Travis MacRae

Travis MacRae is a Canadian singer/songwriter known for his folk (or folk blues) music, for his accomplished guitar and harmonica playing, and for his rough, somewhat Southern-styled vocals. He is often, but not always, accompanied by backing musicians on record.

Biography

MacRae's first official record, titled Silhouettes on the Sunset, was released on the Canadian label Willow Tree Records. Since this release in 2002 MacRae has gone on to release three LP's titled "Historic Hills" (2003), "Travis MacRae" (2004), and "The Future is the Present Wrapped" (2005). Bootlegs of his large collection of demo material have also been circulating among fans and are known as "A Brief History 1999-2003" (2003), "The Kitchen Demos" (2004), and "Demos from the Attic" (2005).

While MacRae has been writing and recording music for the better part of a decade he manages to remain quite the mysterious and alluring figure in the folk music scene. Even though MacRae remains under the radar to most large labels he has managed to develop a passionate, almost cult like following; from folk purists to indie elitists. [http://www.undertheradarmag.com/webonly/travismacrae/travismacrae.html] . While this fan base may seem quite unusual to many it is indicative of MacRae's unclassifiable music style. While MacRae's career began with Silhouettes On The Sunset, his true recognition came with the albums Historic Hills (2003) and Travis MacRae (2004) which showcased MacRae's arrangement and interpretations of traditional folk & folk-blues songs. MacRae often adapts traditional folk songs by adding or removing verses, or even completely changing the tempo and melody in order to personalize them and adapt them to modern culture. MacRae has continued to forge new ground merging traditional folk with the modern acoustic-songwriter genre with his latest release "The Future Is The Present Wrapped", composed entirely of original material.

"The Future is the Present Wrapped" is a perfect example of why MacRae's music is so difficult to classify. With a whirling orchestra backing MacRae, to a sole guitar or piano arrangement, MacRae summons a traditional feeling while remaining modern. [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1197/is_4_49 One reviewer] of MacRae's most recent release succinctly defined it as: "A sound like the prairies modernized". Such a definition has led others to attempt to expand upon it by attempting to classify MacRae's music by comparisons [http://adbusters.orgforum/viewtopic.php?t=266&sid=792ddc4f2a3c448817a69ad5526ab167] , and while these comparisons are a valiant attempt at defining something which is so unique, MacRae remains a musician and songwriter unto himself; reserved and humble while showing a wisdom and voice well beyond his years.

Currently, MacRae continues to live up to his prolific songwriter title, and is in the studio recording his fifth official full length release in as many years. This album has already begun to garner interest by major records such as [http://www.ohboy.com Oh Boy Records] , and Concord Records. Although the distribution label is unconfirmed at this time, the album is tentatively titled "Pass Me The Devil And Water Please" and is slated to be released in fall of 2006.

Trivia

*MacRae lent his vocals to a tribute record [http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1052038/a/Seeds:+The+Songs+Of+Pete+Seeger+Vol.+3.htm] for Pete Seeger on the song "Sailing Down My Golden River"

*MacRae wrote and recorded a track titled [http://people.hibbing.edu/~crucials/remember.html "Remember This Song"] specifically for a compilation CD for children.

*His name sake is country and western musician Merle Travis, coincidentally MacRae also plays in the [http://www.guitarland.com/Travis.html Travis style fingerpicking]

*He is a pescetarian

*Frequently plays a Gibson J-45 or Martin OM-35

*His songs often include imagery of birds, trains, clouds, and highways

Known pseudonyms

* Blind Boy Crumble (album credit)
* Elliott White (album credit)
* Forrest Lint (album credit)
* Willy Brown (Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival in Lunenburg, NS on 08/12/05)

Discography

Albums

ingles

*"Heading For The Country" (2002)
*"This Land Is Your Land" (2003)
*"What Kind Of Friend Is This?" (2004)
*"It's Hard To Repair" (2005)

Videos

*"" (2005)

External links

* [http://www.purevolume.com/travismacrae Pure Volume Profile]
* [http://cemj.m21s05.vlinux.de/category/bands/travis-macrae/ Central European Music Journal]

Official sites

* [http://www.travismacrae.com Travis MacRae]
*MySpace|id=travismacrae

Data

* [http://www.last.fm/music/Travis+MacRae Travis MacRae on Last.FM Radio]
* [http://www.erfle.addr.com/shark_and_dagger/podcast.htm Travis MacRae on Shark & Dagger Podcast]