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Ian McFeron likes folk-country with great pop hooks

Seattle singer-songwriter performs at The Mallard on June 11 and 12
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North-bound Exposure Seattle musicians Ian McFeron and Alisa Milner perform at the Mallard Lounge on Saturday, June 11. PHOTO submitted

Ian McFeron turned his car's broken windshield into a kind of social media celebrity.

The singer-songwriter and his fiddle-cello player Alisa Milner have been driving far and wide across North America, sharing shots of the open road in front of them — with a curved crack along the bottom.

Every couple of days the location would change — Tuesday Oregon, Friday Colorado — but the crack remained the same.

"It was Alisa's idea. I was driving and she was the passenger's seat taking photos. You watch the landscape change around the country. That became a hit with our listeners... it became a window for them. It was a lot of fun, but we actually got a new window yesterday," McFeron says.

The pair performs at the Mallard Lounge in the Fairmont Chateau Whistler on Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12 at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

"It's our first time playing at the Mallard; we haven't performed as much in B.C. as we would have liked. Until recently, there were some really challenging fees to get over the border. The fees were wiped away, so now smaller bands can afford to come up there," McFeron says.

"Being from Seattle, Vancouver and the rest of B.C. is as close as Portland, but we haven't had access for a long time."

The Seattle bluegrass, country and roots performer will be bringing music from the band's eighth album Radio, and will also be mixing in original songs from previous albums.

"Sometimes we tip the hat to Bob Dylan or Paul Simon," he says.

He also lauds Canada's rootsy, folk-country music, with "really great pop hooks."

"I'm thinking The Paperboys or Corb Lund. What's filtered down to us made us feel like there was a good community to connect with up there," McFeron says.

"And there's something about B.C.'s natural beauty. We played in Squamish is April and driving up there — that's an unbelievable stretch of road. The beauty connects with our style of music. It's music that has a backbone.

"You're always shooting for the elegance you find in simplicity and I think it is reflected in the nature there, too. We went up (to Squamish) and we though it was a place that we want to learn more about."

McFeron describes Milner as his "relationship partner" then adds: "Actually, we're getting married on Sunday."

So a honeymoon weekend in Whistler will be a nice way to celebrate.

"She and I tour about half the year around the United States... I'm excited about the Mallard Lounge. We have a couple of friends who go to Whistler a lot. They said it's a good listening spot," McFeron says.

He says what is mundane in life is actually full of magic, much like the crack in the pictures, and this is what he wants in his music as well as life.