A few years ago, Shane Henry and Maggie McClure of the husband-and-wife duo, The
Imaginaries, were a newly-minted group with a prestigious inaugural performance opportunity
on the books, but no band name. The Americana twosome frantically searched for a moniker that
connoted boldness, adventure, and big dreams, and the name and logo came to Shane in his
sleep. It was something of an escapist’s plea. The reality was Shane and Maggie were living in
LA in squalid conditions as struggling artists.
Thankfully, things are much better these days for the Oklahoma-based duo as it releases its
masterful sophomore album, Fever, out August 22. It’s a blow-your-hair-back song collection,
chock-full of gritty blues-rock riffs, mesmerizing vocal harmonies, driving pop-rock tunes,
heartfelt singer-songwriter ballads, delicious guitar tones, and dazzling solos. In addition to
Shane’s six-string talents, the 12-song album boasts guitar solo cameos from Vince Gill, Joe
Bonamassa, and Ariel Posen.
“This new album is about being on the other side of struggle. It’s about breakthrough—not that
we have it all figured out!” Maggie says with a good-natured laugh. Shane adds: “There are a lot
of hopeful stories on this album. We want to put smiles on people’s faces.”
The Imaginaries blend Shane’s guitar-slinging blues-rock roots with Maggie’s boldly vulnerable
singer-songwriter sensibility. The results are a pop-Americana aesthetic that evokes Tom Petty,
Fleetwood Mac, The Civil Wars, and Bonnie Raitt. To date, the Imaginaries have released a
Christmas collection, Hometown Christmas, a self-titled debut, and numerous singles. Select live
highlights include sharing stages with Judy Collins, John Waite, The Gatlin Brothers, and
Sixpence None The Richer, and an invitation to open for the Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas
Tour before the pandemic.
The Imaginaries have amassed 75-plus sync-licensing placements in film, television, and
advertisements. The duo wrote and produced the soundtrack for the feature film, A Cowgirl's
Song, which featured Maggie and Shane as co-stars. The couple had two songs featured in the
Netflix movie, Mending The Line. The Imaginaries also had a track featured, and an on-camera
cameo performance, in the biopic, Reagan, starring Dennis Quaid. Maggie and Shane appear in
the upcoming film, The One, which will also feature a handful of their Christmas originals.
Many of these projects have come their way because Maggie and Shane embrace an
entrepreneurial mindset. They see these opportunities as ways to sustain their artistry rather than
distract from it. Maggie is an established music supervisor with a strong track record of securing
song placements in film and TV. “It’s important to have business savvy as an artist so you don’t
get taken advantage of,” she shares.
Shane’s quest for the perfect guitar tone led him to start the boutique guitar pedal company,
Westerlund Audio, with partners Matt Stansberry and Jim Robinson. “By having other sources of
income, you don’t have to let financial decisions steer the rudder of your creativity,” Shane says.
Maggie and Shane are born and raised, proud Oklahomans. Maggie is from the large city of
Norman, and Shane is from the tiny, 700-person town of Verden. Both wield impressive solo
artist resumes with prime song placements, critically-acclaimed solo albums, acting appearances,
and landmark live performances.
Shane and Maggie met when she opened for Shane. They fell in love, married in 2011, and,
shortly after, moved to LA to pursue their solo careers. Though they each featured in each
other’s bands as a backing musician, Maggie and Shane’s first official collaboration was the
Christmas album, Hometown Christmas. Yet, what cemented their artistic union was an
invitation to perform as a duo in Muscle Shoals, Alabama on Grammy-winning engineer John
Cuniberti’s (Train, Aerosmith, PJ Harvey) YouTube program, “The OneMic Series.”Initially, the
couple applied as solo artists, but John suggested Maggie and Shane perform as a duo.
Recording in Muscle Shoals became something of a sacred place for The Imaginaries. They have
since tracked both of their albums there, working with the studio’s legendary session musicians,
first and second generation Swampers, whose collective resume spans Aretha Franklin, Etta
James, Paul Simon, Little Richard, Jason Isbell, Gregg Allman, Neil Young, John Paul
White, The Secret Sisters, and Hank Williams Jr.
The Imaginaries new album is a guns-a-blazing artistic statement. The title track is an
adrenalized melding of edgy blues-rock and soaring pop. It features a day-in-the-life narrative
that comes to life in a stylish video replete with one of Shane’s muscle cars. It captures just how
we imagine the twosome travel and tour, living something of a wholesome-but-rock n’ roll
Bonnie and Clyde romance.
Maggie wrote the tender ballad, “Constant,” for Shane. One achingly beautiful passage is: When
the shadows make you run and hide/And you feel a little lost inside/Just know, I’ll be your
constant. Shane explores a historical narrative on “Buzzard’s Roost,” a Jesse James-themed song
which manages to be both cinematic and ultra-catchy. The country-flavored ballad, “Little By
Little,” features a breathtaking harmony vocal interlace, as the couple sing about their path as
musicians with a rousing we’re-in-this-together resilience.
Up next, The Imaginaries have tour dates to support the release of Fever as well as movie, The
One; an ongoing YouTube performance series; and a 2026 European tour. “I’m so fired up to
play these songs. I feel like a kid again, waiting to get off the bus to play guitar for five hours!”
Shane enthuses. Maggie quips: “Just like in the song, ‘Fever,’ it’s ‘Pedal to the floor/Nothing can
stop us now!’”
https://www.imaginariesband.com/
You may also like the following events from Knuckleheads Kansas City:
- Next Wednesday, 30th July, 07:30 pm, Dyer Davis at Knuckleheads with special guests Stranded in The City in Kansas City
- Next Wednesday, 30th July, 07:30 pm, Mooncrow (aka Dave, Jimmy, Jeff & Norm) in Kansas City
- Next Wednesday, 30th July, 07:30 pm, Parker Barrow in Kansas City
Also check out other
Music events in Kansas City,
Entertainment events in Kansas City,
Arts events in Kansas City.
