THE Mae Trio’s sound comes from old clapboard barns, windswept Australian landscapes, Scottish cairns, busy train stations, and mustard-coloured kitchens, dipped into beauty, and lament.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The band of three are returning for the second Wallangra Festival on March 19, and Trio cellist and bassist Anita Hillman said it was exciting to be part of it.
“The Wallangra Festival last year was so fantastic, to see everyone coming together as a community to make music and celebrate the people in their community,” she said.
“We’re just looking forward to coming back and seeing everyone we met last year again.”
This time the Trio will bring songs from their new EP September, as well as tracks from their debut album Housewarming after a fifth trip touring the UK and second to the US with their music.
We thought, ‘Ok, this is going to be a good trip’.
- Anita Hillman
Anita joined musical forces with sisters Maggie and Elsie Rigby in 2011. Their name captures their first initials, and also their distinctive use of vocal harmony, evocative of a time when people relied more on voice as instrument, as well as for storytelling.
They are best defined as folk for the 21st century, with Maggie comfortable cradling her banjo, mandolin and guitar, Elsie’s ukulele or well-played violin tucked under her chin and Anita rolling out classical tones from the cello mixed with percussive swats and smacks on the strings.
They found comfort at the first Wallangra Festival.
“We arrived in Armidale and got picked up by Kim, and one of the first things she said to us was ‘Oh, I’ve got a litter of puppies at my place, do you want to come see them?’” Anita recalled with a laugh.
“We thought, ‘Ok, this is going to be a good trip’.”
She said the sogs they write reflect personal experience, and inspiration, but September includes three covers, one by Scottish singer/songwriter Dougie MacLean, founder of the Perthshire Amber Festival.
The Mae Trio took it on the road last year when they played several events in the UK, and joined with Dougie at the Perthshire Amber in November.
Tickets to see the Mae Trio, and the entire Wallangra Festival bill of music and entertainment are $10 and may be booked through trybooking.com, and search ‘Wallangra’.
