Bill MacKay at Acme Records in Milwaukee on October 17, 2024

Some musicians have such a profound command of their instrument that everything they do seems effortless, like a simple musical thought is all that would need to occur and their fingers will follow. This can be exhilarating to watch, but can also sometimes make it seem like what the musician is doing is easy and simple.

Bill MacKay is one of those musicians, and I am glad to see that he is continuing to rise in prominence in the independent music scene. This past year has seen the release of Locust Land on Drag City and it has garnered quite a few very positive reviews.

Bill has been seen and heard on this blog since the very start and probably is the most documented musician here. Luckily, he brought two excellent musicians along with him -- bassist (and superb pedal steel guitarist) Sam Wagster and wonderful jazz percussionist Michael Zerang -- who I first saw in 1994 as part of the Vandermark Quartet. I spent my time living in Chicago (1994-96) seeing as many avant jazz shows as I possibly could, and a great number featured this multifaceted drummer. Zerang is just as comfortable with hand percussion (both Western and Eastern) as dominating a drum set, and it was incredibly enjoyable watching him throw in tasty fills at every opportunity. 

Buy the new Bill MacKay album here.

Recording information:

BILL MACKAY

2024-10-17

Milwaukee, WI

Acme Records and Music Emporium

Bill MacKay: guitar and vocals

Sam Wagster: bass

Michael Zerang: drums

Setlist:

01 Pre-California (3:47)

02 When I Was Here (3:45)

03 Half of You (6:04)

04 Glow Drift (4:38)

05 Radiator (7:08)

06 Keeping In Time (4:12)

07 Grapes on the Vine/Locust Land (10:02)

Total time = 39:36

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in ORTF

Additional Source: mono soundboard

Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96

Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

Recorded with explicit artist permission by Richard Hayes

https://billmackay.bandcamp.com/

https://acmerecordsmke.com/

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (243 MB)

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

320 kbps mp3 files (199 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

Ryley Walker at the Empty Bottle in Chicago on March 5, 2022

After uploading my recording of openers Bitchin Bajas, the headlining act that evening is up next.

Ryley Walker is one of our best songwriters and performers in the US at the moment. Aside from the strength of his compositions, he makes an effort to improvise at each show so that each is unique. Add to the mix a rotating selection of all-star jazz musicians from the Chicago scene and it is an irresistible combination.

For many shows I upload here, I eliminate the stage banter, since I believe most of the time that what the performers say to the audience is more a reflection of what was happening in the moment and doesn't sound "right" to me to present it after the fact. Ryley is the exception. His between-song banter is better than most of what I have seen in comedy clubs.

I feel a strong need to mention Ryley's amazing band for this show -- the always-amazing Bill MacKay on guitar, wonderful bassist Andrew Scott Young, and versatile drummer Quin Kirchner.

Purchase Ryley's latest album here.

Recording details:

RYLEY WALKER
2022-03-05

Chicago, IL at the Empty Bottle

Ryley Walker: guitar, vocals
Bill MacKay: guitar
Andrew Scott Young: bass
Quin Kirchner: drums

Set list:
01 Banter - They Make Sausage Out of Opening Bands (0:56)
02 Striking Down Your Big Premiere (5:09)
03 Banter - Chili’s Was a Dark Zone (0:52)
04 The Halfwit In Me (15:10)
05 Banter - That Last Song Was a Ripoff of Jim O’Rourke (0:31)
06 Axis Bent (4:55)
07 Banter - I Was All Nervous (1:58)
08 Shiva With Dustpan (6:28)
09 Telluride Speed (7:59)
10 Opposite Middle (3:33)
11 Banter - Mom’s in Merch Mode (2:42)
12 The Roundabout (11:54)

Total time = 62:07

Source 1: mono SBD feed (shared with Quin Kirchner via XLR splitter cable)
Source 2: Stereo pair Beyerdynamic MC930 on 10 foot mic stand in NOS configuration, in front of mixing board.
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre 6 at 24/96
Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (362 MB)

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

320 kbps mp3 files (144 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

Ryley Walker and Bill MacKay at Judson and Moore in Chicago on July 28, 2023

 We've covered several Ryley Walker and Bill MacKay shows here on the blog (going back to our first year of existence), so I was super excited to hear the news that they were reuniting for two gigs at the end of last July at Judson and Moore Distillery in Chicago.

Their two duo albums -- SpiderBeetleBee (2017) and Land of Plenty (2015) have become cult LPs because of their intricate interlocking finger style melodies. I told myself that Ryley returning to Chicago to perform again with Bill was heralding the onset of recording sessions for a third record, but it looks like that is still something for an uncertain future.

