Mandy Fer and Dave McGraw are coming back to Doverlaff in a new configuration as “Sway Wild. They will have bassist Tom Lord joining them for this show.
They will be here on Thursday, January 24. The show starts at 7:30 pm with Doors open at 7. Suggested donation, as usual, is $20 per seat.
To guarantee your seats, advance donation of the suggested donation should be sent to us at 7326 SE Woodward St., Portland, Oregon 97206. Please, BE SURE to make checks out to Dan Dover, not Doverlaff as there is no Doverlaff checking account through which we can process them. Please include “Sway Wild” in the memo line.
We hope you can join us. As usual, we will have an array of snacks for free and beer and wine for which we suggest a nominal donation.
See you then.
From their website:
Donkeys out the front door, whales out the back.
Pacific Northwest based songwriter duo Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer voyage even further out to sea on their latest self-produced/recorded release Off-Grid Lo Fi. Recorded entirely with solar and wind powered electricity on a nearly uninhabited, remote, off-grid island in northwest Washington state, McGraw and Fer have ventured into new territory, both geographically and artistically.
McGraw and Fer were invited to a seaside farm to care-take for four old donkeys and a flock of chickens for three months on a non-ferry serviced island with a winter population of fewer than eight people. Seizing the opportunity for a solitary writing residency, the duo loaded all of their instruments, minimal recording gear, and groceries into a tiny 16’ aluminum boat and crossed the channel towards the US/Canadian border for what they called their ‘feral’ adventure. Pushing wheelbarrows full of provisions in their rubber boots, they made their way to a hand-built cabin where they recorded Off-Grid Lo-Fi in a living room overlooking the Pacific inland sea. The recording set-up was basic. No computer screens or editing. No Auto-Tune. All real takes. The result is a twelve-song album drenched with rich vocal harmonies, poignant songwriting, Fer’s potent electric guitar playing, acoustic guitars, percussion, cello and newly prominent banjo and piano (all played bye Fer and McGraw). Off-Grid Lo-Fi is an intimate, authentic and refreshingly honest exploration into the genres of folk, rock, and roots music.
Known as a standout electric guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Mandy Fer is unafraid to dominate the stage for an extended guitar solo, defying long-held gender barriers for female guitarists. Dave McGraw’s emotional songwriting riffs on natural elements of the world around him. McGraw spent a decade as a wildlife biologist, studying endangered birds in remote locales from the deserts of Mexico and the Grand Canyon to the mountainous rainforests of Washington. McGraw and Fer joined forces in Flagstaff, Arizona in 2010 before relocating to the Pacific Northwest in 2012.
The duo’s 2014 release Maritime charted at #1 on the EuroAmericana Chart for two consecutive months and was praised by The Telegraph for “…soulful songs, intuitive musicianship, and fine singing.” Together, their exceptional vocal harmonies coupled with Fer’s pioneering electric guitar work have become a vehicle to carry them around the world. The pair has honed their skills touring extensively throughout the US and Europe, sharing stages with such artists as Iron & Wine, Glen Hansard, Gregory Alan Isakov, Charlie Hunter Trio, Lake Street Dive and many others. Winning over audiences anywhere from Alaska to Amsterdam, McGraw and Fer perform a heartfelt and dynamic blend of innovative folk, rock, pop and funk.
Some Press:
“…stellar songwriting…exceptional guitar playing…” The Utne Reader
“…(Off-Grid Lo-Fi) suits their music deep down to the ground and digs its roots even further into your soul…(Fer) is over and again proving herself a brilliant songwriter…Off-grid lo-fi is a truly standout new collection from Dave and Mandy, who must surely by now be considered one of Americana’s most vital and essential – and original – duo acts.” FATEA Magazine UK
“…refreshing…stunning…so
Some Videos: