3's Company

Lawrence McDonald is one of the most talented guitar players to come out of Washington, DC since Danny Gatton or Brian Baker. From bicycle courier to farmer, McDonald has done it all. He founded Bells Of in 1984 originally with Alec MacKaye (Faith/Ignition). He didn’t get around to releasing a record until 1992’s ?E1:11?E collection. “Mc Donald handles all the mic duties, his wry voice recalling the strained, rhythm-conscious yelps of Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto, and fleshes his songs out with an ornately-woven tapestry of guitar and keyboard work. At times, his guitar-playing echoes the melodic noodling of Police-man Andy Summers, but McDonald’s songs, crisp and sweet as they are, aren’t quite straightforward enough to be alternative radio anthems. --CMJ