Mike McClure made a name for himself as one of the originators of the Red Dirt sound in Oklahoma. He was the frontman of The Great Divide, he produced records for acts like Turnpike Troubadours, and is a member of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Now, McClure is teaming up with his longtime partner Chrislyn Lawrence for a new project. Today, McClure and Lawrence introduce their duo Crow and Gazelle with their debut single “Take It Away.” The duo’s debut album As Above Now So Below drops on April 26.
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In a press release, the duo explained the purpose of Crow and Gazelle. “This project is all about seizing the moment to become more alive and to honor what is evolving within us—to use our voices in harmony to impart healing and to offer love out into a world which is so torn apart. That is why this all started,” they shared.
Love and healing are at the center of the songs that Crow and Gazelle created for their debut album. More specifically, the songs come from the “connection between two people healing, loving, and growing together.”
Crow and Gazelle’s Debut Was Decades in the Making
The duo recorded the songs in Pawnee, Oklahoma at the late Steve Ripley’s studio back in 2023. However, this partnership has been brewing for more than two decades.
McClure and Lawrence met at a concert in Fort Worth, Texas in 2003. They felt “an instant ancient connection at the cellular level,” the moment they met. Some circumstances stopped them from immediately pursuing that connection, but they stayed friends for years. At one point, Lawrence was McClure’s booking agent. Finally, in 2018, the stars aligned and their lives intertwined. Crow and Gazelle was a natural progression of the union of two talented artists.
When the couple first started dating, McClure went to Austin to visit Lawrence. While waiting for him to arrive, she took out her tarot deck and pulled a card for each of them—one crow and one gazelle. They left those cards out where they could see them for the duration of the visit. McClure said that the cards and the resulting band name are fitting.
“I’ve always been fascinated by crows and have at least five songs with crows in the lyrics,” he shared. “I’m like a crow in my nature, where I fly around in circles when I’m working on something—lazy rounding circles. Chrislyn is like the gazelle in every way—straight line, fast, certain. I picture her running in a full sprint as I’m making lazy circles in the sky around her,” he added.
More About “Take It Away”
The duo spoke about the inspiration behind the song in a statement. “Sometimes, when you’re at an impasse or someone you love is in the midst of tragedy, there are no viable words to ease the pain,” they said. “Sometimes, the only thing we can do is encourage some kind of release, even if for just a moment. Letting go of tension, however slowly, may be the only real remedy. The pain won’t magically disappear, but if you can let go enough to breathe, then you can find a way through what feels impossible.”
Featured Image by Carley Du Menil
