[00:00:00] Welcome to Trevor McCormack Music Podcast. I'm Chrissie Mack from Radio Northern Beaches and I couldn't be more excited to kick off this musical journey with you. Joining me is my brother, the legendary Trevor McCormack known as Mack, a true storyteller and music enthusiast. With each episode we're peeling back the layers behind the hits, sharing untold stories from artists and exploring what sparks the creativity behind the music that moves us.
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[00:00:53] Alright listeners, it's time for Chrissie Mack and Trevor Mack to get together again this week and we're both feeling very weary. We've had a big week. Hey Trev, how you doing? How you going? Yes, big week. Back to the old grind. I was like, no, I don't like this. I want to play more music and do less work. Yeah, you said the bus drive today was pretty hectic, a lot of traffic up there.
[00:01:14] Oh, Bribie Island just went crazy today. So if anyone was on Bribie today, listening, God help you all. Hope you made it home safe. It was just jam-packed. The island was full of people. Oh, well that can be good and that can be bad. But for driving, it's bad. When you're driving a courtesy bus around the island and then you've got to go off over to the mainland and back and the traffic's that thick it runs all the way out to Bribie and the next town.
[00:01:40] It's a bit hard to get in and out in times. But anyway, I got through the day. It was very busy. That's good. We had an amazing day down here today. We have suffered two really freezing cold days. And today we walked out and it was like the middle of summer. This weather is incredibly strange. It's fighting between spring, winter, spring and summer.
[00:02:05] No, no spring. It was like, seriously, it was really hot today, like the middle of summer hot. That's how it was here today too. And now it's cold again tonight. No, well, we're not feeling the cold at the moment anyway, but yeah, wow. Just insane. Yep, well, summer's coming. It's just same here. Have a taste. That's all. Let's see what happens. You had a bit of a gig and you also tested out one of your songs.
[00:02:30] Oh yeah, well, we had a birthday party I went to for Ed and that was last night. So I was actually down Seingate on Thursday, a bit more work down there. Then I was back down there on Saturday for a birthday. And then we went back to the studio, DKM headquarters, and we had a few people come back and we just mucked around, played a bit of guitar, had a bit of fun. And I played, what did I play? Just keep the light on. You could just see the look on their eyes. You're like, wow, that's beautiful.
[00:03:00] I thought I'd give it a test out again. I haven't played it for a little while. So I think that's going to be one of my first ones I'm going to record when I get down to Byron Bay. Okay. Is that the one that you were saying you wanted Keith Urban to sing or is that a different one? No, no, that's a different one. Oh, okay. Yeah, that's one I wrote just before those two songs actually, that one. Yeah, I think I wrote it just before Velvet Howl and that one, which is, oh, I've got to think now. I've got too many songs. I'm going through this book of mine and I'll just, I can't remember what's fine.
[00:03:30] That's because you're tired. And I'm tired, yes, I am. But Your Lucky Charm, I'm your lucky charm. Oh, that's right. Yes, now I remember. That's a beautiful song. It is a beautiful song and I just, I put it away as I do some of them. But I'll have to pull that out and give it a bit of a run and refresh. That song I actually wrote first time to a whole different tune. So I've got to actually put some lyrics into that old tune and fill that up with a new song. So I'll have to sort of flick back and go through some old songs I've done and refresh.
[00:03:59] Yeah. Well, I've been on the phone with Maggie. She's been backwards and forwards talking to me about my song and practicing it and just making sure she knows what I would like and giving me some ideas about what she wants to do with it. She looked at the changes that we made down in the studio and I think she prefers the original, but we'll see when she starts singing it.
[00:04:23] I said to her, you probably, once you start singing it without the other stuff in your ears, you'll drop into where your voice and your brain is comfortable and it'll probably sound different again. Oh, yeah. It depends on who sings to how it feels. I said country voices, rock voices. So she likes the original version, which, yeah, I'd probably say I did too.
[00:04:46] It's a smoother. I quite like the sort of the emphasis on the first line, like breaking that first line up and putting the emphasis on it. But, yeah, she likes the smooth singing of it. So we'll see. You know what it's like. It goes backwards and forwards and eventually you come up with what you want. That's right. You said you can write a song and by the end of it, it's totally changed when you, you know, if you sit on it for a year or two or six months or three months or the band plays it and they go, hang on, let's try it this way.
