Folk duo heads to Eastern

AMERICANA folk duo Minor Gold will be in Ballarat next month to celebrate the launch of their self-titled album.

Tracy McNeil and Dan Parsons formed the duo last year and they recently returned from a three-month tour of the United States.

“The duo was formed from both of us having solo careers and me working as a lead guitar player and harmony singer in Tracy’s band,” said Parsons.

“We always found that we could sing really easily together and the songs we enjoyed were from similar time periods and similar artists.”

The album, which was written during COVID-19 lockdowns, focuses on escapism.

“The idea of escapism is definitely a rhythm that kind of runs through the whole album,” said Parsons.

“COVID for a lot of people made them feel like they wanted to escape, but even before COVID the idea of escaping was really prevalent in some of the music we were writing separately.

“In the past I remember being on tours and when we’d do our final leg and I’d be thinking I’d just love to stay out and keep going.”

Parsons said it’s exciting to see the publics reaction to the debut album.

“We’re still so stoked on people’s reactions to it and people turning up to the shows,” he said.

“For two solo artists who have gone behind our own names for ten years that can sometimes be creatively stifling because in a sense you are yourself for a living.

“To have a name of Minor Gold to kind of band behind does give you a certain amount of freedom so that’s been really fun.”

The duo will be at the Eastern on Thursday 9 November and to find out more visit minorgoldmusic.com.