Walker and MacKay have recorded together before - but SpiderBeetleBee is a fervid new hybrid of their talents. In fact, if you play this back-to-back with Bill MacKay's Esker, released be yers-truly earlier this year, you'll find a radically different sound - the chattering of acoustic guitars in vigorous dialogue, which allows such plain and visceral pleasure, of course - but also the depth and diversity that players strive for all their lives and not access.
With Bill and Ryley, we sense that this is only the beginning. Live shows around town have shown them to be awesomely adept at electric duet as well; eclectic regardless what is in their hands (including, yes, a beer or two).
Bill MacKay & Ryley Walker are out playing in the fields of legendary forebears and peers alike: Fahey, Basho, Kottke, Max Ochs, our own Mark Fosson, Jim O'Rourke, Jack Rose, William Tyler, Daniel Bachman and many others. The combination of multiple perspectives and a wild impulse under their fingers makes SpiderBeetleBee a rewarding repeat listen. Here's a couple of listens to get you started: "I Heard Them Singing" and "Lonesome Traveler".