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McKay, Chris & The Toneshifters

Chris MacKay & the Tone Shifters was formed in the fall of 2009. Chris started his career playing percussion with New London CT new wave acts Newjohnny 5 and Paisley Jungle in the early days of the blossoming New London CT music scene opening for many national acts such as INXS, Cindy Lauper, The Ramones and Culture Club to name a few. The band toured the East Coast and down South performing at such venues as the infamous Studio 54 as well as playing the Hartford Civic Center before a crowd of 16,000. He went on to front a series of bands playing original music. Covering everything from hard rock, blues, funk, rockabilly and alt rock over the years, he gained a wealth of experience in several genres. Steve Cleary honed his skills playing many different styles including rock, solo folk, Irish and world music in the much acclaimed band the Lawnboys who were a fixture at festivals in the northeast. Dynamic drummer Ron Adams experience has been on the regional level playing with many of the regions finest bands. Ron also builds his own Magnus Opus drums which are sold in the U.S. and Canada while Susie MacKay has been with local country icon Ken Atkins of Ken Atkins & The Honky Tonk Kind playing old school country for many years. They have performed at the Louise Mandrell Theatre in Pigeon Forge TN as well as performing a series of shows annually in Austin, TX. Originally started as a straight blues band , the music soon took on a life of it’s own when the musical diversity of the band members began to mesh into a mix of Blues, Swing, Country Swing, Rockabilly and Swamp. When the band started incorporating their originals into the mix of interesting covers, they developed their unique style of danceable blues based roots music. Known for their exciting live shows and their interaction on stage, the band has quickly become an area favorite helping them land opening slots for national blues acts Nick Moss & the Flip Tops, Sean Chambers and Mike Zito. Now the ToneShifters have released their first c.d. “Picture On The ‘Fridge” featuring a special guest track from Nashville “Super Picker” Johnny Hiland who has performed at the “Grand Old Opry” and recorded tracks for some of the biggest names in country and rock. Currently the band continues to write and perform original music.

http://www.toneshifters.com/