Chicago guitarist Bill MacKay returns with another winningly eclectic solo LP for Drag City. Fountain Fire sneaks up on you; its songs are unassuming at first, with a loose, conversational feel to them. Ahead of the album’s release, MacKay joined Aquarium Drunkard to discuss his shifting approaches, cinematic inspirations, and establishing his own musical language.
Search Results for: Bill MacKay
Bill MacKay & Ryley Walker :: Lonesome Traveler
The stellar Chicago duo of Ryley Walker and Bill MacKay return next month with SpiderBeetleBee , a collection of fluid acoustic freedom flights, floating from Britfolk excursions to hazy rambles into unclassifiable zones. Walker and MacKay have an easy, […]
Bill MacKay :: Esker
In recent years, guitarist Bill MacKay has served as Ryley Walker’s six-string sparring partner , built luminous soundscapes with Rob Frye (Bitchin Bajas, Cave) and led the jazz-inflected Darts and Arrows collective. A varied resume! MacKay maintains this healthy sense of adventure on Esker , his eclectic Drag City […]
Dynamic Duos :: James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg / Bill Mackay & Ryley Walker
With John Renbourn passing into the great unknown this year to join his six-string brother in arms Bert Jansch, it’s a good time to be reminded of the wonderful sounds two acoustic guitarists in joyous communion can make. These two recent LPs are more […]
Catching Up With Peter Prescott
Author and artist Dmitry Samarov’s new book, Music To My Eyes, was released last month via the Chicago based Tortoise Books. A 264 page love letter to independent music, Samarov’s words and minimalist illustrations flow in tandem, presenting a portrait of fandom and appreciation, from Nick Cave to Bill MacKay. Below, Samarov catches up with one of the subjects of his new book, Mission of Burma’s Peter Prescott.
Oh, How She Dances: An Evening With Tav Falco & Panther Burns
… I can’t recall if Falco opened that show with “Oh, How She Dances” but it has been his set opener every time I’ve seen him in the intervening decades. The tune is a litany of sideshow freaks, an evocation of forbidden delights, and the de facto theme song of Falco’s 40-years-and-going outfit, the Panther Burns.
Aquarium Drunkard :: 2017 Year In Review
Here it is. Our obligatory year-end review. The following is an unranked list of albums that caught, and kept, our attention in 2017. Let it blurb
Joan Shelley :: Rivers and Vessels
Though she’s justly hailed for her own empathic and deep-toned original songs , Joan Shelley brings an undeniable grace to the songs of others. Following her Lagniappe Session , which found the Kentucky songwriter interpreting material by Frank Sinatra and […]
John Darnielle :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Since forming the Mountain Goats in 1991, John Darnielle has sung about remarkable people: wounded couples, Texas death metal aficionados, doo wop singers, professional wrestlers, horror authors, heretics, prophets, long-dead classical pianists, and occasionally, John […]
Wooden Wand :: Clipper Ship
James Jackson Toth (AKA Wooden Wand ) gets plenty of praise for his eccentrically evocative lyrics. But on Clipper Ship, his latest album for the mighty Three Lobed Records , it’s the sound that draws you in. Toth has gathered […]
SIRIUS/XMU :: Aquarium Drunkard Show (Noon EST, Channel 35)
Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU , channel 35, can be heard twice every Friday — Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST. SIRIUS 356: Jean Michel Bernard — Générique Stephane ++ Shin […]
SIRIUS/XMU :: Aquarium Drunkard Show (Noon EST, Channel 35)
Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU , channel 35, can be heard twice every Friday — Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST. SIRIUS 311: Jean Michel Bernard — Générique Stephane ++ Shin […]
SIRIUS/XMU :: Aquarium Drunkard Show (Noon EST, Channel 35)
Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU , channel 35, can be heard twice every Friday — Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST. SIRIUS 305: Jean Michel Bernard — Générique Stephane ++ Shin […]