Bill MacKay and Michael Zerang join forces for Scarlet Hour
Chicago musicians Bill MacKay and Michael Zerang have announced Scarlet Hour for January 29, 2027 through Drag City, with New Song as its first single. The eight-track collaboration combines guitar, requinto and piano with darbuka, tambourine and saz. Four announced concerts begin with an album release performance in Chicago and continue in March.
Arts··Morning
Scarlet Hour is set for January 29
Bill MacKay and Michael Zerang, musicians working in Chicago in the United States, have announced their joint album Scarlet Hour. Drag City will release the eight-track album on January 29, 2027. New Song is the first single shared from it. A video for that song accompanies the announcement, and the musicians have scheduled a release concert in Chicago.[1], [2]
Nick Broste recorded the collaboration at Electrical Audio, a recording studio in Chicago. MacKay’s instruments on the album are guitar, requinto and piano; requinto is an instrument in the guitar family. Zerang performs on darbuka, tambourine and saz. The announced influences span Arabian, Turkish, Indian and Iberian folk music. Michael Vallera directed the video accompanying New Song.[1]
New Song comes fourth in the eight-piece sequence
Málaga is the opening track. Kind Stranger follows it, then Blush And Quiver leads into New Song. The first single is therefore placed at the end of the album’s first half. The title track, Scarlet Hour, begins the second half of the running order. It is followed by Sun Dress and Smoke Rings, before Black Leaves closes the album. Across the collaboration’s performing credits, MacKay’s string instruments sit alongside piano, while Zerang brings percussion and saz to the project.[1]
Four concerts accompany the album announcement
The album release show will take place on January 29 at The Hideout, a Chicago venue. The musicians will return to the stage for three consecutive dates in March on the announced US itinerary. On March 19, the musicians are due at Rozz-Tox in Rock Island, Illinois. March 20 brings them to Arts + Literature Laboratory in Madison, with Woodland Pattern in Milwaukee next on March 21. MacKay’s earlier work includes collaborations with other musicians from Chicago. Among the recent examples is Stash, the album he made with Cooper Crain under the name BCMC. For Scarlet Hour, Zerang is his collaborator, with the album and its four accompanying concerts now announced together.[1]
