New Zealand Meets Saskatoon: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, Kacy & Clayton and Marlon Williams

Bob Boilen | March 29, 2021 – Across hemispheres, despite a nearly 8,000-mile separation, the Saskatoon, Canada duo of cousins Kacy & Clayton and New Zealand’s Marlon Williams manage to create harmony and intimacy. The Tiny Desk (home) concert, on the surface, is joyful and playful with animated illustrations by Daniel Syrnick. But a careful listen to “Plastic Bouquet,” the title track to the 2020 collaboration between Kacy Lee Anderson, Clayton Linthicum, and Marlon Williams, reveals a depth of storytelling more familiar in murder ballads than the trio’s upbeat Americana sound.
Kacy sings,
When a small four-door car was severed in two
Three girls were killed by a boy they all knew
Out for a party, they’d never attend
Pockets with money they never would spend

The devastatingly sad tale is met with smiles across hemispheres while an animated teacup pops on screen for Kacy to sip. Clayton’s guitar twangs and Marlon’s Roy Orbison-like voice conjure a 1950s rock and roll sound that’s a surprisingly perfect match for Kacy’s serene voice. It’s a magic collaboration of the very far north meeting the very deep south. The wizardry of technology reminds me of the wondrous world we often share these days, from a distance.

SET LIST
“I Wonder Why”
“Plastic Bouquet”
“Arahura”
“Isn’t It”
“Devil’s Daughter”

MUSICIANS
Kacy Anderson: vocals, guitar
Clayton Linthicum: guitar
Marlon Williams: vocals, guitar

CREDITS
Video: Little Jack Films
Audio: Micah Erenberg
Illustration: Daniel Syrnick

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bob Boilen
Video Producer: Kara Frame
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Associate Producer: Bobby Carter
Tiny Production Team: Maia Stern
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#kacyandclayton #marlonwilliams #tinydesk #nprmusic

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