[00:00:00] Welcome to Trevor McCormack Music Podcast. I'm Chrissy 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.
[00:00:30] Whether you're a diehard music fan or just love discovering new sounds, this is the place where passion meets storytelling. So hit the follow button, share this with your fellow music lovers and leave a review. Your support keeps the vibe alive. Turn up the volume and get ready to be inspired. And let's dive into the world of music together. Let's go!
[00:00:53] Hi everyone, it's Chrissy and Trev for our usual Sunday talk. I know we missed it last week because Trev had had an operation and my phone had tried to explode, but we'll talk about that later. Anyway, hi Trev, how you doing? Hi everybody, how are we all going? I'll talk about your operation on your eye first, which makes me sort of cringe. How's it doing?
[00:01:17] Good. The first week I was a bit worried. It sort of looked like someone had beaten me up, which was to be expected. He said you're going to end up with a big black eye. So it wasn't so bad black-wise, it's just how they cut the skin away and stitch it all back together. And that was on the eyelid, wasn't it? On the bottom eyelid. Bottom eyelid, they cut from the actual eyelid where it almost touches the eye, so where your eyelashes are, I suppose, and they cut down. And all good. So the main thing was all good. Cringing, cringing. Yeah.
[00:01:47] So the first week, yeah, it sort of didn't change too much. The second week now, we're through the second week into the weekend. Looking much better. So I'm feeling better. They must really yank on it because it makes your eye like droop. And I'm thinking, this is not good. I'm in trouble, you're going to need a face-toothed. But anyway, it's coming good. It's healing well and it's not so irritable.
[00:02:12] The stitches are sort of, not picking them out, but you're sort of just flicking them off and they break down over time. So I reckon another week and I'll be right as rain. Okay. So that was two weeks ago now, wasn't it? It was, yeah. So you had the week off because of the operation and then you said it rained the following week.
[00:02:33] Well, the first week off, yeah, I had, I couldn't really do much. I wanted to do some paperwork and get into some songs and, and every time I sort of tried it was, it just hurt too much. It was too blurry. So I relaxed and just sort of in front of the telly and watched movies all week. Really fell asleep, woke up, fell asleep, woke up. Wasn't bad. That would be the most rest you have ever had.
[00:02:57] I was talking to a friend just this morning and she said, Trevor, for the last 11 years, you've worked for me and helped me out. She said, I remember when I first met you, you did seven days and you were doing five nights a week and you've done that for at least, ah, she says, well, you don't do the five nights now. You do three, three nights basically. She said, but you did that for like eight years, seven, eight years, right?
[00:03:24] She said, yeah, you don't stop. You still work seven days a week. So that's for 11 years. I went, no wonder I'm tired. I need to stop. Well, you just refused to settle down and take a break. So a forced break is probably been a really good thing for you. Yeah, but I sort of just go, you know what, just, I think I'll just give it all up and just go music for long. Yeah, but you keep saying that and you don't do it.
[00:03:54] Yeah, well, I'm nearly there. I'm on the fence and I've jumped but my sock caught me and I'm hanging. Uh-huh. It's a mental thing. You've got to get it in your head that music is your future. Yes, well, it's, you know, they always worry about I've got to make enough dollars. But yes, I'm getting there. I'm getting there. That's good. That's good. So I, speaking of music is your future, I have been doing a lot.
[00:04:21] We did our David Bowie show the other night and the show was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, we didn't get a big crowd. We only got a small crowd. Which was a little bit disappointing because the show was amazing. People have no idea what they missed. They were absolutely brilliant. And if you closed your eyes, you wouldn't have known it wasn't David Bowie up on the stage. Oh, I see. That's what I like.
[00:04:44] When you get a cover band that does Fleetwoods or America, you know, Eagles, whatever they do, like do it good. Look, everybody sing and all the main singers got to be like spot on. You know, as you say, if you can close your eyes and you think, man, this, that's, you can't tell the difference. That's doing covers. Yeah, that's a great, great, great thing. So yeah, they did. If they missed out on that, that's a shame because he's got some great.
