Two of the most exciting visionaries in contemporary guitar music, Bill MacKay and Ryley Walker, announce the reissue of their seminal debut album, "Land Of Plenty." Originally released in August 2015, this instrumental masterpiece will be available again on vinyl on September 26th via Drag City, giving new listeners and longtime fans alike a fresh opportunity to experience a milestone in the modern guitar canon.
Recorded live over a month-long residency at The Whistler in Chicago, "Land Of Plenty" documents MacKay and Walker’s immediate artistic connection, as they melded fingerstyle ballads, psychedelic waltzes, and raga-inspired blues into a vibrant and cohesive whole[4][3]. The album’s five tracks highlight the duo’s shared love for a broad musical spectrum—referencing legends from Nick Drake and Bert Jansch, to Albert King, Ali Akbar Khan, and Jimi Hendrix. Through this alchemy of influences, the album pulses with invention, intimacy, and the raw sparkle of two creative forces in dialogue.
Each week in January 2015, MacKay and Walker took over The Whistler, not just performing but recording their evolving set live in front of audiences. The result is a collection whose immediacy and interconnectedness have become legend: two polymath guitarists finding a common language, pushing boundaries, and drawing out dazzling new possibilities from six and twelve strings. Their synergy is palpable, echoing the reverent tradition of virtuoso duos while forging new frontiers in acoustic music.
Critics have hailed "Land Of Plenty" as essential listening for fans of inventive guitar work, for its "raw, inventive, and deeply connected energy." With this reissue, a new generation of listeners can discover the record that helped launch MacKay and Walker’s celebrated partnership—one that would go on to shape the sound of new American folk and experimental music