LEWISTON – Mac McHale and The Old-Time Radio Gang, which plays traditional country music from the days before it was called bluegrass, will give a concert Sunday, Feb. 15, at the Franco-American Heritage Center.
These veteran musicians play and sing rousing renditions of classic melodies that recapture the mood of the 1930s and 1940s in America when music was purely acoustic, with six-string guitar, mandolin, banjo and stand-up bass.
Their selections are richly varied – spirited fiddle and train songs, gospel music, hand-clapping and toe-tapping tunes, and ballads of love and heartbreak. During their performances, the musicians offer historical notes about the music and the times.
Members of the Old-Time Radio Gang are Mac McHale of Kennebunk on guitar and vocals; John Roc, mandolin and vocals; Sally Roc, bass and vocals; and Herman McGee of Kensington, N.H., banjo, guitar and vocals.
The Radio Gang has 11 recordings to its credit. Among them are “Old Country Radio Songs,” which was chosen by CD Review as one of the Top 4 country CDs since the magazine began in 1984; “When the Roses Bloom Again,” and “New River Train.” The group recently recorded four albums for Fishtraks: “Get on Board,” “Sunbonnet Mother,” “River of Memories” and “Down in Memory Lane.”
The band has played in settings as diverse as the Bangor State Fair; Steamboat Springs’ Strings in the Mountains; Bates College; The Imperial Theater in St. John, New Brunswick; The International Festival Calais/St. Steven, New Brunswick; The Maine Center for the Arts, and Country Night at The Pops with The Reading Symphony.
Admission is $15, $12 for students and seniors. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m., with the concert to begin at 2 p.m. For reservations or more information, call 689-2000 or visit www.francoamericanheritage.org.
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