Keys Bill MacKay and Nathan Bowles SKU: DC784 Barcode: 0781484078418 22.00 £22.00 Genre: Folk Label: Drag City Released Date: 9th April 2021 Buying Format: 1LP Out of stock Back Order Add to your Wishlist Description Product Info Bill MacKay and Nathan Bowles’ debut is well titled: keys are what they play and keys unlock things too. Their trad bonafides are balanced with inquisitive playing that adds surprise as a formal songwriting and arranging tool. Spirited 21st Century folk music made of equal parts bluegrass, classical, country, gospel and improv. ‘Keys’ is, on first blush, a collection of guitar and banjo duets – but from the opening moment, it is clear that Bill and Nathan’s agreed-upon duo is a living organism, growing as it goes. Behind the stately figures of ‘Idumea’, a 19th Century southern hymnal played out on their stringed instruments, a low organ drone hums persistently, signalling that this music, while coming from traditional places, is asking more of itself, seeking sparks of inspiration to light the path forward. Bill and Nathan met a few years back, if time has any meaning. It didn’t seem to at the time – after the first night they hung out, it seemed as if they’d known each other for a while already. A year later, in 2018, they were booked as a duo at Cropped Out. Preparing for the show involved a correspondence exchanging lots of provisional ideas, thoughts and music back and forth from Chicago to Durham NC, then dashing through the ideas again on the festival grounds an hour before the show. From this seemingly hectic preparation, their playing that night was remarkably serene, a spiritual treatise clothed in the casual and natural manner of the proverbial porch, or in this case, riverside-jam, as the stage literally straddled the edge of the Ohio River. It was a stellar, simpatico first moment that asked for more moments like it. After several more sets the following year, they felt ready to roll tape (as the saying goes) and chose to do so in Chicago, with Nick Broste at The Shape Shoppe. Again, an easy rapport prevailed, allowing them to work through their collected ideas quickly and freely, with the moments of spontaneous decision that can come only with comfort and trust in each other’s presence. Throughout ‘Keys’, Bill and Nathan propel their power-folk engine with intent and feeling, joy and solemnity, as images of wariness, wonder, anger, deliberation, forgiveness, trust and devotion rise up from the music and roll it forward into the unknown, a place we can sense both players are happy to go. Eight of the ten songs featured are originals, with the other two coming from different centuries to this one. The diversity of song is matched by the instrumentation: in addition to Bill’s guitar and Nathan’s banjo, they add voice, piano, percussion, pump organ, requinto and electric organ to the richness and rusticity, the traditionalism and open space of the compositions. Artist Bill MacKay and Nathan Bowles Genre Folk Label Drag City Buying Options 1LP Format 1LP Condition New Country UK Track Listings Idumea Honey Time Late For Your Funeral Again Dry Rations II Joy Ride I See God Dry Rations I Dowsing Truth The I in Silence Share this On Facebook On Twitter Via Email More from Folk View Product Quick View Devil Makes Three, The I’m A Stranger Here Folk | TDM3 LLC DBA KAHN RECORDS FSO THE DEVIL MAKES THREE | 1LP Released 27th August 2021 £16.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Devil Makes Three, The I’m A Stranger Here £16.00 Genre: Folk Label: TDM3 LLC DBA KAHN RECORDS FSO THE DEVIL MAKES THREE SKU: KAHNLP04 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 27th August 2021 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Olivia Chaney Shelter Folk | Nonesuch | 1LP Released 15th June 2018 £19.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Olivia Chaney Shelter £19.00 Genre: Folk Label: Nonesuch SKU: 0075597930535 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 15th June 2018 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View John Smith Hummingbird Folk | Commoner Records | 1LP, Includes Download Code Released 5th October 2018 £18.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders John Smith Hummingbird £18.00 Genre: Folk Label: Commoner Records SKU: COMM011 Formats: 1LP, Includes Download Code Released Date: 5th October 2018 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Faun Fables Family Album Folk | Drag City | 2LP Released 26th April 2024 £30.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Faun Fables Family Album £30.00 Genre: Folk Label: Drag City SKU: DC262 Formats: 2LP Released Date: 26th April 2024 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Nearly New View Product Quick View Grey De Lisle Home Wrecker Americana / Country | Hummingbird Records | 1LP Released 24th August 2023 £35.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations Grey De Lisle Home Wrecker £35.00 Genre: Americana / Country Label: Hummingbird Records SKU: nn269882 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 24th August 2023 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket View Product Quick View David John Morris Monastic Love Songs Folk | Hinterground Records | 1LP Released 21st May 2021 £19.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations David John Morris Monastic Love Songs £19.00 Genre: Folk Label: Hinterground Records SKU: HINT003LP Formats: 1LP Released Date: 21st May 2021 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket View Product Quick View Eleni Mandell Dark Lights Up Americana / Country | Yep Roc | 180g, 1LP Released 24th August 2015 £19.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Eleni Mandell Dark Lights Up £19.00 Genre: Americana / Country Label: Yep Roc SKU: LPYEP2444 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 24th August 2015 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Baby Dee I Am A Stick Folk | Tin Angel | 1LP Released 1st June 2015 £17.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Baby Dee I Am A Stick £17.00 Genre: Folk Label: Tin Angel SKU: TAR050LP Formats: 1LP Released Date: 1st June 2015 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Fairport Convention Airing Cupboard Tapes Folk | Talking Elephant | 180g, 1LP Released 18th August 2014 £16.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Fairport Convention Airing Cupboard Tapes £16.00 Genre: Folk Label: Talking Elephant SKU: TELP046 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 18th August 2014 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Nearly New View Product Quick View Rumer Into Colour Americana / Country | Atlantic | 1LP, Gatefold Sleeve Released 24th August 2023 £35.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations Rumer Into Colour £35.00 Genre: Americana / Country Label: Atlantic SKU: nn269878 Formats: 1LP, Gatefold Sleeve Released Date: 24th August 2023 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket See more in Folk Start again
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