"Right on the mark" is how the Austin Chronicle has described the MdKay Brothers' latest amterial. The charactrers living through the lyrics range from migrant workers looking for work to hometown kids they grew up with spending quality time is prison. Emerging from Bandera, TX, rural life in the Hill Country has created a backdrop that has shaped much of their writing to date. Noel McKay was born on the Gulf Coast of Texas in Corpus Christi while his brother Hollis came into the world in the flatlands of West Texas. After moving from Lubbock, their family settled in the hills of Bandera County where the musical influence began. Their Grandfather, who built and ran the first radio station in Frio County, had a large impact on their chilhood and musical interests. Along with two of his brothers, he introduced Noel and Hollin to many pioneering country artists including Jimmy Rodgers, Ernest Tubb, and Kitty Wells. This endeavor, sparked by their grandfathers' love of country music and the people it affected, proved to be essential to the McKay brothers' perspective of the Texas landscape. After thirteen years of playing together under different names, the brother decided to start a project under their own last name. This change in direction is an ineveitable reversion to their roots. In February of 2003, Noel and Hollin entered Root Balls Studio in Austin, Texas with famed musician and producer Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Slaid Cleaves). Their aptly self-titled album is a collection of 11 tracks. Including nione originals, they decided to cover The South Coast of Texas, a track penned by one of their main influences, Guy Clark, who has been quoted as saying "They are enchanting and amazing." Also making the cut is a heartfelt Spanish track, Las Olas, written by Steve Jordan. From the beginning of 2002 to the present, the McKay Brothers have found themselves in many of the legendary dancehalls across the Hill country, such as Gruene Hall (Gruene, TX), John T. Floore Country Store (Helotes, TX), and the Broken Spoke (Austin, TX), including every first Thursday of the month in the Luckenbach Dance Hallin Luckenbach, TX. The interest that has followed is almost more than they can keep up with. During South by Southwest of 2003, the McKay brothers played three shows including a filmed performance at Austin-Bergstrom Int. Airport and their main showcase at the renowned Broken Spoke. Within this short amount of time the group has shared the stage with the likes of Willie Nelson, Bruce Robison, Charlie Robison, Ray Wylie Hubbard, PAt Green, 1100 Springs, KEvin Fowler, and Tommy Alverson. In the forseeable future, Noel and Hollin will continue wowing audiences wherever they go, while adding to their already sizable collection of songs. "Absolutley phenomenal," raves Ray Wylie Hubbard...