Mike MacDonald and The Widow Makers
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Mike MacDonald and The Widow Makers

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"Man In Black"

"Heartfelt and genuine, Macdonald expresses a sincerity that's been missing in this world since we lost the Man in Black, and exudes a sweet sadness not heard since Elliott Smith."

- pam weisberg, mad alice productions
 
- Pam Weisberg


"Man In Black"

"Heartfelt and genuine, Macdonald expresses a sincerity that's been missing in this world since we lost the Man in Black, and exudes a sweet sadness not heard since Elliott Smith."

- pam weisberg, mad alice productions
 
- Pam Weisberg


"The Noise Boston Review"

Mike MacDonald chooses slow-paced heart-felt songs with stripped-down production to show his strength. If Pink Floyd went underground and played acoustic only they'd be sharing bills with Mike MacDonald.


T Max
www.thenoise-boston.com
- The Noise


"The Noise Boston Review"

Mike MacDonald chooses slow-paced heart-felt songs with stripped-down production to show his strength. If Pink Floyd went underground and played acoustic only they'd be sharing bills with Mike MacDonald.


T Max
www.thenoise-boston.com
- The Noise


"Heartbreaker"

Reminiscent of Ryan Adams' Heartbreaker, MacDonald sings about life, loss, love, and heartbreak. A strikingly personal album, each song exposes more than the last, blending soul-baring lyrics with raw emotion. The album sets an overall mood of realization and eagerness to leave behind a life constrained within a rural upbringing, the internal battle with ones own thoughts of achievement, and personal loss.

Jason F. King
JasonFKing.com
- JasonFKing.com


"Heartbreaker"

Reminiscent of Ryan Adams' Heartbreaker, MacDonald sings about life, loss, love, and heartbreak. A strikingly personal album, each song exposes more than the last, blending soul-baring lyrics with raw emotion. The album sets an overall mood of realization and eagerness to leave behind a life constrained within a rural upbringing, the internal battle with ones own thoughts of achievement, and personal loss.

Jason F. King
JasonFKing.com
- JasonFKing.com


"Northeast Performer Review"

MacDonald’s aim here isn’t to thrill anyone with chops, it’s to establish himself in the area as a carrier of the flame of understated, lonesome singer/songwriters.

-Al Moore
Northeast Performer - Northeast Performer


"Boston Herald"

Alt-country artists get their own festival
By Michael Marotta/ Hotline
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - Updated: 05:06 PM EST

Last month, local bluegrass-punk band Three Day Threshold hosted a "honky-tonk jamboree" in Cambridge to celebrate a new album. On Saturday, Harpers Ferry in Allston will be the scene of the first Alt-Country Extravaganza, a 16-band, 13-hour live music hoedown spotlighting some key players in an ever-growing roots rock/Americana scene.

What in the name of Johnny Cash is going on around Boston these days?

"There is an awesome scene here," said Alt-County Extravaganza organizer Mike McDonald of the Widow Makers. "Where it came from, I have no idea. Honestly, Boston is not the first place anyone thinks of when they think of alt-country/Americana music."

Like the times, that’s a-changin’, too. The Dave Sammarco Band, which headlines Saturday’s festivities, hosts a monthly honky-tonk night at Sally O’Brien’s in Somerville. And WMBR-FM’s (88.1) "Lost Highway" radio show on Saturday morning is one of several country-themed programs keeping the genre on Boston airwaves. Saturday’s MC, Kier Byrnes of Three Day Threshold, has been organizing sold-out roots events everywhere from the Cambridge Elks Lodge to the Paradise Rock Club.

In the past year alone, Americana kids Frank Smith relocated to Austin, Texas, and the folk-country Eureka Gold packed up for Nashville, showing other cities just what’s brewing in the Hub.

For many, gravitating to the roots scene is an unlikely destination that began with other genres.

"I grew up around country music, and never liked it," McDonald admitted. "I was always into rock ’n’ roll until I got into my 20s, and I discovered Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt."

From there, he started exploring Cash, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings

The Alt-Country Extravaganza kicks off at noon and runs until 1 a.m. Although every band is worth checking out, don’t miss the Bees Knees at 4:10 p.m., Dearborn Valley at 10:50 p.m. and Girls Guns & Glory at 11:40 p.m.

An afternoon barbecue will be available, and proceeds from the $8 tickets benefit the Horizons for Homeless Children charity. For more information and complete lineup, go to www.myspace.com/altcountryextravaganza.


http://theedge.bostonherald.com/musicNews/view.bg?articleid=1010357

- Boston Herald


"Northeast Performer Review"

MacDonald’s aim here isn’t to thrill anyone with chops, it’s to establish himself in the area as a carrier of the flame of understated, lonesome singer/songwriters.

