan Rogers, Joe Jencks, and more. As half of duo Acoustic Alloy, she has also opened for country artists Love and Theft, Tyler Farr, Chris Janson, and Granger Smith. She has also performed as supporting artist on cello with Holly Brook, now known as Grammy-nominated artist Skylar Grey.
Awards and Honors
Named Instrumentalist of the Year by the Madison Area Music Awards (2008), Comer is often noted for her intricate fingerstyle guitar work plus impressive skills on piano/keyboards, cello, fiddle (violin and viola), electric bass, and hammered dulcimer, and she also dabbles with drums. She has also been a finalist numerous times in the Madison Area Music Awards (MAMAs) in various categories including Best Acoustic Artist (2004, 2005), Best Acoustic Album (2004, 2005), Folk/Americana Artist of the Year (2007), Jazz Song of the Year (2011), Jazz Album of the Year (2011), Folk/Americana Album of the Year (2011). She was tapped for a coveted performance spot at the MAMAs ceremony in 2006, a performance reviewed as the standout of the evening by the Wisconsin State Journal.
She was featured in Guitar Player Magazine in June 2009. She has won international songwriting contests in categories of Rock, Adult Contemporary, Folk, and Americana. In her younger life as a classical musician, she was the receipient of many awards for piano performance including collegiate scholarships.
Recordings and Studio Work
Tracy has published several albums as a soloist (with co-producer and collaborator, the late Randy Green) starting in 2002 and also has published albums with other projects including Sticky Fingers, Likely Stories, Common Chord, Alchemy Ensemble, and Elixir Chamber Trio (see the MUSIC page). Her multi-flavored original music has been heard on MTV and on hundreds of radio and TV stations on four continents. The MTV show Made has featured her music on several episodes, and she has received radio airplay around the world.
[See the MUSIC page]
Studio Work for Others
Tracy has appeared as guest artist on many recordings for other musicians, adding cello, guitar, piano, fiddle, hammered dulcimer, and backing vocals. She has also assisted with musical arrangements and provided technical/production assistance in tracking and mixing at Randy's Recording and in other studios.
A few of the artists with whom Tracy has recorded include Jack Wiliams, Michael Bryant, Mare Edstrom, Kenn Fox, Dave Schindele, Nancy Rost, Rachel Nelson, Tony Bonanno, Nelson Graham, Amy Curl, Stephen Lee Rich, Nancy Irizarry, Sarah Marcotte, and more.
"Comparisons to other adult contemporary artists such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, and Dar Williams are inevitable, though she displays more range of style than any of them."
- Rick’s Café, Madison, WI
Current Performing Projects
Solo work
Variety - pop/rock/country/yacht-rock and more plus originals
Tracy performs solo using guitars and/or keyboard (and occasionally other instruments).
Read more...
Tracy has an extensive songlist and selects material for the audience and setting, choosing from well-known multi-genre covers and/or originals (folk/pop/rock/jazz).
Tracy is comfortable performing as background music or in listening/concert situations.
Top Shelf (duo)
You name it! Variety covers from many eras/styles
Top Shelf has been hailed as "Madison's most versatile duo," with an extensive songlist of music ranging from jazz standards to current hits.
Read more...
Tracy (vocals, keys, guitars) and Alan M. (percussion and vocals) perform in a variety of settings including concerts, wineries, clubs/restaurants, and festivals plus private events and senior communities, tailoring their show to the audience at hand. They are comfortable in rooms of all sizes and play at appropriate volume levels.
Bob's Your Uncle (trio)
Pop/acoustic rock/Americana/roots, covers & originals
Formed in 2022; comprised of Tracy plus Michael Bryant and Bruce Buttel (both also of group Common Chord; see below).
Read more...
They perform polished arrangements of well-known covers from the likes of Grateful Dead, Paul Simon, Townes Van Zandt, Eric Clapton, Alison Krauss, Lucinda Williams and more plus originals, with stellar harmonies and pleasing arrangements using guitar, bass, mandolin, and sometimes fiddle and cello.
Better With Friends (duo)
Vocal duo - variety covers, '70s through today and more
This acoustic vocal duo formed in 2024 features Tracy with vocalist Deanna Heise.
