Special concert promises summer sunshine
Minor Gold are an Australian based, Americana duo featuring artists Tracy McNeil and Dan Parsons – and they are on their way back to Lions Bay.
Each long-time solo artists, McNeil and Parsons didn't write their first song together until 2020, but this village has a special place in their hearts.
"In 2019 Dan and I toured Canada and played a few festivals as solo artists and the Lions Bay event was our first house concert ever in the country," says McNeil.
"That night we announced that our new duo name was Minor Gold - named after our mothers' maiden names put together, so it is such a treat to return as Minor Gold with our debut album all these years later."
Their first self-titled album debuted in 2023, and they return to play at Lions Bay Village Hall on August 18 from 7 to 10 p.m. Listeners can expect a performance filled with fresh-feeling grooves and a '70s cosmic folk-rock vibe with sweet vocal harmonies.
"We love to keep it authentic and work to move an audience, delivering dynamic performances that shape-shift between the warmth and intimacy of desert campfire to an early morning electrical storm," McNeil says.
"Dan and I have actually been playing music together for many years in our respective solo projects but never had the opportunity to write songs together, until 2020 when the world slowed down. It has been such a thrill to work outside of our solo careers and create something together, with a strong focus on songcraft and classic two-part harmonies."
Both McNeil and Parsons play guitar and sing, with Parsons also a multi-instrumentalist, drummer, lead guitarist and pedal steel player.
The pair have just won the 'Folk Award' at the 2024 Queensland Music Awards in Australia, and have been official Showcase Artists at AmericanaFEST in Nashville, and at the Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. They have also been nominated for an Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) music award.
The Lions Bay event is in the middle of a West Coast tour for Minor Gold, with stops in California, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. The pair bought a blue Chevy Astro van in North Vancouver last year that has taken them from west to east across the continent and back again.
"We've played some incredible house concerts in California which offer such a different experience to a venue show; backyards as the sun sets with anywhere from 40-100 people who just want to connect over live music – they are pretty magical," says McNeil. "We've also just returned from our first U.S festival, the Mile of Music Festival in Wisconsin, which was off the charts."
McNeil enjoys playing in her homeland. "Audiences in Canada are very receptive to music from other parts of the world and that enthusiasm brings such a great vibe to the shows we play," she says.
Minor Gold performs in Lions Bay
Sunday August 18 from 7-10 p.m. at
Lions Bay Village Hall.
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