Our Music | The Will McBride Group

Imagine:
A funkier Steely Dan, a jazzier John Mayer, a more lyrical Santana, an edgier Stevie Wonder...
Now you get the picture.

The Critics say:

"When I heard you include "techtonic plates" in the lyrics (of "Earthquake"), I just had to listen to the rest of the song." - Wayne Nelson, Little River Band
"...the rest of the day I'm singing "Hit Song" in my head!! I heard it ONE time. How does that @#%& guy do that?" - NC radio legend Bob "the Blade"
"...he (Will McBride) calls this a "Hit Song", and it is! You will love it. It's catchy and it is his best yet". NC radio legend Kitty Kinnin
"I failed to mention that your cover of 'Reelin' In the Years' is the best that I have heard. Well done!" - Brent Lambert, The Kitchen Mastering, Inc.

"...Tension escalates,
While opponents seek to demean.
Like two tectonic plates,
The fault lies in between." - Earthquake

"...There are those who would try to slow,
Me down (I don't think so),
Try to break my spirit...
You won't get near it”. - No For an Answer

" ...I'd rather do a live performance of one of my tunes,
And feel the tangible chemistry from the folks in the room,
And that's OK,
I've got so much to say,
But I don't really need a hit song..." - Hit Song

"...I need a mental health day,
I need to take some time away,
To get out of the fray,
No I just can't stay,
I gotta save my life..." - Mental Health Day

Discology

The first full CD release (2009) was "Trifecta". It contains six original tunes, and five covers. It was performed by the trio and was recorded live in the studio with only a couple of minor overdubs. Trifecta's objective was to be a representation of exactly how the trio sounded live. Minimal production on this, so there was really no producer, other than execution of Will's vision for the recording. A demo, of sorts, but with many of Will's original compositions that Will anticipated would find their way into every performance. Featured track on this album was 'Hat Dance', which was the band's first song to get multiple plays on a commercial radio station.
The second studio CD (2012) was an EP called "3Play". It contained three original songs. It was originally tracked by the trio and produced by John Custer. 3Play was a more ambitious project. It's objective was to create a product with a larger sound, thicker production. Multiple guitar parts (all played by Will), guitar effects included a Leslie rotary effect to give a "keyboard" feel, and some wah pedal. Also, thicker backing vocals were added, per Custer's guidance. The featured track on this one was "Mental Health Day" which became the band's first full-length "official music video".
The third studio CD (2014) was a six-song collection called "ALL IN". It contains five original tunes, and one cover and were all tracked as a quartet. The band settled on this length for their remaining CDs so that each song could potentially find its "place in the sun" rather than some tracks just being filler tracks. This CD marks two significant "growth" changes...1) the quartet structure adding keyboards, and 2) Will took on the producer role. Having learned much from John Custer, Will wrote the songs for this one with an even bigger production in mind. This CD is thematic in that the first two songs were about experiences in the band, the 2nd two songs (one is a cover) are in the "love song" category, and the final two songs were inspired by two particular situations in two of Will's children's lives. Will even added a horn section on two tracks. The featured track on this one was 'Funkside', which became our opening number for MANY shows.
In 2018, Will worked again with John Custer to produce two singles. The band was in a rebuilding stage at that point and Will enlisted a studio rhythm section for this project. Will tracked the scratch guitar/vocals to a click track, delivered these tracks to the rhythm section, who recorded their parts and delivered those tracks to the studio. From there, Will re-recorded all the guitar tracks and added vocals. Custer also added some backing vocals. The production on this one was the best to date! 'Earthquake' emerged as the most popular track. It's observation of the political landscape of the day has resonated even more as the years have passed, and the song was licensed for 3 years by an as-yet-unknown entity that has generated revenue that has funded this, and future projects!
The fourth studio CD (2021) was a four-song collection, PLUS the two previous singles as "bonus track", creating a six-song collection, called "None the Worse for Wear". Post-COVID, Will had some time to reflect, write and imagine the concept for how he wanted this one to sound. Enlisting a veteran sound engineer with a well-equipped home studio, Will again took on the producer role. This album was also recorded as a quartet. It highlighted the skills of each of the musicians in the quartet, but Will chose not to add additional players, except for a guest vocalist. The songs contain Will's wit & sarcasm while making commentary on resistance encountered in the music industry, while also adding a very soothing song in the midst. The feature track on this one was "No For an Answer", which is a crowd favorite that lets each player shine and is undeniably FUNK!
The fifth studio CD (2023) was a six-song collection called "ICYMI". It contains five original tunes, and one cover and were all tracked as a quartet. Same engineer/producer roles happened on this album as the previous one. This album was also recorded as a quartet. It again highlights the skills of each of the musicians in the quartet, and did not contain additional players, except for the same guest vocalist as the previous one. A new logo was created and deployed with this recording. Again, Will's wit & sarcasm are on display with the title track and the feature track, which was "Hit Song", which was debuted LIVE at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, and captured on video. The song is somewhat autobiographical.