Dawn McCarthy

Dawn McCarthy, an American singer and songwriter, helped establish the wandering acid folk collective Faun Fables and has maintained an extensive partnership with Bonnie "Prince" Billy while also pursuing solo recording and performance work. Raised in Spokane, Washington amid a sizable musical household, she independently explored global musical traditions at the neighborhood library, trained in musical theater, and began composing original material. After years of far-flung travel she settled in the Bay Area, where she launched Faun Fables alongside Nils Frykdahl in 1998. Several seasons of self-booked tours and two independently issued albums preceded the group’s 2003 signing to Drag City, initiating a sustained association that yielded numerous releases on the imprint. McCarthy took a central role on Bonnie "Prince" Billy’s 2006 album The Letting Go and on the unpolished demo sessions the duo recorded, later issued as 2007’s Wai Notes. They reconvened in 2013 for What the Brothers Sang, a heartfelt homage to the Everly Brothers’ vocal harmonies.