The Music of Invisible Ground

Join us for a special backstage show at Stuart's to celebrate the vinyl release of The Music of Invisible Ground with guitarist Bill MacKay (Chicago), The Peel (Athens), and Weedghost (Athens/Fairborn).

The show and record feature the sonic world and soundtrack from Invisible Ground, a podcast and series of Immersive Historic Markers focused on the rich history of southeast Ohio. Invisible Ground creator/producer (and former Stuart's employee) Brian Koscho will also lead a special late-night Stuart's Opera House history tour after the show, if you want to come along.

 

Bill MacKay is a Chicago-based composer, improvisor, guitarist and writer. He has created an extensive body of work in the experimental folk, rock, avant-garde, and jazz diasporas. MacKay’s blissful harmonic control and outside-the-box guitar mastery are one with his compelling songwriting, and his creative voyage and imaginative influences are fully displayed across his discography. His recent recordings include:  Keys (2021) with Nathan Bowles, Scarf (2020), STIR (2019) with Katinka Kleijn, Fountain Fire (2019), SpiderBeetleBee (2017) with Ryley Walker, and Esker (2017), and were released by Drag City. MacKay is also a poet, visual artist and polyglot, and is a member of both the avant-garde rock outfit Black Duck (with Doug McCombs) and the experimental groove-drone project BCMC (with Cooper Crain). Bill has played the Nelsonville Music Festival in 2018 and 2022.

The Peel is an experimental, drone, and folk trio living in Athens, Ohio formed in 2021. The group features Lucy Schwallie on fiddle, Adam Fuller on banjo, and David Colagiovanni on guitar. They have released two albums: Bear Wallow Hollow in 2022 and Mt. Lookout in 2023.

For two decades now, the duo of Weedghost has combined acoustic instrumentation with layers of electronic noise to channel the droning gospel from the depths of the hills themselves. Lush beds of drone loops intermingle with glacial shards to create a blissed out ambient wash as old as time itself. A tradition at Stuart's own Nelsonville Music Festival, Weedghost has played every single one since 2008.

Based in Athens, Ohio, Invisible Ground is a multimedia project utilizing audio, augmented reality, visual elements, and place-based storytelling to engage people in the history of their communities. Invisible Ground is creating Immersive Historic Markers in Athens County, Ohio that allow visitors to see historic photos at actual current-day locations using augmented reality and the Invisible Ground app. The first marker was placed in April 2022 and the project is continuing throughout 2023, with a total of eight markers planned right now. Future locations planned include Tablertown, Albany Enterprise Academy, the Athens Asylum, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Athens, and others. The project focuses on the diverse and rich history of the region, with an emphasis on the history of BIPOC communities, labor history, and the stories of the everyday people, places, and events of southeast Ohio. The accompanying Invisible Ground podcast allows these stories a spotlight through an engaging documentary storytelling format. The markers are a perfect partner to the podcast, providing an immersive opportunity to experience history through augmented reality and place-based audio storytelling. The podcast's rich soundtrack and sonic world is essential and led to the upcoming release of The Music of Invisible Ground, a 16 track compilation of music from the podcast on vinyl, CD, and streaming. The album features music from Bill MacKay, Daniel Bachman, Powers/Rolin Duo, Pete Fosco, Weedghost, The Peel, Unmonumental, and many others and will be available at this show, and in November 2023. More information at www.findinvisibleground.com.