[00:05:13] And they were all dressed up. At one stage, he had a bowler hat on with a bowl on top of it, which was fun. All in the shimmery and stuff. Yeah. Yeah. So that was, that was a bit of fun. And now we're heading into the 6th of November at Manly Leagues Club. We're putting on the Come Fly With Me, the songs of Frank Sinatra. Now that is an amazing show.
[00:05:39] We put that show on in November last year over at the Collaroy and people loved it. It's a 20 piece orchestra who are Northern Beaches young people who play the orchestra and they are amazing. Lionel Robinson, who is a local who used to be famous over in England and he's moved to Australia and now lives on the Northern Beaches. And he sings the Frank Sinatra songs. And he sounds so much like Frank Sinatra. He's amazing.
[00:06:08] And then Matt, who's got a very similar voice. And Hayley, they're all Northern Beaches. And so we've got a full Northern Beaches, full orchestral production at Manly Leagues on the 6th of November. So we're really looking forward to that one. When you say orchestras and music, I just want to be there. Well, I've put it on Facebook. I've put it on the Northern Beaches Entertainment Facebook and I've put it on our website.
[00:06:38] I've put a bit of a video skit on what they sound like and what they look like. So you can jump onto there and have a look and see. So, yeah, so really excited for getting that production up and going again on the 6th of November. And then we've got lots of other shows happening. We've got some children's shows and all sorts of things happening at Northern Beaches Entertainment. So, yeah, pop onto the website and the Facebook and have a look.
[00:07:06] And you went to a concert when? A couple of nights ago? Oh, actually last night. Right, because we'll get to that. But the second week that I had off, I thought, right, because I've been home bound sort of thing for the first week. The second week I thought, right, I'll get in and I'll do all my book work for my business, which I did. I thought, hang on a minute. I've got to get back and get into these songs.
[00:07:31] So I flicked open the page to my original songs, page one, and started transferring it all over onto my iPad. So I thought, right, now this is the time. These are songs I wrote 2003 from there on, I think, is where I started. I couldn't believe it. I'm going way back then because I put dates on all the songs or most of the songs.
[00:07:55] And it's amazing over the years now that I sort of barely looked at them in the last quite some years. I've just flicked through them and put them all, as I transfer them all into my iPad, I'm upgrading them and improving them again. And with the knowledge and experience I've got now, wow, I'm impressed with myself. Give yourself a pat on the back. They're sounding really great.
[00:08:22] So I can't wait to get down to Dave and play these songs again and get him to throw the leads in. I'm actually, when I'm in the iPad, if I get a lead idea, I flick over the photos, put video on, and I go, here's the lead break I want, da-da-da-da-da, how it goes. I just harmonize it in the key and put that aside, then go to the next song. I've done, in the week, I think I've done, this is day and night, like 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, I go to bed.
[00:08:52] Over 30, just over 30 songs I've gone through and upgraded and improved. Cool. I had, as you know, a lot of the music's in my head. I haven't even written it down. So I'm actually putting the notes in to the songs now. That's helpful. So if anyone's there, you know, I can say, oh, there it is. This is the key it's played in. These are the notes. This is where they fall over the lyrics. Yeah, that helps the guitarist and whatever.
[00:09:22] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I think I'm about, how many songs did we say I'd written? I think you're over 66 now. Yeah. So, well, I'm nearly halfway. So in the next, each night, I think I'll just try and get stuck in it. They say it's going to rain all week. So if it keeps raining, I'll just keep going. And yeah. And you'll get them all done. And I might get them all done.
[00:09:47] And the other thing is I'm picking now, I've worked out because I've keyed down one guitar to the next fret down. And it seems to be a lot easier for me to sing my high songs, where all those high notes you've really got to make sure you get that pitch right. Yeah. We're now rocked a key, so I can actually do that even easier. So I'm putting with the songs what guitar and what keys that I'm going to play with.
