Shimmering lyrics, deft finger-picking and soaring melodies—Ithaca’s Austin MacRae is a troubadour whose songwriting is characterized by poetic lyrics and vivid stories from rural upstate NY. Dubbed "The Balladeer of the Southern Tier" by Syracuse music critic John Tierney, MacRae has performed his locally-rooted music nationally at venues such as Club Passim, Kerrville Folk Festival (New Folk Finalist), Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (Emerging Artist), Turtle Hill Folk Festival (New Voices Showcase), Ithaca Festival, Oswego Music Hall, Homer Center for the Arts, Bill Knowlton's Bluegrass Ramble Picnic and many other venues. His debut album, Bats in the Attic, won a Syracuse Area Music Award (SAMMY) for Best Folk Recording of 2015. His second album, Keeper, won a SAMMY for Best Americana in 2018. In 2017 he was one of three winners of the Vic Heyman Songwriting Award from the South Florida Folk Festival. He has opened for such artists as Josh Ritter, Keller Williams, Amy Speace, Cosy Sheridan and Toby Walker. MacRae is currently at work on a collection of songs about being a step-father.

"An Austin MacRae song is a  short story in four minutes of beauty, empathy and emotion, not to mention some damn fine picking."  --Syracuse music critic John Tierney

"Austin MacRae is one of the most literate storytelling songwriters I have ever heard. His songs paint vivid pictures of the broad scope of life with empathy, heart and poetry." --Syracuse music critic John Tierney.
www.austinmacrae.com