  

Judson can be a difficult place to present live music (and record it), given its narrow performance space, high ceiling and hard surfaces everywhere. Fortunately, this concert sounded delightful.

 

Buy their most recent album here.

Recording information:

RYLEY WALKER and BILL MacKAY

2023-07-28 

Chicago, IL
Judson and Moore Distillery

Ryley Walker: guitar
Bill MacKay: guitar

Setlist:
01 Grand Old Trout (9:27)
02 Pretty Weeds Revisited (4:45)
03 It Takes a Quilt -> Dragonfly (10:09)
04 Lonesome Traveler (6:16)
05 Promise Me (3:17)
06 Raga (9:32)

Total Time = 43:26

Source: SBD + Line Audio CM3 in NOS
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96
Software: Audacity + Fission + xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (237 MB)

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

320 kbps mp3 files (180 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

 video of the concert the previous night at Judson and Moore:

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 

Chris Forsyth at Judson and Moore in Chicago on April 8, 2023

During the week of April 7-12, 2023 I was fortunate to be able to see Chris Forsyth and Garcia Peoples perform four times on their co-headlining tour -- twice in Chicago and once each in Milwaukee and Madison. These will all eventually wind up on the blog so please keep an eye out for them.

  

For this tour, Chris was promoting his wonderful album Evolution Here We Come. The band was comprised of bassist Doug McCombs (Tortoise), drummer Ryan Jewell, and guitarist Tom Malach (also a member of Garcia Peoples). Forsyth has explored different methods to help keep tour costs down, and one ingenious method he has come up with is to share band members with his co-headliner (this was especially apparent when he toured with Meg Baird -- both used the same backing band).

   

On this date, Forsyth performed a cover by the band Television -- which I am sure has special significance for Chris, who at one time studied with Richard Lloyd. He also asked amazing guitarist Bill Mackay to accompany the band for the final two songs.

Buy multiple copies of his most recent album here.

Recording information:

CHRIS FORSYTH
2023-04-08
Chicago, IL
Judson and Moore Distillery

Chris Forsyth: guitar and voice
Tom Malach: guitar
Bill Mackay: guitar (tracks 4 and 5 only)
Doug McCombs: bass
Ryan Jewell: drums

Setlist:
01 Dreaming in the Non-Dream (16:22)
02 Heaven for a Few (8:08)
03 Friction [Television cover] (5:26)
04 Long Beach Idyll (10:25)
05 Robot Energy Machine (15:20)

Total time = 55:41

microphone: Beyerdynamic MC930 pair in ORTF
additional source: mono SBD feed
recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96
software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

Recorded with explicit artist permission

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (328 MB)

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

320 kbps mp3 files (214 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 

Bill MacKay at Acme Records and Music Emporium in Milwaukee on September 4, 2022

A website search will reveal that Bill MacKay is one of the most frequently appearing musicians on this blog (and at a few more recent recordings have yet to be posted).

That's for very good reason: he is a fantastically talented guitarist and songwriter who lives just 90 minutes to the south of the Cream City. He has always been a favorite of the audiences at Acme.

  

Bill is one of those guitarists who somehow make playing challenging and intricate melodic lines seem like a pleasant walk on a summer day. Watching him perform betrays no obvious signs of effort. It often seems to me that there is a direct connection between his mind and his fingers on the fretboard. I'm sure that this apparent ease is the result of many hours of hard practice.

I came into this show hot off a car trip from O'Hare airport where I had landed a few hours prior after a 10-day trip in the UK where I followed both the Handsome Family and Ryley Walker around on tour, visiting several amazing cities including Brighton, Birmingham, Exeter, Oxford, Guildford and London. 

This evening, Bill performed songs from several of his solo albums including Fountain Fire and Esker. 

Purchase his upcoming solo album here.

   

Recording information:

Bill MacKay

2022-09-04

Milwaukee, WI at Acme Records

Bill MacKay: guitar and voice

Tracklist:

01 Honey Time

02 Powder Mill Park

03 Half of You

04 Late for Your Funeral Again

05 Lonesome Traveller

06 Birds of May

07 Wail

Total time = 32:16

Sources: Mono SBD feed and Line Audio CM3 in NOS 

Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96

Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (128 MB)

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

320 kbps mp3 files (76 MB)

highest quality possible lossy mp3 files

Bill MacKay and Katinka Kleijn at Acme Records and Music Emporium in Milwaukee on November 1, 2019

My Album of the Year for 2019 was Stir by the amazing duo of guitarist Bill MacKay and cellist Katinka Kleijn. Their release on Drag City was captivating with its intricate melodies and gentle harmonies. 

