Artist Statement
Echoes & Artifacts; music and art.
Fronted by singer-songwriter, guitarist and multi-media artist Allyson Makuch (Māhk-ukh), and accompanied by guitarist and arranger Rory Cloud (Clow-d).
Echoes & Artifacts are songs that dig deep and like to play in the dark. They are sonic landscapes. They are dances with words and musical counterpoint. They are vessels that carry stories. They are both physical and experienced.
Echoes & Artifacts is a team of artists aspiring to grow and share our our creative passions. We are fierce advocates for the well-being of all and the social justice required to get there. We are world builders in our hearts and this project is one way we are choosing to share those visions with the world.
We hope you enjoy what we do.
Bio
Now in their 6th year together as a duo, Allyson Makuch and Rory Cloud of Echoes & Artifacts have developed a sound that blends modern and traditional styles with powerful songwriting, intricate guitar arrangements and soulful melodies. As individuals, Allyson and Rory draw inspiration from a range of musical pedagogies, life experiences and interdisciplinary artistic practices.
Allyson’s passion for music began with singing opera, choral, jazz and theatrical music, but when she picked up the guitar at 14 she knew she wanted to write her own songs and share her own voice. That voice was transformed when she reached college and started singing backing vocals for an old time band in Vermont. Old time’s traditional and often modal sound combined with modern folk and Americana sensibilities continues to show itself in Allyson’s writing. Nurtured by an artist mother, she developed a wide array of artistic pursuits over the decades. A fourth generation oil painter, Allyson has won awards for her paintings and exhibited solo and group shows with her oils, illustrations, and block prints. For over 10 years Allyson has also been a prolific yarn maker, spinning wool thread on her spinning wheel for market and her own knitting and weaving. As a singer, she’s been involved in many side projects, including touring as a backing vocalist for Josiah Johnnson (of The Head and the Heart) and singing backing vocals for Santa Cruz’s Nels Andrews among other groups.
Rory, coming from a musical family with parents who both played guitar and wrote songs together, music performance and composition have been passions since childhood. From early years in school and garage bands, to jazz studies in college and on to dozens of projects with artists in rock, jazz, hip-hop, reggae, Americana, folk and contemporary singer-songwriters throughout his 20s and early 30s. Rory is a trained guitarist, percussionist, vocalist and engineer/producer. He’s performed thousands of shows throughout 40 states, Canada, Ireland and China. He’s been involved in music competitions, including winning the FreshGrass duo contest in North Adams, MA in 2014 with his former band. He’s had music featured by NPR and Acoustic Guitar magazine, and performed at festivals around the country including Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lions, CO.
In recent years, Echoes & Artifacts have supported artists such as The Jerry Douglas Band, Josiah Johnson, and Steve Poltz. They are currently in pre-production for their debut album, planned for release in 2024.