MKE Music - Eric and Magill

The first time I listened at length to Eric and Magill was this past summer driving along the Kancamagus highway through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I hadn't heard much of from the duo previously but their unique back story and their status as Milwaukee natives compelled me to load them up on the iPod. I have been meaning to do a write-up on these guys for the past month when Two Travellers was first released but never got around to it. Scoop it for free here.

Two Travelers couldn't be a better name for the new EP. Old friends from Milwaukee, Ryan Weber and Eric Osterman had spent several years playing together in the group Camden. Nowadays however, Weber and Osterman find themselves more often apart than together. Logic would have you think that to write an album would require the two to be in the same state, let alone the same country. Both dedicated travelers and musicians, Weber and Osterman have proven the maxim, "You Can't Have Everything" wrong. The duo commit to their own ambitions while still making time to create dreamy tracks. Their previous release, All Those I Know came to fruition when Weber, then teaching English in Armenia, and Osterman began swapping tracks via email. The duo eventually pieced together all the disparate parts and the product was amazing.

Now fast-forward to 2011. Both Osterman and Weber were on the move again. Osterman relocated to Brooklyn while Weber joined the Peace Corps in Kenya. As they had before, the duo began swapping emails and tracks, eventually producing Two Travelers. Music generally reflects something about the artists creating it. The music I would like to think emulates the shifting dynamics of their friendship and respective adventures since the breakup of Camden. I like to imagine that with each email sent and each song pieced together, the experiences of each come to be told. Maybe I am reading too much into this, but it adds a nice back story. With Weber returning from Kenya and Osterman potentially moving back to the Midwest, it will be interesting to see how their relationship changes and accordingly their music.

In the meantime find their entire discography available for free on their Bandcamp. If you want some art to go with the music turn towards Toby Liebowitz's (cover art for Two Travelers)website inbruno. Look for the release of Night Singers this May. This May I will be returning to the states and hopefully snaking my way along Kancamagus highway again on the road to Maine with Eric and Magill's Night Singers to accompany me this time around. I will always associate the sleepy, winding curves through the Whites with "All Those I Know" and fond memories of a great visit to a great friend.