West Caln’s Don McCloskey is celebrating the release of his new album, The Chaos and The Beauty, which he believes fits perfectly with his progression as a musician, writes Michael Bradley for Main Line Today. 

McCloskey started his musical journey by singing in church. He picked up the guitar at 13 and within days he had written his first few songs. 

His early influences came from the musicians his mother and sister liked to listen to. 

“They loved Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and John Prine,” he said. “I was writing songs without having lived anything. I was definitely trying to figure things out and express myself. I’d play some at friends’ houses and parties.” 

In 2003, he recorded his first record, Bombs Over Bristol. 

“It was just me doing a Beck impersonation, playing all the instruments with a lot loops,” he said. 

His songs found an audience and won several Philly Music Awards. Two more albums followed before the latest one – which even has some rap in it. 

“It’s a way back to my early influences from the ‘80s groups I loved and gravitated to,” he said. 

Read more about Don McCloskey in Main Line Today.