Having recently played support for Willy Mason, Billie Marten, Katy J Pearson, Bess Atwell and Dan Mangan, Rona Mac is beginning to get the recognition she deserves. A truly independent DIY, grass-roots artist from the most westerly tip of Wales, Mac is a prolific songwriter carving her own pathway as a queer alt-folk artist.
For 4 years she swings seamlessly between stripped back sounds of Elliott Smith and Laura Marling, to the textures, rhythm and overdrive of Ben Howard or Phoebe Bridgers.
Recorded, produced and mixed by Mac in a caravan-studio, her music comes raw and unfiltered, aching with nostalgia that comes with rural, rugged places.
Funded by PRS foundation, Help Musicians and Horizons Launchpad (Arts Council Wales), upcoming album ‘Honeymilk and Heavy Weather’ is tenderly written for a lost friend, and her best work to date. For 3 years she has carved these 11 tracks with love, grief and determination, pulling everything into alignment with what lies at it’s core.
There’s a dense and heavy story behind this Album, intertwined with themes of love, loss, mental illness, suicide and water. Mac uses the sounds of fire, rivers, ocean and wind amongst these tracks, as well as voice notes, spoken word, and all manner of strange and satisfying sounds.
Always in-keeping with honest lyrics, strong melodies, harmonies and riffs that are a trademark of her work, getting her recognition on BBC’s Radio 1, 6 and Wales.
Mac’s grass-roots approach to music is tangible and real, and her live performance is both impressive and transformative. She will be touring this album around 13 decentralised locations around the UK to move music away from big cities, as well as connecting with like-minded people. Could that be you?
Sarah Passmore is well known in the Swansea music scene both as an individual performer and for her work with Sarah and the Creepy Uncles, and folk supergroup Dark And Twisties. Her ear for melody and dulcet guitar playing mark her out as a truly unique performer and we can’t wait for opportunity to see her play some of her solo compositions.