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Artist
William McCarthy
12+ albums
Alt-countryrockamericanaindiesinger-songwriter
about
William “Billy” McCarthy is a songwriter, artist and author based in New York City who fronted NYC bands Pela and Augustines. Since McCarthy's 2004 debut EP “All in Time” (Brassland records) with Pela and the bands seminal full length “Anytown Graffiti” (Great Society, 2007) he has risen to the top of his genre and stands out from his peers as a dynamic and charismatic tour de force who sings from his soul. He has zig-zagged America and overseas playing clubs while singing about small town American confines and finding the willpower to leave them. Critics celebrated Pela’s ability to punch above their weight class and acknowledged McCarthy’s ambitious lyrical subject matter. Those lucky enough to see them live remember the energy and passion that made every show unique. Pela split in 2009 with a half finished album and a heartbroken fan base. The heart of the unfinished work was a response to his younger brothers incarceration in California’s Folsom prison which resulted in his untimely death. With his half completed album, 2009/10 was a period of great reflection for McCarthy; together with bassist and multi-instrumentalist Eric Sanderson, from former band Pela, he began to reimagine a new path in music to get the still yet unfinished work out to fans and they set out as a two piece folk act called “Augustines” choosing community support over the traditional label system that had long frustrated them. After a handful of tours as a duo and with promotion and suppor