The audience at Acme was treated to a really lovely 45-minute set. The music is difficult to characterize with traditional genres and is a good illustration of the limits of such genres. Classical, avant garden, acoustic... I will go with, "beautiful."

I am so very grateful to Bill and Katinka for allowing me to record.

The recording information is as follows:

BILL MacKAY 

KATINKA KLEIJN

2019-11-01

Milwaukee, WI

Acme Records and Music Emporium

Bill MacKay: guitar 

Katinka Klein: cello

Tracklist:

01 unknown title (7:38)

02 unknown title (12:14)

03 unknown title (9:06)

04 unknown title (7:41)

05 unknown title (7:40)

Total time = 44:19

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 pair on stage (see photo)

Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii

Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (189 MB)

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

320 kbps mp3 files (101 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

Black Duck at Acme Records and Music Emporium in Milwaukee on June 29, 2023

One of the absolute highlights of the 2019 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN was seeing a trio of musicians from Chicago called Black Duck. Composed of Doug McCombs (probably best known as one of the bassists in the post-rock supergroup Tortoise, but also as the bassist for Eleventh Dream Day and Brokeback), Bill MacKay (who needs no introduction to followers of this blog) and Chicago jazz drummer Charles Rumback.

The performance took place at the tiny Pilot Light bar and was a furious storm of free improvisation featuring two guitars and drums. 

Since then, Black Duck has performed regularly and eventually evolved into playing written songs interspersed by improvised pieces. 

I remember being very excited to hear Bill tell me more than a year ago that the group had finished recording an album.

In June the group came to Acme Records to perform. I was fortunate to be able to record them using a solid one-channel soundboard feed and a pair of microphones about halfway back of the great room.

BLACK DUCK

2023-06-29

Milwaukee, WI at Acme Records

Doug McCombs: bass

Bill MacKay: guitar

Charles Rumback: drums

Tracklist:

01 Jam 1(6:44)

02 The Trees Are Dancing (4:47)

03 Jam 2 (5:07)

04 Of the Lit Backyards (5:03)

05 Jam 3 (2:39)

06 Delivery (7:03)

07 Lemon Treasure (9:04)

08 Jam 4 (4:32)

Total time = 44:59

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 pair in NOS on 8-foot stand about 15 feet from the stage

Additional source: mono soundboard feed

Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96

Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

Recorded with explicit artist permission by Richard Hayes for the blog Milwaukee Taper.

https://blackduck.bandcamp.com/album/black-duck

https://charlesrumback.bandcamp.com/

https://billmackay.bandcamp.com/

https://acmerecordsmke.com/

With tremendous heartfelt thanks to Doug, Bill, and Charles for allowing me to record them and also to Ken for hosting the group at what is certainly the best record store in the world.

Downloads:

16 bit, 44.1kHz FLAC file (243 MB)

320kbps mp3 file (114 MB)

Check out the NYC Taper blog for a slightly more recent performance by Black Duck:

 http://www.nyctaper.com/2023/11/black-duck-september-9-2023-tubbys-kingston-ny/

Bill MacKay at Acme Records and Music Emporium in Milwaukee on August 25, 2018

Bill MacKay is a brilliant guitarist who writes songs that are both accessible and technically demanding, without ever seeming like the technique is the point. Regular readers of this blog will note that I have often recorded him either accompanying long-time collaborated Ryley Walker, or graciously opening up for other performers at Acme. 

Musicians who play other instruments sometimes present a cliche of guitarists as being a bit overly enamored with themselves and always wanting more attention and time for solos and the spotlight. There may be guitarists out there who do in fact live up to this, but Bill doesn't seem to be one of them. When he plays with other guitarists he will alternate supporting the other's performance with shining moments of his own. To me, it never seems like a contest where one performer is going to win. Musicians like MacKay seem to value the overall quality of the music over how they themselves are perceived by listeners. 

Most important to the taper and blog communities, he's always been friendly and generous with his time. I was mentioning to him a few weeks ago that I have seen him perform in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Tennessee. He gets around - make sure you check him out whenever you have the chance.

For this show, Bill opened up for Daniel Bachman, who was on a lengthy tour for the first time in what seems like ages. You'll get a taste of that performance on this blog soon.

stream the goodness right here by pressing the "play" arrow. 

For downloads, see below

This set was recorded after obtaining explicit artist permission by Richard Hayes using a pair of Line Audio CM3 (cardioid) microphones (hand-built in Sweden) along with a soundboard feed to a Sound Devices MixPre6 recorder (manufactured with pride a few hours drive away from Milwaukee).

