"Liam Macdonald's 'Verge' is all over the place,
        but what a nice place to be all over."

When he was growing up in Canada, Liam Macdonald played hockey and football, ran track and swam, worked at the sawmill over the summers and delivered mail over Winter Breaks. He was also a huge fan of music of all kinds and when he was alone he would sing along to CD's or the radio.

One day when he was in the 10th grade, Liam picked up a guitar from a pawnshop, brought it home and strummed his first chord. He was hooked. Music became Liam's dominant fixation, obsession or passion -- whichever word you prefer. Through a combination of "practice, practice, practice," "a unique approach to music" and "a voice you don't forget," the 10th grader came to the attention of Sayyd Abdul Al-Khabyyr, a long-time member of the Mercer Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie Bands who had also been a Professor of Jazz at the University of Montreal. Liam was still in high school when he was invited to perform in concerts and on radio with the veteran jazzman.

Soon, Macdonald was playing in several other bands as well as solo on occasion. A woman who was training to become a dancer at the School of Music & Art and Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in Manhattan was very impressed by the charismatic Canadian's solo performances. She spread the word and before long Liam acquired a strong following especially among the artists in New York City. Next, a professional manager stepped in who brought Liam to the "Big Apple" on a more permanent basis to record demos and showcase for the major labels. Liam received two contract offers. Partly because the music industry was in a shambles at that time and partly because he truly does have a "unique approach to music," Liam made the decision to remain independent.

On his own in the big city, and infected now with the recording bug, Macdonald invited some musician friends to back him up in the studio. The result was Liam Macdonald's debut CD, "Verge." (Verge was produced in New York and New Jersey by Tim Carbone from the band, Railroad Earth.) In 2004, its first year of limited release, Verge received the Record of the Year award from Radio Six International in Glasgow, Scotland. We just happen to have some quotes from the reviews:

||"an absolute gem, which you really need to hear"|| ||"an aural treat by any standards"|| ||"should be all over the radio"|| ||"captivating"|| ||"fascinating"|| ||"multi-dimensional"|| ||"a unique approach to music"|| ||"mightily impressed by a new talent"|| ||"Liam's guitar work is stunning, his singing superb"|| ||"a great sense of rhythm"|| ||"his rich, deep voice brings out another dimension from the songs"|| ||"classy, excellent tunes!"|| ||"jangle-tastic"|| ||"tumultuous and satisfying"|| ||"VERY cool"|| ||"richly creative"|| ||"these songs are anything but dull"||

Flush with the critical success of Verge and in response to requests from many newfound supporters in more than 80 countries around the world, Liam started working on his next project. When describing the mercurial Macdonald sound, a reviewer for the British Independent Record Dealers' Magazine wrote, "Verge is all over the place, but what a nice place to be all over." Almost as if to rub it in, Liam chose to make his follow-up recordings in Munich and Copenhagen with the multi-talented Alain Nkossi Konda, the CEO and Founder of Afrikool Records, whom Liam had met when performing in Europe.

Four of the tracks produced by Mr. Konda have won awards from the Unisong International Songwriting Competition, the Great American Song Contest and the Billboard World Song Contest:

1. In 2005 Liam Macdonald's song, "City of Trees," won Honorable Mention in the Unisong International Songwriting Competition folk/acoustic category.

2. In 2006 Liam's song, "Black & You," won Honorable Mention in the Unisong International Songwriting Competition pop uptempo / dance category.

3. In 2007 Liam's song "You Can Never Tell" was a TOP FINALIST in the Great American Song Contest country music category.

4. In 2007 Liam's song, "In an Open Space," won Honorable Mention in the 14th Annual Billboard World Songwriting Contest.

5. In 2007 Liam's song, "Smiling Faces" from Verge, won Honorable Mention in the 14th Annual Billboard World Songwriting Contest.

6. In 2008 Liam won four Honorable Mention Awards in the 15th Annual Billboard World Songwriting Contest for the following songs from Verge: "Burning Blue;" "Please Tell Me;" "Eagle and Snake" and "Should Have Known."

Black & You was included on the Afrikool Records' 2007 release, "For Africa Vol. 1." For Africa Vol. 1 features these musicians from around the world in addition to Liam Macdonald: Gilberto Gil; Lou Bega; Kanda Bongo Man; Selasee Atiase; Zani; Zifa; Manu Di Bango; Alain Nkossi Konda; K.I.F.; Jim Savitt; Muna Mingole; Micko Leao; Bless; Mr. Reo

The proceeds from the For Africa Vol. 1 CD are being donated to the following humanitarian organizations: The Water Foundation; IFAM; The Shaken Baby Alliance; Sens Afrique; Amnesty International. For info on where to hear and purchase this wonderful CD please visit our audio page and scroll down.

Since 2004 Liam has been spending time and working in Germany, the USA and his native Canada.

Please feel free to listen to some of Liam's other recordings, including pre-release and live versions, at myspace.com/LiamMacdonald and sonicbids.com/LiamMacdonald.

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