Preeper RHAYE mackay
Preeper Rhaye MacKay
Preeper Rhaye MacKay is a folk trio comprised of award-winning songbird Jessica Rhaye, guitarist Bill Preeper and multi-instrumentalist Sandy MacKay. This trio has developed a Maritime Appalachian sound, a unique mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation. The singers deliver lush 3-part harmonies, weaving and sharing lead and harmony parts for their own compositions along with simple, yet elegant arrangements. It's new folk music at its finest, pulling together Woody Guthrie, Ian Tyson, Bob Dylan, the McGarrigle sisters, and a mix of new original works. This group gets compared to a modern Peter Paul & Mary, creating an intricate vocal blend.
JESSICA RHAYE
Jessica is an award-winning singer/songwriter and graphic design artist with 7 full length albums to her name. In a career spanning 20 years, Jessica has built an impressive list of accolades: a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, multiple East Coast Music Award nominations and multiple Music New Brunswick awards. Jessica has graced many prestigious stages including the National Arts Centre, Hugh’s Room, Stan Rogers Folk Festival, Mariposa, Shivering Songs, and included tours to Africa and L.A.
Jessica plays acoustic and Nashville high-strung guitars, sounding like a dulcimer. Her clear sweet voice provides the high harmony in the trio and her solid acoustic guitar playing rhythm forms the backbone of the trio’s sound.
BILL PREEPER
Bill started playing folk music in the ‘80’s while working a day job at CBC and raising a family with his wife Kathy. In 2015, having more time to concentrate on music, he co-founded Bonnett House leading to the release of the album “Songs From Bonnett House” in 2017. The following year, Bill became a member of Jessica Rhaye’s band, The Ramshackle Parade.
His delicate finger-picking and use of alternate tunings on guitar are inspired by the traditional and contemporary masters of folk and blues. In the vocal department, Bill shares singing with his bandmates and adds low end in the trio’s harmonies.
SANDY MACKAY
Over a 40-year musical career, Sandy toured widely, performed on stages and streets, theatre and session recordings for numerous artists. Working with his daughter, his most recent work was the BoKays 2020 release “Looking Forward to a Memory”.
Sandy plays double bass, and sometimes adds mandolin and banjo. The double bass adds the bedrock to the trio’s sound, and when the bass gets bowed, brings a deep rich texture to the sound. Sandy sings tenor in the trio’s vocal mix, sometimes trading range with Jessica to reach the high harmonies in old bluegrass style.
Their version of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind has generated millions of views on YouTube
and over 46K subscribers calling out for more of this special blend of acoustic music.
“The modern folk trio offered their skills to the famed Dylan track (Blowin’ in the Wind) in this string-laden rendition. Rich with golden vocals, acoustics, and even a mandolin, Rhaye, and her group would make Baez and the rest of the ’60s decade proud with this heartfelt version.”
SHOW DATES
contact info
MANAGMENT + BOOKING:
Mark Marshall
E: mark@jessicarhaye.com
ph: (506) 650-1628
Scout Music Group
E: scoutmusicgroup@gmail.com