Interview: The Imaginaries talk about Inspiration, Success, Recording and Playing Live again
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The multi-talented husband-and-wife duo of Shane Henry and Maggie McClure, together known as The Imaginaries, has published their self-titled debut album in March. The folk rock LP was recorded alongside other great musicians in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and covers themes such as love, faith, and struggle. The first two songs on the record, “Revival” and “Walking On A Wire,” were released as singles, accompanied by amazing music videos that were shot in the duo’s home state of Oklahoma. These songs set a beautiful tone for the rest of the ten-track album. Shane and Maggie are incredible vocalists and musicians, whether as solo artists or as a duo. Shane rips the guitar while Maggie graces the piano and keyboard. Their harmonies are so natural sounding and their melodies are excitingly dynamic throughout The Imaginaries’ entire album.
Sean Pino: Your album was recorded with live tracking to get a sound that’s more authentic. How many takes did this require and did either of you have previous experience recording in this manner?
Shane Henry: We did around 5–7 takes per song with everyone tracking at the same time. We’ve both always wanted to record this way but never had the opportunity to do so until this project. It was a very smooth process due to the musicians being so skilled and experienced. There was always something magical about the first few takes — and those were often the takes we went with — because the song was so fresh at that point and we were all deeply listening to each other.
Sean Pino: “There Will Come A Day” resonates with listeners as a song about persevering in the midst of trials. Can you expand upon the inspiration for writing this song? I cannot help but think that the lyric, “It’s all in our heads, see the light”, was influenced by your faith, like many other lyrics on the record.
Maggie McClure: Many of our songs are inspired by encountering and overcoming obstacles. “There Will Come A Day” came from a place of knowing that in the future, things wouldn’t be so hard. When we wrote this, we were reminding ourselves that we were going through a refining process, that it may be difficult and painful now, but we will be stronger and wiser in the end. That line “It’s all in…
