Robert Maché

Robert Maché (pronounced like "paper-maché") grew up in Hong Kong in the 1960s, absorbing the British Invasion at its source before moving to New York, where he fell into the downtown music scene at CBGB's and Max's Kansas City — recording with Klaus Nomi, Lydia Lunch, Sparks, and Steve Wynn. He joined the Continental Drifters, the Americana collective formed in Los Angeles, replacing original guitarist Ray Ganucheau. The Drifters eventually relocated to New Orleans, where Maché put down roots. He recorded with John "Papa" Gros on Gros's first solo album, and became embedded in the city's wide-ranging music scene, playing with Dayna Kurtz, Theresa Andersson, and numerous others. Hurricane Katrina forced him and his wife, vocalist Candace Maché, to Memphis, where they have also built a musical life — though Maché returns regularly to New Orleans to perform.

Maché is perhaps best known in recent years for his two-decade collaboration with singer-songwriter Dayna Kurtz, with whom he has toured internationally and recorded the live duo albums Here Vol.1 (2017) and Here Vol.2 (2018). Critics have praised the pair's intensely focused interplay — Maché's guitar providing harmonic architecture and emotional counterpoint to Kurtz's rich vocals. He also remains an active member of the Continental Drifters, who released a career retrospective in 2024. A deeply musical accompanist who can adapt across jazz standards, Americana, blues, and rockabilly, Maché represents the kind of irreplaceable sideman talent that New Orleans has always quietly sustained.