{"product_id":"bill-mackay_stir_2019","title":"Stir","description":"Barely after the release of his latest solo album Fountain Fire, Bill MacKay is back with the harmonic separation of atoms using his six-string guitar in this new collaboration with cellist Katinka Kleijn, Stir. Bill is a passionate collaborator, and over the past seven years, he and Katinka have enjoyed concerts to elevate their chemistry to a surprisingly organic density, with striking colors inspired by pre-rock, folk, classical jazz, and experimental music. It is both an unlikely and perfect marriage as both musicians are known not only for their talent but also for their creativity, curiosity, and range of genres. Together, they form a fluid, intuitive, dialogic duo that is quick to improvise. Stir is centered around a series of compositions by MacKay, partly inspired by Hermann Hesse's novel Steppenwolf. You can try to follow the book, but don't expect parallels like Dark Side of the Moon\/Wizard of Oz. It’s a concept that doesn’t burden itself with the conceptual, but the common thread that weaves it is beautiful. The repetition and expansion of themes borrow from the world of chamber music, while the distortions, free playing, and sharpness of much of the work clearly draw inspiration from the duo's friends in noise and the avant-garde. If Jimi Hendrix, Henry Flynt, John Cage, PJ Harvey, Duke Ellington, Eric Satie, or Body\/Head come to mind while listening to the record, you are not wrong! Bill MacKay is a singer-songwriter guitarist who has been nurturing the experimental rock, avant, and folk scene for over a decade. He grew up in Pittsburgh and has lived in Chicago since 1998. Katinka Kleijn is a cellist and veteran of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the International Contemporary Ensemble. She hails from the Netherlands and has lived in Chicago since 1995. The two musicians have appeared as guests on numerous records and have toured nationally and internationally when they are not performing in Chicago. Stir is their first full album together, and all the music is arranged by MacKay and Kleijn.","brand":"Bill MacKay","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58239970738520,"sku":null,"price":20191001.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0898\/4943\/0360\/files\/0781484075622.jpg?v=1787438018","url":"https:\/\/vinyles.com\/en\/products\/bill-mackay_stir_2019","provider":"Vinyles.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}