Brian Mackey

Singer/Songwriter

Come Out of the House

Brian Mackey is spreading a message of honesty to fans across the country with his eclectic blend of pop-rock and folk-inspired lyrics. “My songwriting is really just an autobiographical musical,” muses the New York based artist. “Ironically enough, I've never been a fan of musicals.”

While his current project Honest Love is still going strong, Mackey is working on his first follow-up, full-length album, due out in Spring 2013. “My next album is about putting aside all fears of saying the wrong thing,” he explains. “It’s about putting the rose colored glasses on the floor and smashing them with your foot, and feeling comfortable with the uncomfortable." Early standouts on the project include "Maintenance Man,” "The Day" and "Rich Hearts Lullaby."

Mackey is busy recording in Nashville with producer Rogers Masson whose innovative approaches to recording allow him to work seamlessly within different genres of music. Masson has worked with renowned acts Day of Fire, Lilyphone, and Vintage Trouble, also Featured Supercuts Ambassadors. He produces albums in the US, the United Kingdom and Denmark.

Honest Love is Mackey’s third EP. His first EP, Feng Shui for Slobs, was released in 2008 and
the second was Brian Mackey Red released in 2009. Brian's first EP, Feng Shui for Slobs, garnered the placement of "Painted Red" on the Disney TV show, Naturally Sadie, a milestone achievement for his first EP. Some of Music City’s finest singer/songwriter/musicians have joined Brian on his projects, including producer/singer/songwriter Sam Ashworth, son of songwriter and producer Charlie Peacock (Civil Wars, Switchfoot, Amy Grant) and Six Pence None The Richer’s guitarist Matt Slocum.

According to Mackey’s manager Beth Slocum, “Brian’s new songs are about going somewhere he hasn't really gone before publicly, saying the truth that others are afraid to say, and all the while, sharing his own life experiences.”

“Honest Love gave me a little spark that lit the fuse that's blowing up into something that I really feel this time around,” elaborates Mackey. “When you strike a balance between thought and emotion, then you have something that translates to others.”

Honest Love was so well received that songs from the project were featured on Viso Music, US Airways In-Flight Radio, and the Songs of Love for Japan compilation, alongside stars like Sara Bareilles and Ani DiFranco. Mackey was also recently selected as a SuperCuts® Rock the Cut Artist Ambassador for 2012, and 2013.

Mackey’s songs, including “Color Blue” and “Honest Love,” have also been sought out for use in motion pictures The Boys of Abu Ghraib, starring Sara Paxton (Last House on the Left) and Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings); 29,000 Wishes, 1 Regret, directed by Oliver Robins (Poltergeist); Fake; and Fathoms Deep.

“‘Color Blue’ was written in a few different places,” says Mackey. “It started out as a guitar song, after the basic idea came from looking out my car window in the wintertime. I brought the idea back into the house, worked on it there, and then put it out of my mind. Later I went down to Nashville to record a different set of songs. On my break I noticed a grand piano in the church, which was converted into a studio, and finished the rest of the song on the piano and ended up recording it.”

Whether it is a winter view through a car window or a morning sunrise, Mackey finds inspiration everywhere. “There are so many experiences in life that you use to paint your picture. It could be the smell of the air, or a look in the eyes of somebody that you meet along the way. It could be a conversation with an old friend. It could be a TV show. It could be a powerful romantic thing or something funny. It could be somebody dying or somebody being born.”

The Florida native’s influences are as varied as his inspirations. Mackey, a classical pianist, loves modern masters Bob Dylan, Jim Croche and The Beatles as much as composers Mozart and Beethoven.

In between studio sessions, Mackey feeds fan frenzy with a heavy touring schedule and a steady string of music videos. His itinerary lists performances at famed venues across the country: NYC favorites Highline Ballroom, Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and Gavin DeGraw's National Underground, as well as Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, L.A.’s Hotel Café and Austin's SXSW Music Festival.

He recently released the video for "Sunshower," a follow up to the moving video for “Honest Love.” The story behind the title track video gives an insightful look into what inspires his artistry.

“I was shooting in Chicago with director Nick Cavalier,” he recalls, “and we saw some homeless people, and we noticed that a lot of them stayed together as family, particularly mother and daughter, because they had an emotional connection that couldn’t be broken. They stayed alive on love. We were really touched by it. We talked to them for hours and ate a meal with them. We played ‘Honest Love’ for them and they were amazed and said they'd love to be in the video. I was really honored. It really was a strong message of love and how things change. The transition of cars going by, lights going by, people with different problems, and different situations, but the common theme was that love brings everything and everyone together.”

NOTEWORTHY THINGS:

For the months of May and June, 2012, his song "Honest Love" was selected to be featured on U.S Airways In-Flight Radio, worldwide.

His songs have been placed in 4 major movies, releasing in 2012:

Color Blue and Honest Love in "The Boys of Abu Graib" with actors Sara Paxton (Last House on the Left) and Sean Austin (Lord of the Rings)

Color Blue in "Fake" directed by Gregory Friedle, with Robert Loggia and Gabriel Mann

Color Blue in "Fathoms Deep"

Color Blue and Honest Love in "29,000 Wishes, 1 Regret" directed by Oliver Robins (Poltergeist)

His venues have included The Highline Ballroom, Angels and Kings NYC, The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville, Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, The Mercury Lounge NYC, Sullivan Hall NYC, Gavin De Graw's National Underground NYC, Austin's SXSW music festival,ξ The Cape May festival on the Jersey Shore, Florida Music Festival, The Hard Rock Cafe, Nashville, Six Flags Amusement Park in Missouri, Musikfest in PA, University of Akron, and Johnson CC in Kansas.


For more information, please visit:

www.brianmackeymusic.com