Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
“Talaria is a delightful young band with fresh ideas, youthful energy, and a combination of musical styles featuring Justine McDonald’s heartfelt songs with a pop feel, brother Eric’s hard-driving bluegrass tunes, and Michael Vitale’s fiddle – performing alternately soulful and hot, charged accompaniment to fit perfectly with each song.” -- Ellen Schmidt of Two for the Show
- Ellen Schmidt
"Another rising-star moment came from 20-year-old Justine McDonald, appearing with her brother, Eric, in a duo they call Talaria. She sang a beautiful coming-of-age song, confronting the cynicism of maturity with an almost defiant innocence." - The Boston Globe
Discography
Pieces - 2007*
Demo - 2005
*Forthcoming
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
“Another rising-star moment came from 20 year-old Justine McDonald, appearing with her brother, Eric, in the duo they call Talaria. She sang a beautiful coming-of-age song, confronting the cynicism of maturity with
an almost defiant innocence.” Scott Alarik, Boston Globe
Talaria was born during the summer of 2004, when Ellen Schmidt asked siblings Justine and Eric McDonald to share a feature at her open mike. The idea was to split the time as separate acts, but Justine and Eric decided to try something they hadn't tried since they were tikes: playing together. Things clicked, and the duo's sound emerged. With smart sibling harmonies, hard-driving folk-pop originals, and a healthy respect for traditional folk forms, the duo is poised to join the ranks of family folk ensembles like Disappear Fear and The Nields. Since forming, the duo has gone on to open for Brian Webb at the Labyrinth Coffeehouse and has performed at venues such as Club Passim in Cambridge, Springstep Center for the Arts in Medford, the Emerson Umbrella in Concord, and The Nameless Coffeehouse also in Cambridge. Guitarist and vocalist Justine brings her pensive, powerful tunes to the group, while Eric (guitar, mandolin, and vocals) offers infectious, upbeat, bluegrass-influenced originals.
Justine McDonald
"The depth of talent and potential in this young woman is simply staggering. I am absolutely sure that she is going to be very famous." -- Singer-songwriter Don White
21-year-old singer-songwriter Justine has been playing in the Boston area since she was fifteen. She was the youngest performer ever to be featured at the Center for Arts in Natick open mike. She has also been featured at the Colonial Inn and the Nameless Coffeehouse, and opened for Oen Kennedy and Don White.
Eric McDonald
"To Eric, who shreds." -- Tracy Grammer, signing a copy of her EP for Eric after hearing his solo performance of Dave Carter's "Liza Jane."
19-year-old Eric is rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist for Defenestrated, a semifinalist in the 2004 WBCN Battle of the High School Bands. He also sings and plays mando for teen bluegrass ensemble Jaded Mandolin and backs local songwriters Jess Yoakum and Patty Keough. Eric learned a lot of what he knows from being a longtime member of the intergenerational chorus The Family Folk Chorale, which performed in the fall of 2004 with Tracy Grammer.
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