Read more...
The two met in 2024 and quickly discovered a strong synergy in their natural vocal blend and musical tastes. They perform as a duo, but (as per the name), may involve special guests at times to increase the fun! They perform in a variety of settings, large and small, from wineries and restaurants to senior communities.
Common Chord (5-piece)
Folk/Americana, originals and covers
Formed in 2015; Tracy is co-director and arranger for this project with co-director and long-time collaborator Michael Bryant.
Read more...
They perform originals plus unique arrangements of covers from the likes of Tom Waits, the Beatles, Robert Johnson, Paul Simon, and more, highlighting four-part harmonies and varied instrumentation (guitar, fiddle, clarinet, bass, mandolin and more). They have published three full-length albums.
Soul 2 Soul (4-piece band)
Classic '70s Rock
Tracy joined this group in 2024, playing keyboards and sharing lead and backing vocal duties.
Read more...
Soul 2 Soul is a Classic '70s rock band playing the best of Boston, Styx, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rush, REO Speedwagon, & much more! Other members are Robert Demos (vocals/guitar), Curt Schreiner (drums), and Jeremy Toledo (bass/backing vocals)
Occasional Projects
Acoustic Alloy (duo)
Harmony duo - variety covers - rock/pop/country
Tracy Jane Comer (guitar, keys, backing & some lead vocals) and Theresa "TC" Peart (lead vocals, some mandolin).
Read more...
The duo is mostly inactive since TC lives in Florida now, but they still perform on occasion when TC is in town, for public concerts, house concerts, and sometimes livestream shows.
Clarksville Station (trio)
Power trio - variety Rock/Pop
Performing material from the best of radio & records of the '60s, '70s, '80s and more.
Read more...
Frontman Joe Iaquinto sings and plays guitar and bass, joined by Tracy (lead and backing vocals, bass, keys, guitar) and drummer from a rotating pool of guest artists.
Tracy also performs on occasion as supporting (backup) artist on vocals and/or instruments for other colleagues and groups including Joe Iaquinto, Nelson Graham, Doug Cleary, Blue Spruce, Lucky Charms, and more, performing on keyboard, guitar, bass, cello, fiddle, and backing vocals. She enjoys collaborating and may also include guests at her shows.
Past Projects
Wild Heart
New country band in which Tracy shared lead and backing vocal duties and played guitar, fiddle, and keyboard; early 2010 to late 2015.
3 of Cups
Jazz-folk project, originals, with the late Rachel Nelson of Minnesota and Michael "Stix" Kiley, plus special guests; mid to late 2000s
Sticky Fingers
Americana/folk trio with Michael Bryant and Damon Bourne, both of Madison; early to mid 2000s. The group released an album in 2002.
Likely Stories
Eclectic acoustic trio, with Nancy Rost and Dave Schindele, both of Madison); mid to late 2000s. The group released one album.
Alchemy Ensemble
Eclectic chamber music group with cofounder Faye Bruggink (clarinet and bass) and variable others (flute, cello), plus Tracy (viola, cello, guitar, piano). The group released one album, a collection of unique arrangements of early music (Medieval/Renaissance) and more.
More past activities
- Tracy also served as music director and accompanist (keyboard/guitar/backing vocals) for Briana Patrice Trio (supporting vocalist Briana Bruckner).
- Tracy has also been part of several other classical/instrumental chamber groups (playing cello, classical guitar, and/or piano) including The JART String Quartet, A Piacere trio with Theresa Eisenbraun and Vida Stark, and Elixir Chamber Trio with Faye Bruggink and Diane Madsen.
- Tracy was also part of a contemporary Christian band called Cornerstone at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Madison, WI from 2006 to 2016 (keyboards, vocals, guitar and occasionally bass and drums), and participated for many years in the past as choral accompanist and occasionally choral director and handbell director at several churches.
- Tracy has enjoyed being a guest performer on instruments and harmonies on shows for a number of local and nationally touring artists including Holly Brook (Skylar Gray), Joe Jencks, Alaria Taylor, Four Wheel Drive, Mud Angels, and more.
"...A strong vocalist and wonderful player on cello, piano, guitar, fiddle, and hammered dulcimer..."
- The Bridge Works