Ali McGuirk w/ Canyon Lights at The Iron Horse on Thursday, September 25 2025
Ali McGuirk has never been a church mouse. Her 2022 album, Til It’s Gone, was met with widespread acclaim and praised for its “earthy tenderness and smart introspection” (Boston Herald). She now returns with a new album, Watertop, that elevates her signature soulful and smoldering sound to new heights—this time, the production is richer, and the message is unflinching.
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment that led to the freedom in McGuirk’s songwriting on “Watertop.” Perhaps it was when she began treating social activism—and her care for others—as a spiritual practice. This transformation gave Watertop its raison d’etre, which comes at you quickly with the opening track, “Love Goes First.” With Watertop McGuirk takes a magnifying glass to the complexities of human and societal value, unraveling the meanings of care, empathy, love, and even greed. At first listen, her words aren't always what they seem. But the richness of McGuirk’s voice, the lucidity of her production, and the power of her delivery guide you to the truth.
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Fronted by Tim Carman and Pat Faherty, formerly of GA-20, Canyon Lights are a blend of throwback rock n’ roll, swampy Americana, and heavy blues.
Friends and bandmates since 2018, Pat and Tim have racked up thousands of hours touring and performing on stages all over the world. Their love of blues music fueled their explosive performances with GA-20, a three-time #1 Billboard charting blues band from Boston, MA.
In 2023, Pat and Tim began connecting over their mutual love of 70s rock n’ roll bands like Mountain, Thin Lizzy, and James Gang. Inspired by this era, Pat proposed the two work out some song ideas he had been playing with. At the same time, Tim revealed to Pat some personal lyrics he had held onto for years. The songwriting connection was instant and unique. Pat and Tim realized that this was a new venture, not strictly blues and not confined to any lane of creativity. The two flew to Denver in early 2024 to put these sounds on tape with friend Dylan Brown at the helm as engineer and co-producer. From this session, Canyon Lights was born.
“THE SONGS ON THIS ALBUM ARE AMONG THE MOST PERSONAL WE’VE EVER WRITTEN AND RECORDED. SPENDING 200 DAYS A YEAR ON THE ROAD, STRUGGLING WITH SEPARATION AND LOSS, THE THRILL AND LONELINESS OF LIVING OUT OF A SUITCASE... A LOT OF BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS WENT INTO THIS ALBUM. WE HELD NOTHING BACK AND WE CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU ALL TO EXPERIENCE THESE STORIES WITH US...” -Pat and Tim
After finishing the album, which featured bass guitar (played by Pat) on every track, the pair realized they needed a third member to cover the low end live. They reached out to friends in the music community for suggestions and one name kept turning up, Heather Gillis.
Pat and Tim flew to Nashville, TN to meet and jam with Heather, and the connection was instant. Gillis, a talented multi-instrumentalist, has extensive touring experience with artists like Butch Trucks and Lindsay Lou and also leads her own group called Wolf Twin. While in Nashville, the trio recorded a live version of their original song “Seventh Son,” which they released December 5, 2024.
Since then, things have moved fast for the trio. After the release of “Seventh Son,” they signed with Burning House Management and Madison House Booking Agency and booked a slew of national tour dates including a stretch of shows opening up for the legendary George Thorogood & The Destroyers.
