top of page
Search
Writer's pictureThe Sound Cafe

Katie McNally Trio Set To Release Now More Than Ever



Now More Than Ever is the much-anticipated second album from the Katie McNally Trio.


Set for release on Friday 4th December 2020, Now More Than Ever is the follow-up to the the Katie McNally Trio’s debut album The Boston States, released in 2016. Showcasing a mature and self-confident trio, who have truly grown into their sound, Now More Than Ever is a body of work that is both ambitious and self-assured.


The trio, comprising of Katie McNally, Neil Pearlman and Shauncey Ali, have created an album that explores the possibilities that present themselves when three Americans embark on a career playing Scottish and Cape Breton music. Now More Than Ever is packed to the brim with tunes rooted in these respective music scenes, as well as self-penned tracks that are influenced by the triad’s own take on the traditions.


Defying any robust genre categorization, the Katie McNally Trio continue to examine Scottish traditional music through an American lens whilst simultaneously introducing styles typically associated with the States, such as bluegrass and Latin jazz.


This new album focuses solely on the three artists in the trio’s line-up and with no guest appearances, every band member is able to expand their musical role and completely fill out the sound with their own distinct voices.



Katie McNally said: “Now More Than Ever is very much a story of where we all come from and yet how far we’ve come. With our debut album, we were actively working towards reaching for something new whilst still holding on to the traditions of something old, and at the same time trying to establish our sound as a band.


“I feel we managed that with The Boston States, however now more than ever, we feel like we’re significantly more content with our own sound and we want to explore that primarily. With this album, we have grown in confidence to fully be ourselves, musically speaking.


“The title of the album also reflects a communal feeling among us that this year we need to continue to collaborate with each other, make music and embark on projects that nourish us. As a band, and as members of the wider cultural community, we need to share our music and cultivate our artform in as many ways as possible during these difficult times.”


Now More Than Ever is produced by Scotland’s Anna Massie (of Blazin’ Fiddles fame) at Grans House Studio (run by Angus Lyon in Biggar, Scotland.)


Now More Than Ever will be released on 4th December 2020. It will be available to download, stream and on CD.



Katie McNally grew up playing Scottish and Cape Breton music in Boston, Massachusetts. A member of the cross-genre fiddle supergroup, Childsplay, Katie has also toured with Karan Casey, John Whelan, Galician bagpiper Carlos Núñez, and performs regularly in her own projects, Fàrsan and the Katie McNally Trio. Her most recent album, The Boston States, was hailed as “one of the best modern Cape Breton records of the past ten years” by Irish Music magazine. The Boston State primarily focused on the historical connection between Katie’s hometown of Boston, Massachusetts and Cape Breton Island. It look at the music and culture that Canadian immigrants brought to the Boston area and the community that they created there.


Multi-instrumentalist, stepdancer and host of podcast TradCafe, Neil Pearlman is a vital and distinctive voice in contemporary traditional music. Neil is recognised in many Celtic music circles for his unique approach to the piano. Rooted in traditional Cape Breton piano styles, he adds jazz harmony and the syncopations of funk, Cuban, and Brazilian dance music to create a unique and infectious sound. His most recent release is a duo album with acclaimed Shetland fiddler Kevin Henderson (Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, Boys of the Lough). He also tours regularly with the quartet Fàrsan which blends Gaelic song, stepdance, fiddle and pipes and in the Katie McNally Trio.


Shauncey Ali is a performer, educator and composer who blazes a creative path in the acoustic music world. A fiddler and violist comfortable in a wide range of styles, with his playing having been described as, ‘precise, thoughtful and unexpected.’ Shauncey is the founder and director of MadFiddle, an award-winning youth fiddle ensemble in Madison, WI; the creator of Strapsey; and is the RockyGrass and Wisconsin State Fiddle Champion.






Comments

bottom of page