Bill MacKay and Nathan Bowles - Keys

Released 9th April 2021.

"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 Nathans 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 didnt seem to at the time - after the firs