[00:05:15] Oh, wow, that sounded really good. I made a mistake there. Let's try this. Yeah, well, see, we haven't put the band behind it yet either. So, as you said, that often changes it again. Yeah, well, when you've got just, yeah, your bass player might throw something in or your guitarist might throw something in or they go, hang on, let's add a middle eight here or let's repeat this or it just, yeah, it grows. The beauty of it, that's the fun of it all. Yeah.
[00:05:39] Well, she's playing it on piano, which is great because we did the, you know, the chords and everything on guitar, but it does sound so pretty on piano and she's a piano player. Yeah, so with that wonderful voice. So let's see how that works out. Anyway, what else have you been up to? So other than Sandgate, I've come back. I did take one of my nice new guitars down there actually when I played a little Taylor. I bought a Taylor Mini and they loved the sound of that. So we got that sorted out.
[00:06:07] So I think I'll take that guitar and my, actually I'll take three guitars down because I'm heading down to Byron in another, oh, where are we? On two weeks. Oh, okay, that's coming up quick. It is, yeah. I'm like, oh, just glance at my calendar. So I'll go down there for at least three days and that's all been organised. The technician is ready to go. Oh, wonderful. So he knows I'm coming and my son, Jamie, he's gone, well, Dad, why don't you just do an acoustic album?
[00:06:34] And I went, oh, so thanks, son. Just, you know, make me do a whole album. I don't think I can do it that quick. He goes, you can just rattle off one song after another. It's not quite that simple. Yeah, it would be good if you could just, well, let's see. Yeah. Well, you won't know until you get there. And then when you get there, you might well do it. The technician might just go, that was a wrap. Righto. Got another one? We'll see how you go. Yeah. It depends.
[00:07:04] Because we've got a fellow up here called Ben and he does a lot of acoustic stuff. He's our Northern Beaches local. And he's popping singles out quite regularly now. I've been picking up his singles and popping them on and he's acoustic. But you've got where your lead falls in and out. So I don't do lead guitar. So I need my lead guitarist or a lead guitarist to fill in those lead spots. That's about it. But I just love the beats. I love the drum beat behind it.
[00:07:33] I love the lead guitarist, the bass sitting in behind, in the pocket with a drummer. But as I said, we'll do these tracks anyway. I'll see how many songs I can get down in these three days as what we call scratch tracks. Then from there, if I need musicians, I'll get the boys to come down to Byron Bay. We'll do some lead guitar and some drums. You're just going to have to make time. It's just, I've got to make it happen because the feel is just amazing when you put all the music around it. Yeah, it does.
[00:08:03] It does enhance your songs especially. I mean, they stand alone acoustic-wise, but it just enhances them so much when you put the other instruments around it. Yeah, yeah. So we'll do the acoustic start and I'll sing all the songs from start to finish. Hopefully I can send you some of those runs, like if he masters them pretty well or gets them up to that stage. I'll send them down to you and you can have a listen to them and see what you like. And then we'll decide, yeah, where we're going to go from there.
[00:08:33] But I've got a couple of things happening as I've got two people other than the studio down there that want to just hang out and record some songs and see how they come out. So I'm just slowly getting there, that's all. It's just I've got busy with work again, so. Yeah, you've got to do something about that. Yeah, I've either got to retire or take some more holidays. Yes, because you can't keep putting it off anymore. We promised this year. I know and it's getting close, so we've got to get something started.
[00:08:59] Yeah, I can't believe this year is almost at its end. I know. I took a year and I'm still that one to get off the ground with a few people. Well, we've made a few little steps forward. A few little steps forward. We need to power forward a bit more though. Yeah, I need to just probably take two months off. Once I know where I'm going to recall all this and do it in the one place, that was the plan.
[00:09:27] Just take time off, I've got my long service and just go for it. But I've got other avenues. I've got one, two, three. I've got four, but it depends on cost as well. So I'm just sort of opening the door. Yeah, that nasty thing called money. Oh yeah. So you can run up thousands and thousands of dollars in recording. So I'll talk to a few people and go muck around with a few people that are really good on the computers and recordings. I've still got to talk to a friend of mine who hasn't contacted me yet, but he was over in Nashville.
