Dren McDonald

NPR had me on their Into Music program, thanks to Jedd for a great interview/story. www.kmuw.org/podcast/into... #musicsky #indiemusic #npr #nprmusic

New court documents show that Meta has been explicitly scheming to control the scientific narrative about their social media platforms

The music supe (or writer?) who came up w/ using Prince's "Girls and Boys" in the finale of The Diplomat is 100% brilliant. It works on so many levels in that context.

Hard agree. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s because Meta sued the author and got a gag order that prevents her from saying a single word about her own book. Mark Zuckerberg is a threat to human rights and democracies the world over, including ours. It is vitally important you know how and why.

Aerosmith's Last Child - unusual groove w/ snare on 3 and 4 panned Left (3) & R (4). The 4 hit could be a delay (or echoplex?), though not common for that era. So it could be an overdub. By the end of the song the snare is on 2&4, still in L & R channels, but kind of flangy.

I've been experimenting with the Chandler Type L mic & it's really great. I think it's one of the best mics I've heard on guitar cab (I just tracked w/ it today, & no EQ necessary) & I've used it on voice and acoustic guitar with great results. It has a very handy a/b switch for 2 diff voicings

From MotelVoid today "Vox Pterous is ultimately a record that rewards patience. It is not built around obvious hooks or conventional songwriting structures, but around atmosphere, texture, precision, and gradual emotional development." motelvoid.com/2026/08/24/r...

Shattered to hear about Frank Beard. Years ago friends & I put together a band for 1 show called Tres Hombres & we just played that record start to finish. Think those songs are simple? Getting them grooving w/the subtle rhythm stuff was a challenge! I will always b impressed by the LeGrange fill

I never thought that my music might be compared to a H. Bosch painting, but here we are! + they said "Dren McDonald has done what few artists manage: he has made something that transcends what language can measure or notes can contain." www.loudnessblog.com/vox-pterous #musicsky #indiemusic #artrock

SinusoidalMusic reviews Vox Pterous here - #musicsky #indiemusic "The lyrics, without the music, read like short poems, little pieces of someone’s life left behind, glimpses of scenes and sprinkles of memory all over. " sinusoidalmusic.com/reviews/musi...

Thanks for the nice review @yorkcalling.bsky.social

"Dren McDonald writes music for the attentive listener – someone willing to let the melody unfold slowly." from this lovely review in Voxwave voxwavemag.com/2026/08/10/v... #musicsky #indiemusic #minimalism

"...an airy, dreamy feel of the compositions coming together that’s most rewarding about hearing this...Where does it leave us? Perhaps a little more at ease with the knowledge and feeling that life just dances in and around us in circles." #musicsky #indiemusic alt77.com/dren-mcdonal...

Thanks @plasticmgzn.bsky.social for your wonderful review of the record! #musicsky #indiemusic

Thanks to @obscuresound.bsky.social for the review of Vox Pterous! #indiemusic #musicsky #recording #musicproduction www.obscuresound.com/2026/08/dren...

I've had some rough times on tour, but never anything like this Ayers/Fela Nigerian tour. Talk about Heart of Darkness meets afrobeat! www.theguardian.com/music/2024/a...

In the studio... www.youtube.com/shorts/W-Th4... #musicsky #recording #indiemusic

New video for "The Things He Could Bury" feat. Amelie Anna & Girl Swallows Nightingale w/ vintage footage of Tokyo in 1950. That must've been a huge camera they were pushing down the sidewalk! youtu.be/jC7qlXPDHyI

A flashback to the 1st Vox Pterous vocal session in Jan 24, w/ Sophia James at The Compound in Long Beach #musicsky #indiemusic #recordingstudio #recording

I guess you can pre-add on AppleMusic now too - link music.apple.com/au/album/a/6... #musicsky #indiemusic #atmos #spatialaudio

I had a lovely chat with Marc Saltzman on his Tech It Out podcast about my new record (coming on friday!) & about scoring games. Thanks @marcsaltzman.bsky.social #musicsky #indiemusic

Oh wow it happened! Our little game passed the 50 review threshold to show "Very Positive" ✨

"a spellbinding and haunted atmospheric production that is catapulted by James’ ethereal vocals " - review of Fading in We All Want Someone To Shout For (THX!) Full length record is out on Friday! weallwantsomeone.org/2026/07/26/d... #musicsky #indiemusic

Parlezvous Francais? A new review of Resting of Light on the French site, Iggy. www.iggymagazine.com/dren-mcdonal... #musicsky #indiemusic #cocteautwins

"If you are looking for more experimental and thoughtfully written music then you have come to the right place." LeFutureWave on resting of Light lefuturewave.com/2026/07/15/d...

Take a peek at our cozy, reactive pet Ember. She's a goofy, loveable companion with a mind of her own, and she's a great partner for adventuring into the wilds! My team really pulled together so many elements -- I love what we've created. Unique, cozy, magical. Chill adventures await!

HUGE DAY. We've been through a lot to get here, only because we kept believing and finding our path. Excited for the next phase with @tripmaster.bsky.social and the team!

Dear diary: Today we shipped a video game again store.steampowered.com/app/4385270/...

Now you don't need a Quest to enjoy Ember's company! She's on Steam now in 2 flavors - the adventure game or as a desktop pal!

New review for Resting of Light - "Feels suspended between memory and dream." pretty accurate description! www.nagamag.com/the-latest/d...

I was recently introduced (thx daughter!) to Common Room coffee, & it's so good that I am posting about it. I have been pulling (delicious) espresso shots with the Costa Rica Esperanza bag this week. yeah it's expensive but great for an occasional treat www.commonroomroasters.com

and this one..."The arrangement draws from the steady pulse of Steve Reich and the Kronos Quartet, transforming a private memorial into an open acoustic environment." visualatelier8.com/dren-mcdonal... #musicsky #indiemusic #altclassical #alternativeclassical

Some wonderful reviews coming in already for Resting of LIght - ""Exists somewhere between contemporary classical composition, experimental art music and elegy. Combines technical sophistication with emotional honesty in a way that few artists successfully manage.' www.mysticsons.com/article/dren...

The newest season of The Bear is fantastic (all seasons are) but this one sounds the best. They got HZ to score it, where previously I think it was all licensed music. Huge difference. Ep 3 uses the chord seq from Eno's Driving Me Backwards in a fascinating, granular cutup way. Great stuff

Beautiful strange #Ambient Sunday with: Dren McDonald - A Floating Portal In My Room (feat. Sophia James) acidted.wordpress.com/2026/02/22/a...

Here's a video clip of "Resting Of Light" the next single that releases this Friday. This one features Carla Kihlstedt (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Tom Waits, Tracy Chapman) on lead vocals & Amelie Anna on bckgrnd vox. There is a reference to another song here which is key to who this song is about

also, LastDayDeaf just wrote up a review of Fading - "Quietly spellbinding... a beautifully restrained composition that lingers long after its final note." lastdaydeaf.com/listening-no...

I don't love spotify, but if you do & if you'd like to save it there, here's the countdown page for ya open.spotify.com/prerelease/1...