Mc’n’Mac is Jim McAuley and Mary MacQueen, two Los Angeles-based musicians whose music reflects their shared love of folk, blues, free improvisation and classical music. Their approach is intuitive and heartfelt, mercifully free of cynicism and irony. From Renaissance art songs to ’60’s protest, this is music that speaks directly to our contemporary lives with urgency and passion.
Mary MacQueen is a singer and virtuoso multi-instrumentalist (acoustic bass, recorders, guitar, whistling and animal sounds) with wide ranging experience as a performer, composer and teacher.
She was raised in a home filled with poetry, music, and games from around the world and devoid of television and commercial radio. From teen-age experiences in Cape Breton Nova Scotia, immersed in farming and Gaelic culture, to studies with contemporary bass master Bertram Turetzky and an MA in cross-cultural studies of Yoruba and Celtic music, she has continued to explore the connections and intersections of traditional music across different cultures and centuries. Her paintings and original compositions reveal her love of nature and commitment to the environment.
Jim McAuley began his musical life as a classical guitarist, but was soon seduced by the sound of finger-picked blues, folk and jazz. His original work combines these influences into a highly personal improvisational style. His previous Long Song release, “Gongfarmer 36”, was named by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as one of the top CD’s of 2012. The current album returns him to his 60’s roots.
Mary and Jim have been making music together for nearly a decade. Their joy in playing together is palpable, their synergistic bond amazing. After years of relative obscurity playing privately and in local venues, Long Song Records is proud to offer this beautiful music to a worldwide audience.
credits
released September 25, 2018
Mary MacQueen: vocals, guitar, acoustic bass
Jim McAuley: acoustic and electric guitars
plus other musicians
