Scottish singer-songwriter Son of the Chief, better known as Mackie Mackintosh, recently released his debut solo album, Needless Road. With clear influence from Beat Generation writers, country music narratives, and the emotional core of singer-songwriter confessionals, Needless Road, inspired by the diaries he kept while traveling North America in 2009, tells the story of every individual, at times lost and looking for direction in this world, and how sometimes it’s the wrong turns that can lead to the right destination.
Via email, Mackintosh kindly took the time to speak about the project including the story behind the album's title, trusting your instincts, Dave Cobb, and more. With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? It seems hard to believe now, but the song “Me & You Make Blue” was not actually conceived or written as a duet. It wasn’t until just before we began recording and I was figuring out the harmony parts that it suddenly dawned on me that it should really be done as a duet. It seems so obvious now, especially given the title! Also the conversational style of the lyric and the references to different shades and colors were really clearly suggesting two voices but I guess sometimes you just can’t see the wood for the trees! Anyway, the penny dropped eventually and I’m very glad it did as Ruth did a great job on her vocal to help bring it all together. What’s the story behind your album’s title? Needless Road is a street in my hometown (Perth, Scotland) and in fact very close to where I grew up. I’ve always thought it was an unusual and interesting name for a street, I mean why have a road that’s needless? And who’s going to go down a needless road? But I guess we all do from time to time and that certainly fit the story and themes of the album which revolve around looking for direction, taking some wrong turns and then trying to find your way back. Then out of interest I decided to google “Needless Road” and in doing so I discovered that the only other one in the world is somewhere in Tennessee! I thought that was also a neat connection to make, connecting me and my hometown to the very US State that’s home to the roots music that I was trying to incorporate into the sound of the album. Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination? Very much all of the above, and that was definitely the case with Needless Road. The initial inspiration for the album actually came from the diary I kept when travelling across America in 2009 which contained a real combination of my own personal experiences and observations, and also stories from people I met along the way. So that was certainly what informed the first few songs and then when I was about halfway through writing the record I started to thread together a loosely based narrative which would in turn inspire the remaining songs in a more fictional style. Having said that, I also believe that whenever writing more fictionalized or character based songs there’s always at least a little bit of the writer’s voice or personal experience masked in the lyric somewhere.
What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
For various reasons the mixing of this album became a bit of a lengthy and painstaking experience, and when lamenting this to a musician friend, she said to me that “you never actually finish an album, you just abandon it”! I think this is a fairly well known and often used quote when discussing the creative process but it was great advice at the time and something to always bear in mind. There are definitely times when you’re striving so hard for the perfect take or the perfect mix that you actually end up getting further away from what you were trying to achieve in the first place. In fact there are a few parts on the album that I ending up taking from the demos even though they weren’t perfectly played. They just had something that I wasn’t able to recapture in the studio. So trusting your own instincts when something feels right and knowing when to leave something alone. Who would you love to collaborate with? Obviously aiming high here but someone I’d really love to work with is Dave Cobb. I regularly listen to the Chris Shiflett podcast “Walking the Floor”, which comes highly recommended, and I’ve heard him talking to the likes of Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires about making records with Dave Cobb in RCA Studio A on Nashville’s Music Row. They all effuse so enthusiastically about his recording process, which seems to differ from more traditional methods, and which can take a bit of getting used to by all accounts but which yields such great results. Apparently he absolutely refuses to hear any demos before the sessions start! I get the impression that he really gets inside the songs and works to capture something instinctive there and then, sometimes taking the song in a completely different direction to the writers preconceived intentions. It sounds fascinating, he’s produced some of my favorite records from recent years and the quality of his production is there for all to hear. Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended? One that always stands out was Ryan Adams and Jason Isbell at the London Palladium in 2012. They both played solo acoustic in this old London theatre and it was just incredible to see two masters of their craft at close quarters. I wasn’t all that familiar with Jason Isbell at the time but was blown away by the quality of his voice and his songwriting. It must have been shortly before he made “Southeastern” and he’s certainly been on an increasingly upward trajectory ever since. Ryan Adams then played a long set including songs from across his whole career, just switching between acoustic guitar and piano. He’s got such a great catalogue and for me there’s just something about seeing him perform solo that really brings out the quality of those songs. It reminded me a lot of when I saw Neil Young perform “Greendale” solo in Manchester back in 2003. He did the same thing, just him on stage switching between acoustic guitar and piano and telling stories in between. For a memorable concert sometimes all you need is a voice, a guitar and some great songs. Have you met any of your heroes? If so, how did it go? I’m a big Sturgill Simpson fan and I was lucky enough to meet him after one of his small early UK gigs in London. He came out afterwards to speak to everyone and we had a quick chat. Not sure he could still do that now with the increase in venue size following all his recent success! He has a real affection for Scotland so we spoke about that and also the gig he was about to play later that week with Steve Earle at the Southern Fried Festival in Perth. I still can’t believe I missed THAT gig, Sturgill Simpson AND Steve Earle playing my hometown! Anyway, I’ve got real admiration for the way he’s gone about things his own way and he’s a really intelligent and humble guy which certainly came across in our brief meeting. Is there a professional “bucket list” item you would love to check off? I was lucky enough to play the home of the Beatles recently, at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. That was definitely a bucket list gig and I guess the other one I’d still like to tick off here in the UK would be the Glastonbury Festival. I’ve been a few times as a fan, and it’s just such a great Festival experience. The last time I went was in 2014 when Dolly Parton drew the biggest ever crowd at the Pyramid Stage! Kacey Musgraves and Sturgill Simpson both played that year too, before they were all that well known in the UK. I’d also really love to play a show in Nashville one day too, perhaps at the Bluebird Café, that would be incredible. I’m actually going to be over there this September when the Americana Fest is on so maybe I’ll pack my guitar just in case! Website/Facebook/Twitter/Purchase
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