Written in the Stars: Paul McDonald & The Mourning Doves at Cosmico
From a hotel bar in Austin to the heart of California, the music that was always meant to find us.
We met Paul last year at a showcase in a hotel ballroom at the Driskill Hotel during South by Southwest. Years before that, I met Anne just down the hall at the bar of the Driskill. On both occasions, I felt the same magic. I was captivated. The person before me was larger than life, inspiring, and I wanted to know more.
The first encounter led to a love story—a marriage, a family. The second encounter became part of our annual pilgrimage back to where it all started, South by Southwest, where we return each year on a mission to feed my soul through the discovery of new music.
Paul McDonald was that discovery last year.
Paul McDonald & The Mourning Doves ‘New Lovers’ - Live at AmericanaFest
We connected that night, and we’ve remained connected ever since. I’ve been hounding his booking agent to bring him to California ever since. We tried last year, but this year, the stars have finally aligned. A core mission of Cosmico is sharing the joy of discovery with our community, and this will be Paul’s first show as a solo artist in California, with an audience that needs to know his music. It’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to put Paul on stage at Cosmico, and I hope the night unfolds as magically for all of us as it did when I first heard him play.
Because Paul McDonald is a captivating artist—the kind who pulls you in before you even realize what’s happening. His voice is like an old friend you didn’t know you missed, equal parts grit and soul, soaring with the weight of experience. He first found recognition fronting Hightide Blues, later transforming into The Grand Magnolias, where he refined his signature blend of Southern rock, folk, and cosmic Americana. He was an early breakout on American Idol, but that was just a footnote in his journey. Paul’s path hasn’t been a straight shot—it’s been one of reinvention, resilience, and relentless pursuit of something real.
His songs, like ‘New Lovers’, are full of reckoning and redemption—the kind of music that meets you where you are, whether in the thick of heartbreak or on the other side of healing. And Lord knows we need that in our world today.
At Cosmico, we hold up the Cosmico mask—our totem, a dual-spirit mask that channels the spirits of our ancestors, our loved ones, those we want to bring in with us. Many of us have experienced loss in the last year. Paul has, too. And when we raise that mask, calling in those who no longer walk among us but whose spirits will be with us that Friday night, may it lift us all in song and dance.
I am proud to introduce our audience to Paul McDonald & The Mourning Doves. His music belongs in California. It belongs here, with us, at Cosmico.
Friday, May 16. Be there.
Cosmico is May 16-18, 2025 at Dawn Ranch in Guerneville, California. https://cosmi.co