FORSYTH — Velvet Warfield is a musical duo consisting of two teens, Preston McGregor and Jackson Maciag, from Forsyth, who are lifelong friends.
“If I could do it all day, I would. It’s never-ending satisfaction. It’s just like an itch you have to scratch, every day. It’s part of my routine," said Maciag.
The two discovered their musical abilities the week that Preston's mother passed away, when he was just nine years old; a matter that Preston said can show itself in his music-writing process.
“When I sit down, I don’t think, ‘I’m gonna write a song about losing somebody.’ It’s just kind of what happens," said Preston.
Maciag and Preston said their friendship consists almost entirely around music.
“One day I came home from work … and I walk in, and to my surprise, it was those boys playing guitars. I didn’t know either one of them could play … From then on, those boys have been playing music together," said Mike McGregor, Preston's father.
The two artists said they spend their time, above all else, chasing honesty across Forsyth.
“You can’t run around the weirdness. You gotta invite it in," said Maciag.
They said they are primarily inspired by musicians like David Bowie and other "guys with weird voices."
"It’s so honest because everybody has a weird voice. Most people have a weird voice. Most people don’t sound like a news reporter," said Maciag.
They said they hope to outrun the country roots of Montana's major musical dynasties.
“People, right now, are trying to find artists who go back to real country and I think we’re just trying to abandon it, kind of … It’s gonna be there anyway. We can't get away from it, but we can try," said Preston.
Maciag is headed to college in a matter of weeks, something the pair has been keeping out of mind because of its potential to stall their collaborative creativity.
“I don’t know if Jack’s gonna want to do this when he’s done with college. I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to keep doing this when I’m done with high school. Hopefully people can just find it and listen to it, and we can go from there," said Preston.
Velvet Warfield can be found on all major music streaming platforms. Their upcoming, and currently untitled album, will release on March 15 with two singles releasing on February 23 and March 1.
