It’s time to get to know Brian Mackey! We set Brian 10 questions about his musical likes, tastes and guilty pleasures…
How would you describe your taste in music?
I would say my taste is highly eclectic… I go on feeling. If something makes me feel doesn’t matter if it’s from the 1800s or now I’ll seek it out, I’ll find it somewhere
Who do you consider to be your favourite band and why?
My favourite band of all time is Nirvana – They had a strong sense of self, they didn’t care about commercial success necessarily, but left a huge mark on music history that could never be erased.
Who is the best live band you’ve ever seen?
Some of the best live acts I’ve ever seen live were actually from solo artists with one guy and a guitar. But if I have to pick a band, it would be believe it or not, Metallica. Tight, instinctive, knew what the crowd wanted, engaged, aware and I could go on with adjectives, (those are adjectives right?) But yeah, they are definitely one in the top.
What is the one song that you could listen to forever?
“It’s Not Unusual“, by Tom Jones. Just kidding. Rock the Casbah buy The Clash.
What album, if any, was a turning point in your ‘musical life’ and why?
Cheap Trick Live at Budokon. It had this incredible energy and excitement – made you feel that if they could do it, you can do it. And dammit, I did it! 😛 I found my dad’s record, I played it until it skipped, until it played no more.
In 3 words, what makes a good album or song?
Relatable. Smart. Memorable.
A festival or a gig? Why?
Depends on the festival and depends on the gig 🙂 some festivals are filled with the excitement and the open airness which also is a challenge because you are sometimes thrown up there on stage and the sound can suffer with technical stuff – also going out into the open air the sound suffers because it drifts. Some gigs are really cool because they are controlled and intimate, but depends on the gig I suppose.
Who would be your dream 3 festival headliners?
Well these are in a dream, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be anything popular: Frank Zappa, John Lennon, and Jim Croce. It’s a dream so I can do what I want.
Who are the best new band you’ve discovered lately that everyone should know about?
Birdy is cool. Echo Smith is cool too. Everyone knows that Cool Kids song from Echosmith, so that doesn’t really count, just threw it out there anyway.
What band or artist is your secret, or not so secret, guilty pleasure?
ANYTHING Frank Zappa. I mean, who doesn’t love Bobby Brown or Jewish Princess.
Check out Underwater by Brian Mackey below;
Brian Mackey is supporting Ron Paul on two UK dates;
Nov 5 – United Kingdom, London | The Garage
Nov 6 – United Kingdom, Manchester | Academy 3