-Al Moore
Northeast Performer - Northeast Performer


"Boston Globe"

The Twang Center
At 'Alt-Country Extravaganza,' Boston highlights its roots
By Jonathan Perry, Globe Correspondent | July 13, 2007
When one thinks about local meccas for great alt-country and roots music, Boston is not the first city that pops to mind. That's a shame, because as astute listeners and clubgoers know, the Greater Boston area -- not to mention New England in general -- has long been home to some of the finest countrified pickers and players north of the Mason-Dixon Line (or south, for that matter). What is a tad more surprising, however, is just how many are here, some of whom you've heard of, and many more of whom you likely haven't.
Tomorrow's "Alt-Country Extravaganza" is your chance to get better acquainted. Starting at noon at Harpers Ferry and ending 16 bands and countless steel guitars later at 1:30 a.m., a slew of acts from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and points in between will take turns plying their wares for a great cause that also promises to be a great party. Mike MacDonald, singer-guitarist for the Boston-based Widow Makers, put together the bill as both a benefit for Horizons for Homeless Children (horizonsforhomelesschildren.org ) and as a show that he hopes will benefit the bands too.
"One of the reasons why I wanted to do this was that I kept finding all these great bands that people don't know about," says MacDonald, 29, who formed the Widow Makers less than a year ago. "They aren't getting any attention, but they're amazing." The idea for the "Alt-Country Extravaganza," he says, stemmed from the spirit of camaraderie he says drives the local roots music scene. "I met a couple of other bands and we started booking shows together and helping each other out, and I just thought it would be a great idea to put a show together and feature everybody."
Kier Byrnes, singer-banjoist for Three Day Threshold, the veteran punk-inspired bluegrass outfit that's become one of the linchpins of a Boston country-flavored roots scene, will emcee Saturday's event. He's impressed with what he describes as a wealth of talented artists whose numbers have seemingly increased exponentially over the past few years.
"The roots scene has really taken off," says Byrnes, whose own band has won multiple music awards as a perennial favorite with readers of the alternative weekly Boston Phoenix and the long-running music fanzine The Noise, among others. "It's always been strong, but there's some really good bands that are out there now. Saying you're in a country band is no longer the 'C' word."
Of course, there has always been local support for country, folk, blues, bluegrass, and other American roots music, thanks to local record labels like the longtime Cambridge - (and now Burlington - ) based Rounder Records, as well as clubs such as Toad, Club Passim, the Lizard Lounge, Johnny D's, and the recently closed down Tir na Nog, to name just a few venues.
But just as the swing and rockabilly renaissance captured the collective local and national imagination a decade ago, the past few years have seen a boom in the volume of traditionally minded roots bands around town. More than any other reference points except perhaps Johnny Cash and Gram Parsons, the names of '90s Americana outfits such as Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo (and the outfits that short-lived yet iconic band spawned: Wilco and Son Volt) are cited as touchstones on the websites of the bands performing at tomorrow's "Alt-Country Extravaganza."
"I grew up around country music in Montana, but never liked it, of course," recalls MacDonald. "I loved rock music until I got into my 20s and a friend of mine turned me on to Whiskeytown, and there was an immediate connection. [Ex-Whiskeytown leader turned solo artist] Ryan Adams's 'Heartbreaker' album really flipped the switch for me. Once I heard that, I said, 'This is the kind of music I want to make.' It's music that grabs me emotionally and pulls me in."
From there, MacDonald backtracked to the outlaw country you don't hear on country radio anymore: Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings. (" You have to dig a little deeper for the good stuff"). He believes part of the appeal of the modern alt-country scene that grew out of Uncle Tupelo's stormy, seminal legacy might be because "it's country music for non-country music fans."
Chuck Melchin, singer-guitarist for the Boston-based Bean Pickers Union, hopes that support extends to the "Roots Night" he's launching this month at Razzy's in Somerville, starting July 21. The night will feature some of the bands playing at Harpers tomorrow. "I'm happy to see a lot of younger people getting into roots music, " says Melchin, who describes himself as somewhere "north of 40." "Maybe the crossover appeal of bigger bands like Wilco and Son Volt has educated people."
Melchin says he "grew up on the same stuff everybody else did" -- the Stones, Beatles, Jethro Tull. But he always had a soft spot for the '70s country rock band Poco, and in the ' - Boston Globe


"Boston Globe"

