he great painter Georgia O’Keeffe once said, “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment.” Americana songwriter Kelley McRae approaches songwriting the same way, immersing herself in the colors and meaning each song offers up. Her new album, The Wayside, released April 7^th, 2016, is a bouquet of blooming tone-paintings, each tender and intimate in their own right, exploring the rugged, unfolding experience of life on the road. McRae’s vision is completed by co-writer, guitarist and husband Matt Castelein, whose distinctive guitar work and vocal harmonies add nuance and energy to the album.
 
In 2011, McRae and Castelein traded their New York apartment for a VW van and decided to tour full time with their music, travelling extensively in American and Europe for performances, crafting new masterworks as they traveled. The Wayside is a testament to the inspiration inherent in the American landscape, the grief intrinsic to change, and the hope that comes with stepping onto unknown soil.