Event

MAC

MAC is, at its core, part of the natural progression of Celtic music as it has worked away into the American consciousness. Ryan McKasson (fiddle), Elias Alexander (bagpipes/vox), and Colin Cotter (guitar/vox) are all three well-versed in the Celtic music tradition, and the music that they write and perform as the contemporary Celtic-American folk trio, MAC, is steeped heavily in this timeless tradition while also calling upon influences ranging from rock to classical. MAC's performances reveal fiery personas tempered with artistry, finesse, and virtuosity as they draw from a deep well of innovative original music and lush arrangements of traditional songs and tunes.

The story of MAC begins in 2014 in the city of Boston, MA where a troupe of Celtic musicians waited out an apocalyptic snowstorm that had grounded flights for the foreseeable future - in times such as those, the only reasonable course of action is to head to the pub and play tunes until spring. It was at this marathon wintry jam session that MAC members Ryan McKasson (fiddle), Elias Alexander (bagpipes/vox), and Colin Cotter (guitar/vox) first played tunes together as a trio, laying the foundation of what was later to become MAC.

Fast-forward to September, 2015 when McKasson, Alexander, and Cotter were all in the same place for only the second time, in this case as performers at the KVMR Celtic Music Festival in Northern California. Ryan and Colin invited Elias (who was performing with famed Galician piper, Carlos Núñez) to join them on stage for some tunes and songs, and thus was MAC born!