Album Notes

From outback desert uranium mine geologist to drummer for Australian folk popsters The Waifs touring with Bob Dylan, David Ross Macdonald’s poetic eye for the human spirit coupled with his sublime fingerstyle guitar playing is an artist who’s music emotionally evokes and inspires.

The July 2006 release “Knuckled Brass and Bone” is his 3rd and most humanist work to date.

These 9 tracks effortlessly navigate the listener through simple emotional narratives and into uncharted waters deep in social comment and darker contemplations all the while beguiling the listener with his hypnotic fingerstyle guitar playing.

His poignant arrangement of the unofficial Australian national anthem “Waltzing Matilda”, the ode to his grandfathers walking stick “Old Joe’s Cane” or the bittersweet “Til I’m Gone” never fail to touch and soothe the listeners being.

Not one to take himself too seriously here, “Shoulders Brown” is a lost love lament with a wry last line twist while politically the closing track “Who Have A Dream” is a stark narrative on poverty inspired by his worldly travels but who’s coda optimistically drifts into a Latin / Creole
musical celebration.

What Folks Say !

American Songwriter Magazine
“ Macdonald is one of those few songwriters like Nick Drake, Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) and Josh Ritter that can captivate his listeners armed only with a voice and guitar.”

Acoustic Guitar Magazine quotes “ ..a further revelation .. MacDonald's vocals, lyrics, and intricate fingerstyle guitar playing bring to mind a collaboration between Nick Drake and a mid-1970s Bruce Cockburn... evocative songs with a haunting, poignant quality.”

Sing Out Magazine puts it bluntly, “A pretty damn good guitarist!”