[00:09:55] So hopefully I'll touch base with him soon as well. So we'll see how we go there. But yeah, for now it's down to Byron Bay. Well, it's only two weeks. Two weeks away, yes. And I'm pretty busy, but I might even be able to squeeze in one other one there down Brisbane way in between that as well. So we'll see what happens. So that's what I'm up to so far. All right. Well, I know you're tired and you've had a big day. I'm tired and I've had a big day. So we might have just a short talk today.
[00:10:23] I've got some radio programs to finish because I'm also filling in for one of my colleagues. I did five weeks of Jeff's Generation for Jeff while he was away overseas having a wonderful time. And now Wes, who does a lady sing jazz and blues, is going away. So I'm going to have a dabble into jazz and blues. Oh, you'll like that. I think you'll really get into that. Yeah, I found some absolutely wonderful songs.
[00:10:50] Plus the fact that one of Jamie's songs that she wrote herself, Jamie from Stacey's Got a Gum, you can go onto her website and listen to it. It's called Broken Bottle and it's very bluesy. And I love it. I absolutely love it. It's such a wonderful song. Not been recorded yet. Like it's recorded properly for a website, but it hasn't been put on a proper recording to go on the radio, etc.
[00:11:16] Yeah, I think she's got a few of hers on that website that are her originals and they're beautiful. She's got the most amazing voice and it's unusual. It's just such a pretty voice. That's good. That's very good. Actually, I do have a surprise for you too. Yeah? When I went down to Sandgate the other day for the birthday party, I met a guy that actually drummed for me down in Sydney. Remember when we came down in Sydney? Yeah, I do. I remember.
[00:11:43] Well, the drummer, he actually recorded that song you love. Remember which song it is? No. And you said, have I got the recording for it? I need the recording for it. I can't recall straight off the top of my head. What was it? I'm trying to think now. Anyway, he's got the original recording of that song. Why can't I think of it? It'll come to me. But I was talking to him the other day. He goes, oh, I've got all the original. Yeah, we recorded that in the Dag pub. And I said, that's right, we did.
[00:12:11] And when Dave just come back from, I think he come back from India, he had that inspiring sound from India and put a bit of that. Yeah, I'm starting to recall, but I can't remember what the name of it was. A real catchy one, you know, just that's lost me for the moment. It said, I've got how many songs? We should talk about it on the next one. I'll bring it up. He said to me, he says, I'm pretty sure I mastered that. So we will get that together for you. Oh, cool. We'll put that on the radio. Yeah.
[00:12:39] So that was the ones with the film clips and the music. Well, he recorded all the music. And I think he ran the camera as well. So he did the whole thing. Oh, if we've got a YouTube clip, I'd be really thrilled about that. It's on YouTube. And you said you wanted the original recording so you could play it on the radio. So I will get that for you. Wonderful. I still can't think of the name of it. I'm just flicking through my book here to see if I can catch it before we go. But no, no, no, no. Gee, I've got a lot of pages.
[00:13:09] How many songs have we written? I have 66. My last count was 66 and you were still going. I've got a magnetic twist. Oh, yes. I don't know how much. He said, I really need that. Oh, yes. Need that recording. Well, guess what? We've got it. Oh, fantastic. All right. Well, I want that to play on the radio. Okay. And he said, look, if you need any lighting or anything, shows, recording, he says, I'll do the whole lot now.
[00:13:36] I'll set up a whole show and you play and I'll have the lights flashing. I'll have the sound done. Everything. So I've got a music engineer to do shows. Oh, fantastic. He does the whole lot. Yeah, because I've got three of them down here but they're no use to you because you're up there. So I thought, well, we could probably do another show then. I'll work on that over the next six to 12 months and we'll do some big show, get all the people together
[00:14:02] and get a run shoot and see what's the best songs they like and we can do together. Yeah, I might look at that coming down the track too. So that was the idea. Get them recorded and then take them out and show them off where people can say, oh, I heard that on YouTube or Spotify or wherever. They listen to their music. We know this guy. Let's go and see his show. Yeah. Well, that's cool. All right. I'm going to let you go. I know that you've just thrown some food down because you only just got home. I did.
[00:14:29] I just walked through the door, quick eat, quick phone call, shower, I think, early night. And collapse. Yeah. All right. Well, you take care and I'll catch you shortly. Lots of love. All right. Thank you. Bye. Now, don't forget to check out Trevor McCormack's YouTube and you can also go to Trevor McCormack music for any podcasts that you might have missed. So don't forget to follow and share.