“Love and healing are at the center of the songs that Crow and Gazelle create. ”
““Crow and Gazelle don’t just play music— they create moments, shared experiences that remind us of our own humanity. In a world that often feels disconnected and chaotic, their music is a tether - grounding us, and reminding us that we are not alone…” ”
Crow and gazelle is the musical and artistic partnership of Mike McClure and Chrislyn Lawrence.
It is a hymnodic, moving collaboration borne out of the connection between two people healing, loving, and growing together, as they try to answer the call to deconstruct worn out beliefs, share real universal truths, and transform trauma into healing with others.
Their songs—built around their entangled close harmonies, powerful lyrics, and sparse, reverent instrumentation— are wrought out of radical love. Their debut outing, As Above Now So Below, which was released on April 26, 2024, is an album centered on acceptance and growth in the face of pain… and on embracing the sacred nature within each and every one of us.
From the Oklahoma hills and the plains of west Texas
it’s the whole linear circle coming back around to lean in, let go, and breathe deeper.
Mike and Chrislyn met nearly two decades ago (she was his booking agent),
or in truth, many lifetimes ago, and then reconnected in 2018 when they were both
in the midst of personal reckonings and changes.
They didn’t fall in love, they rose up to meet each other there.
Through music, and conversations, Crow and Gazelle explore deeply personal and universal experiences like grief, the healing power of love, anxiety, addiction, and religious trauma.
In each song, and throughout their live shows, the artists reach deep inside to feel their way to a better understanding of being alive.
Crow and Gazelle are set to release their sophomore album in May, 2026, with the help of
Angela Backstrom on Radio, Susan Hamilton on PR, and consulting from Erin Anderson.
”Truth Be Told (or It’s All Here)” is a record of reckoning, which looks at our alienating suffering, and the refusal from some to remember the ultimate truth -
We were born from original light, not original sin.
With ancient wisdom woven into its seams, the record ultimately asks
whether love can actually conquer all in the end?
Or will the human race continue to worship gods of fear.
Will we choose liberation or keep suffering from unprocessed generational shame?
Will enough people deconstruct and rebuild their colonized minds, before it’s too late?
Or will we continue to poison ourselves, and all life,
with the greed-made lies of our oppressive fathers of religion and war.
That reckoning is upon us.
Told through a central feminine character, who is ultimately hunted
for her words and her beliefs, the record plays out like a conversation between her and her partner,
as songs revel their inner workings and their struggles to overcome
the battle of the coming days, while remaining true to Love.
The day may dawn when those of us who teach and worship Love will stand trail….
or maybe it’s later than we think.
UNRELEASED ALBUM - TRUTH BE TOLD (It’s All Here) - LISTEN BELOW
LYRICS PAGE FOR TRUTH BE TOLD
Crow and Gazelle started a “LIVE AT HOME RESIDENCY” in December, 2025; The show airs a live episode each Tuesday, on their YouTube channel. Each episode features music, plus Mac and Chrislyn dive deep into various relevant topics with raw vulnerability. LINK TO WATCH HERE
“The duo knows how to use spare instrumentation in a creative, powerful manner without being bombastic … it’s consistent and gratifying with a McCartney touch. Mike’s deep voice is a contrast to the angelic tones of Chrislyn… And therein lies the attraction that is the elixir of their repertoire. A pleasurable listen, focused on lyrics, melodies & their pristine vocals. What’s evident is persistent beauty. ”
Getting to know Crow and Gazelle : Some Highlights
CG 2024 Debut album received reviews and love from American Songwriter, Twangville, Americana Highways, No Depression, and more
Mike is a founding artist of “red dirt” music from Oklahoma
Mike produced early albums for Turnpike Troubadours, Kaitlin Butts, Jason Boland, and all Cross Canadian Ragweed albums
Chrislyn was a Woody Guthrie Festival featured poet in 2022; performed her poem with David Amram accompanying
Chrislyn is a trauma informed yoga teacher
Garth Brooks cut one of Mike’s songs in 2005; reissuing that song in 2024
Supported American Aquarium - 2023
Supported Steve Earle in Oklahoma - 2025
Successfully funded Kickstarter for debut album - LINK HERE
CG produced Mike’s last solo album, “Looking Up,” which charted top 25 on the Americana Charts in Sept 2020
Played the infamous Bitter End in NY in November 2024, as part of the New Folk Initiative with WFUV
Debut at Mile 0 Fest in Key West, January 2025, returning 2026
TWANGVILLE ALBUM REVIEW
CG’S DEBUT ALBUM -
AS ABOVE NOW SO BELOW - listen HERE
...a plea to not give up in the face of what seems like overwhelming odds. Take just one more breath, do just one more thing, and that’s the first step to healing…It’s beautiful, and poignant.
- Twangville
“ I hurry to recommend "Crow & Gazelle." The union (both musical and personal) of red-dirt legend Mike McClure and the multi-talented Chrislyn Lawrence is music that is made for all the right reasons - it’s full of redemption and promise. To my ears, they are the best new folk/americana duo working in music today.” - Greg Johnson, The Blue Door, OKC
