The odds of becoming a successful rock star are around 0.000002 percent, meaning only two out of every million wannabe icons will ever reach their goal. And that’s if you’re already talented, driven and charismatic. Yet, these sobering statistics don’t stop countless artists from dreaming.
Based on these figures, country-rock recording artist Mark Mackey has already come farther than most. From nurturing musical ambitions since high school, he’s now opened arena tours for Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, .38 Special and REO Speedwagon to name a few. His most popular song on Spotify, the folk-tinged crooner, “Always Rains in Portland,” is nearing 800,000 plays.
While Mackay’s been close to signing with major record labels more than once (the pandemic nixed the last deal), he’s holding out for an opportunity to release his substantial catalog of original music on his own terms.
“At the end of the day, you have to do what makes you happy,” he says. “That’s the only thing that wins out in this business if you want to have a real career that goes on for a while. You can’t fake it. You can’t sing songs you don’t believe in. You can’t write songs you don’t like. As painful as it is sometimes, I just do what I love to do.”
Tahoe Truckee School of Music Fundraiser
Dec. 28 | 6 p.m.
Community Arts Center | Truckee
Heavenly Holidays NYE Celebration
Dec. 31 | 7 p.m.
Heavenly Village | South Lake Tahoe
Make no mistake, Mackay’s songs are worth believing in. His second EP “Leaving California” combines influences from Laurel Canyon to Nashville to create a musical pastiche as good as anything on country radio today. Hints of Tom Petty, Glen Campbell and Keith Urban find their way into Mackay’s smooth, authentic voice. His deftly crafted songs complete with pop hooks belie unpretentious lyrics and real-life storytelling.
“For me, a good song is about feeling,” he says. “I’m always trying to write something that’s genuine. And it’s funny — after you write hundreds of them, you can relisten and know which ones make you feel something.”
The album title is an ode to Mackay’s roots. He was raised in the South Bay Area before attending University of Nevada, Reno to be a broadcast news journalist.
“I didn’t think I could have a music career,” he says. “The very first day my teacher explained we would make no money. If he hadn’t said that, I don’t know where I’d be today.”
“At the end of the day, you have to do what makes you happy. That’s the only thing that wins out in this business if you want to have a real career that goes on for a while.”
–Mark Mackay
Mackay instead moved to Truckee where he worked in the ski industry selling gear for Rossignol and Atomic. When the salary wasn’t enough, he took a job in medical sales. Six months later, he found himself floating on the ocean in Oahu when he decided to change his life.
“I didn’t want to do it anymore,” he says. “I quit my job. I put notice on my apartment. I sold my car.”
His next call was to Musicians’ Institute College of Contemporary Music in Los Angeles. It was 2014.
“I wouldn’t have had the success I did if I didn’t go to school for it,” he says. “A big part of it is honing your craft.”
Mackay majored in guitar performance and started gigging in L.A. clubs. A show at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill led to a cross-country tour. When a money-swindling scam led to the downfall of the restaurant chain, the tour was cut short, but not before Mackay connected with an agent in Nashville who started booking him as a main stage opener.
Now, he’s in a holding pattern, sitting on more than 160 original songs while awaiting the elusive record deal.
“So much of that stuff is out of my hands,” he says. “The ultimate dream was always to sell out football stadiums all over the world. I want to have fun out there playing and letting people connect with the music. We are building a movement. I’m very lucky we get to play these stages for people all over the country with acts big and small. Whatever it is, I just keep on going.”
Before opening for Gin Blossoms in South Lake Tahoe on New Year’s Eve, Mackay will play a Dec. 28 concert with his five-piece band as a fundraiser for Tahoe Truckee School of Music.
“Fundamentally, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” he says. “All I know is that music speaks to me. Every day there is something else that inspires me and makes me excited to get out of bed in the morning and keep doing it. And until that goes away, I’ll never stop.” | markmackayofficial.net
Watch Mark Mackay perform at markmackayofficial.net