[00:10:15] So I even pulled my beautiful old court 12 string guitar out. Okay. And played a beautiful song the other day. And I thought that's got to be played with a 12 string guitar. So that went in as a 12 string guitar song. And so I'm getting to play with all my toys, all my different guitars. See, I told you you needed a lot more time. It gives you the initiative. Yeah. Yeah. So I just, there's guitars everywhere in the lounge room.
[00:10:44] I've just overtaken the kitchen table with paperwork and songs. And I've got to move stuff aside to sit down. And I'm a tidy person. Everything's neat and tidy. Yes, I know. The place is spotless nine times out of ten. And paperwork all over the dining table. And I just, music, music's just surrounding me. So, which I love. I'm really enjoying. So that's a definite.
[00:11:08] I want to do a bit with Dave at the music shop and some lessons and teaching and playing down there. And I think I'll spend a lot more time down in Byron Bay as well. So. Well, speaking of the songs, I haven't heard from that other competition yet because they should be, it's coming into November. So they should be letting us know if we've made it into the next level with our songs. That's right. I hadn't even thought about that. That's. Yeah.
[00:11:36] So we're still, we'll wait on finding out if we get up to the next level. And I told you about the Tamworth songwriters competition. Well, that closed and I submitted as a radio presenter. I submitted a whole lot of different artists that I felt were deserving of being in the competition. So I was really pleased about my selection. Yep. And today I got an email saying, here's your first lot of judging.
[00:12:04] So I've listened to the first four songs so far. Oh, okay. So, and there's a lot there. So I've got to have that back to them soon. So I'm going to sit down each night or each day sometime and listen to these songs and judge them, give them a score and send them back for the first set. So that's really exciting. That'll keep you busy. Yeah. You started that. Yeah. No, I'm really excited about it.
[00:12:34] I'm looking forward to it. And of course, they don't have to be, you know, fantastic in the way of singing it because it's a lyric and song competition. So I need to look at the lyrics and I need to listen to the song and get a feeling for the music, even if it's not spot on. So it doesn't, they don't have to be perfectly presented these ones. Right. That's it. Yeah.
[00:12:59] But if I think it's, if I think it's worthwhile and it could be produced well. Yeah. So I'm going to have a lot of fun. Yeah. I bet you will. That sounds great. Yeah. So otherwise, I think that's about it for today. I'm off to a play. We've had Northern Beaches, gentlemen, I did a podcast on it, put together a play with some top names and I'm going to watch it this afternoon. It's called The Waiting Room.
[00:13:29] The Waiting Room. Okay. All right. And I didn't get back to you with that where I ended up. I ended up going out to the RSL after doing all that music. Oh yes. I forgot. Right. After all that music and I just, I need to clear my head. And I, I looked up what the RSL had on. They had a Bon Jovi tribute. So I thought, yeah, I'll go and have a look. So I went down and had a cold beer and sat there with some friends and listened to Bon Jovi and they did a fantastic job. Great musicians, great sound. And honestly, same thing.
[00:13:59] If you closed your eyes, you go, I'm at a Bon Jovi concert, just a small one. So they did really well. I take my head off to those boys. Well, that's good. I really enjoy those shows. I mean, you've got the bands that cover the songs and you've got the tribute bands, which differ them a little bit. But when you get either one, if you get them so they have that sound, it's really enjoyable. Yeah. Well, that's it.
[00:14:24] If they pick someone that can sing the lead singing part as close as possible, that's, that's what makes the night even better. And they did, they did a really good job there. Excellent. All right. Well, I'm going to say, you who, and go off to my play and I'll let you go back to your music. I'll go back and get into these pages and keep rolling along. Okay. Catch up with you soon. Lots of love. Take care, everybody. Bye. Bye. Now, don't forget to check out Trevor McCormack's YouTube.
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