BCMC (Cooper Crain and Bill Mackay) at Acme Records and Music Emporium in Milwaukee on October 21, 2023

One of the contenders for the top of my AOTY list last year was the stunning debut of BCMC, a duo comprised of Chicago-based musicians Cooper Crain and Bill Mackay. In October I traveled to Iowa City to see them at the wonderful Trumpet Blossom (recording posted here) and then a few days later made my way back to Milwaukee to see them again at Acme Records.

   

  

The combination of Crain's Kosmiche-inspired keyboards and Mackay's understated guitar virtuosity is a real winner. I hope they team up again for a follow up to Foreign Smokes.

  

Buy their album here.

  

Recording information:

BCMC
2023-10-21
Milwaukee, WI at Acme Records


Cooper Crain: keyboards
Bill Mackay: guitar

Setlist:
01 Sunset Saturn
02 The Swarm
03 Unknown
04 Ripple in High Tide
05 Unknown

Total time = 54:01

microphones: Line Audio OM1 omni pair in A-B at stage lip
additional source: mono SBD
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/48
Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (187 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that

320 kbps mp3 files (123 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

BCMC (Bill MacKay and Cooper Crain) at the Trumpet Blossom Cafe in Iowa City on October 19, 2023

The prospect of the pairing of Bill Mackay and brilliant keyboardist Cooper Crain (Bitchin' Bajas and Cave) had a lot of expectations to live up to -- and their debut album last year fulfilled them all. It was one of my albums of the year for 2023 and I strongly recommend purchasing it if you haven't already.

Combining virtuosity with a Krautrock-inspired ambient mood, their music is simultaneously hypnotic, relaxing, and invigorating.

  

I was happy to drive to Iowa City to catch them on their Midwest tour at the Trumpet Blossom, a cool vegan cafe in a very pleasant Big Ten college town. The acoustics were perfect and I was able to blend a high quality soundboard feed with a pair of Beyerdynamic cardioid mics to create an appropriately spacey soundscape.

Buy their album here.

Recording details:

BCMC
2023-10-19
Iowa City, IA at the Trumpet Blossom Cafe

Bill MacKay: guitars
Cooper Crain: synthesizers

Tracklist:
01 Foreign Smokes (8:01)
02 The Swarm (9:05)
03 Ripple at High Tide (8:27)
04 Sunset Saturn (4:59)
05 Unknown (8:18)
06 Unknown (9:12)

Total time = 48:02

Sources: mono SBD + Beyerdynamic MC930 in NOS
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96
Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (209 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that

320 kbps mp3 files (110 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible