Cornwall based indie duo, Our Atlantic Roots (Mac and Laura Johnston), bring an uplifting blend of American & British alt-folk, with harmonies that are rich, dynamic and unite beautifully. Mac’s guitar playing is full of character and accompanies lyrics that are both poetic and direct, hopeful and authentic. The married duo present a blend of the cultures they are individually from, by merging various genres characterized by their country and folk roots. 

The husband/wife duo met in Asheboro, North Carolina in August 2012. Just a few weeks after meeting, Mac and Laura discovered each others love of music and song writing and sat down to write their first song together and straight away people commented on the way their voices and styles complimented each other and to this day, that is something that the duo are constantly praised for – if you love solid vocal harmonies, you’ll love Our Atlantic Roots.

In 2014 the duo married and relocated to the UK. September 2017 saw the release of Mac and Laura’s debut EP ‘First Light’ recorded with award-winning folk producer Andy Bell (Bellowhead, Sam Sweeney, Jon Boden) . In 2019, the duo released their second EP ‘Little Bird’, which has since had over 2 million streams on Spotify alone. Little Bird, Carry On & Wildflowers were also featured on popular indie/folk playlists by ‘AlexRainbird Music’, resulting in millions of plays for these songs on this popular YouTube channel. 2022 saw the release of ‘Hold Every Moment’ EP with multiple songs featured on BBC radio in the South West as well as various popular indie/folk playlists. The duo recorded this project with producer Stian Vedøy, of ‘mountain-pop’ duo, Firewoodisland.

Recent media appearances include singing live on BBC Radio Devon and Cornwall & local BBC TV in the South West ‘BBC Spotlight’ (UK), as well as a feature on BBC Songs of Praise. Recent festival appearances include: The British Country Music Festival, The Americana Music Week - London, Beardy Folk Festival and Between The Trees. The duo also supported Scottish folk act ‘Kinnaris Quintet’ at the 2023 Cornwall Folk Festival.

In 2023, Geoff Lakeman (Patriarch of a folk dynasty as father to Seth, Sam and Sean and Father-in-Law to Cara Dillon and Kathryn Roberts) said this about the duo: “One of the pleasant surprises of my summer music festival season was seeing ‘Our Atlantic Roots’. Mac and Laura were a “warm up” act on the main stage at Cornwall Folk Festival, but certainly deserved to be there in their own right. Their unique trans-Atlantic combination made for a synergy of poetic songs and intense harmonies. And they exuded an effortless and charming, natural stage presence. Expect to hear more of them.”

Hit songwriter Mark Cawley (Paul Carrack, Tina Turner, Kathy Mattea) has shared his appreciation for the duo stating: “I love the blend of Mac and Laura’s voices on their song ‘Carry On’ as well as everything I’ve heard them do. Their music sounds like a sonic reflection of their passion for each other and their roots. Beautiful music!”