The Twang Center
At 'Alt-Country Extravaganza,' Boston highlights its roots
By Jonathan Perry, Globe Correspondent | July 13, 2007
When one thinks about local meccas for great alt-country and roots music, Boston is not the first city that pops to mind. That's a shame, because as astute listeners and clubgoers know, the Greater Boston area -- not to mention New England in general -- has long been home to some of the finest countrified pickers and players north of the Mason-Dixon Line (or south, for that matter). What is a tad more surprising, however, is just how many are here, some of whom you've heard of, and many more of whom you likely haven't.
Tomorrow's "Alt-Country Extravaganza" is your chance to get better acquainted. Starting at noon at Harpers Ferry and ending 16 bands and countless steel guitars later at 1:30 a.m., a slew of acts from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and points in between will take turns plying their wares for a great cause that also promises to be a great party. Mike MacDonald, singer-guitarist for the Boston-based Widow Makers, put together the bill as both a benefit for Horizons for Homeless Children (horizonsforhomelesschildren.org ) and as a show that he hopes will benefit the bands too.
"One of the reasons why I wanted to do this was that I kept finding all these great bands that people don't know about," says MacDonald, 29, who formed the Widow Makers less than a year ago. "They aren't getting any attention, but they're amazing." The idea for the "Alt-Country Extravaganza," he says, stemmed from the spirit of camaraderie he says drives the local roots music scene. "I met a couple of other bands and we started booking shows together and helping each other out, and I just thought it would be a great idea to put a show together and feature everybody."
Kier Byrnes, singer-banjoist for Three Day Threshold, the veteran punk-inspired bluegrass outfit that's become one of the linchpins of a Boston country-flavored roots scene, will emcee Saturday's event. He's impressed with what he describes as a wealth of talented artists whose numbers have seemingly increased exponentially over the past few years.
"The roots scene has really taken off," says Byrnes, whose own band has won multiple music awards as a perennial favorite with readers of the alternative weekly Boston Phoenix and the long-running music fanzine The Noise, among others. "It's always been strong, but there's some really good bands that are out there now. Saying you're in a country band is no longer the 'C' word."
Of course, there has always been local support for country, folk, blues, bluegrass, and other American roots music, thanks to local record labels like the longtime Cambridge - (and now Burlington - ) based Rounder Records, as well as clubs such as Toad, Club Passim, the Lizard Lounge, Johnny D's, and the recently closed down Tir na Nog, to name just a few venues.
But just as the swing and rockabilly renaissance captured the collective local and national imagination a decade ago, the past few years have seen a boom in the volume of traditionally minded roots bands around town. More than any other reference points except perhaps Johnny Cash and Gram Parsons, the names of '90s Americana outfits such as Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo (and the outfits that short-lived yet iconic band spawned: Wilco and Son Volt) are cited as touchstones on the websites of the bands performing at tomorrow's "Alt-Country Extravaganza."
"I grew up around country music in Montana, but never liked it, of course," recalls MacDonald. "I loved rock music until I got into my 20s and a friend of mine turned me on to Whiskeytown, and there was an immediate connection. [Ex-Whiskeytown leader turned solo artist] Ryan Adams's 'Heartbreaker' album really flipped the switch for me. Once I heard that, I said, 'This is the kind of music I want to make.' It's music that grabs me emotionally and pulls me in."
From there, MacDonald backtracked to the outlaw country you don't hear on country radio anymore: Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings. (" You have to dig a little deeper for the good stuff"). He believes part of the appeal of the modern alt-country scene that grew out of Uncle Tupelo's stormy, seminal legacy might be because "it's country music for non-country music fans."
Chuck Melchin, singer-guitarist for the Boston-based Bean Pickers Union, hopes that support extends to the "Roots Night" he's launching this month at Razzy's in Somerville, starting July 21. The night will feature some of the bands playing at Harpers tomorrow. "I'm happy to see a lot of younger people getting into roots music, " says Melchin, who describes himself as somewhere "north of 40." "Maybe the crossover appeal of bigger bands like Wilco and Son Volt has educated people."
Melchin says he "grew up on the same stuff everybody else did" -- the Stones, Beatles, Jethro Tull. But he always had a soft spot for the '70s country rock band Poco, and in the ' - Boston Globe


Discography

EP- Sounds Through A Wire
LP- Alt Country Extravaganza (Compilation Cd)

Photos

Bio

Inlfuences ranging from classic artists such as Johnny Cash to Modern day performers such as Ryan Adams. Mike MacDonald and The Widow Makers play Americana/Alt Country music and mix influence with authentic originality. They have played many of the best music venues in Boston inlcuding Harpers Ferry, Johnny D's, and TT the Bears. The Widow makers have also been selected to play WFNX New England Product show, and organized the Alt Country Extravaganza an all day Americana/Alt Country show featuring 16 New England Bands.