The files were mixed, trimmed and gentle compression and careful EQ were applied using Audacity. The files were extracted to ALAC and mp3 format using xAct.

Please support this fine artist and decent person by going to his shows, buying multiple copies of his merchandise (your friends need the music!), and talking to him like he is a real human being after shows. If he doesn't mind.

https://billmackay.com

https://billmackay.bandcamp.com

http://www.dragcity.com/artists/bill-mackay-and-ryley-walker

http://www.dragcity.com/artists/bill-mackay

https://billmackay.bandcamp.com/album/fountain-fire

downloads:

16bit, 44.1kHz WAV file (271 MB)

16bit, 44.1kHz ALAC file (132 MB)

320kbps mp3 file (62 MB)

As always, but not usually specifically mentioned, I am very much indebted to Ken Chrisien, the owner and operator of Acme Records and Music Emporium in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee's south side. Without his fantastic booking abilities and exquisite musical taste, as well as his unending patience with this blogger's attempts to document the live music provided there, this blog would be a much bleaker place than it is. To suggest that vinyl enthusiasts have a second home at Acme is to utter the obvious. To recommend that you purchase as much of your music there as you can is the easiest suggestion I have ever made. 

Ryley Walker and Bill MacKay at the Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis on April 23, 2018

I was visiting a relative in Minneapolis and flew in on April 23rd, not realizing when I booked the flight that I would be able to check out Ryley and Bill open for Calexico on the evening of my arrival. I was shocked to see what a large group of live music fans the Twin Cities were able to produce on a Tuesday night at one simple location (just one of four live music clubs which the "First Avenue" organization runs).

Photo uncredited. 

If you can help me identify the photographer, I would appreciate it!

I wasn't able to take any photos of this shorter opening set because I was not only using a stealth setup (even with permission to tape, I didn't feel like dealing with the notorious security guys at the Fine Line) but also using a new Shure MV88 microphone which is a sophisticated and quality microphone that is inserted into the lightning port of an iDevice and when used with the Shure Motiv app, produces some excellent sound for videos (such as this one of Steve Gunn). I was field-testing that particular setup for audio-only sound quality so I couldn't also snap photos.

The set of four songs was lively and had quite a bit of Ryley's trademark between-song goofy banter. For convenience I placed all the talking at the end of each file so each file will start with music.

setlist:

01 The Halfwit in Me (2018-04-23 Minneapolis)      13:08

02 Spoil With the Rest (2018-04-23 Minneapolis)     5:32

03 The Grand Old Trout (2018-04-23 Minneapolis)  13:30

04 The Roundabout (2018-04-23 Minneapolis)        12:44

This set was recorded after obtaining explicit artist permission by Richard Hayes using a modified pair of Audiotechnica AT853 cardioid microphones fed directly into a Sony M-10 recorder at 24/96 resolution. i stood 6 feet in front of the right stack (the room mix was in mono). The files were trimmed and gentle compression and careful EQ were applied using Audacity. The files were extracted to ALAC and mp3 format using xAct.

I will eventually add embedded links to souncloud so you can stream the whole show if you want, and also the show will be uploaded soon to Ryley's section of the (truly amazing) Live Music Archive on the archive.org website. In the meantime -- feel free to download the show from my server (see below)

Please support these fine artists and decent people by going to their shows, buying multiple copies of their merchandise (your friends need the music), and talking to them like they are real human beings after shows. If they don't mind.

https://www.ryleywalker.com

https://ryleywalker.bandcamp.com

http://www.dragcity.com/artists/bill-mackay-and-ryley-walker

https://billmackay.com

https://billmackay.bandcamp.com

http://www.dragcity.com/artists/bill-mackay

A guide to download formats:

WAV = files which are able to be burned as a CD without any conversion steps. This is the largest size of file on offer here.

ALAC = stands for Apple Lossless Audio Codec, which is a method of making a lossless copy of an audio file with about 50-60% of the space required with a WAV file. You can natively play these files on any Apple device and enjoy the same resolution and sound quality as a WAV file (it just takes up half as much space on your hard drive or device). 

mp3 - this is a lossy compression codec which utilizes psycho-acoustic "tricks" to drop certain audio information which is not noticeable under normal hearing situations. I am not a huge fan of mp3 but still find it useful because a high quality mp3 file will take up about 25% of the room on your storage device compared to a WAV file and about half as much as a ALAC file.

downloads:

16 bit, 44.1kHz WAV file (421 MB)

16 bit, 44.1kHz ALAC file (246 MB)

320 kbps mp3 file (103 MB)