mcArtney are gearing up for a summer full of touring and showcasing tracks of their soon to be released debut record. For a taste of what’s to come, the single Set Your City Alight has been released, along with some newly announced shows. The man behind the band gave Music Feeds a run down on new tunes and also gives us a good piece of advice we could all learn to live by.
MF: What have you been up to lately?
mcA: I’ve been playing heaps of guitar. I’m trying to become a better guitarist, working out Jimi Hendrix’s solos and the guitar solos I didn’t play on my record. HeHe!
MF: Tell us about the new single Set Your City Alight? Where did the idea come from?
mcA: I was driving along a busy, very much update-needed road in Sydney when I stopped first at the lights. In the time it took me to put my automatic car into drive and the hand brake off, someone was already beeping at me!!! So I went home and wrote a song about how people in big cities don’t respect their surroundings. I guess like an Avatar in song.
MF: The debut album is due in November; what can listeners expect?
mcA: A diverse, heartfelt, honest record. Think Jason Mraz meets Bon Iver.
MF: How did you find the recording experience?
mcA: Amazing. I had so much time to focus and reflect. The most amazing part was recording in a tunnel very late one Sunday evening in Newcastle with 2 hours laptop battery.
You can see photos at facebook,com/mcartneymusic. The musicians who played on it were stellar.
MF: What’s your process for writing songs? Do you have a formula or does it vary?
mcA: The idea is to capture the emotion very directly and always have fresh sounding music, something that tickles your ears.
MF: On Twitter you’ve been giving some advice for the lads when it comes to doing something ‘for her’; what’s the best piece of advice you can give?
mcA: Ha-ha! Those are quite classic and sometimes tongue-in-cheek. The best advice for humans is to listen to each other, and not just listen with your ears.
MF: Who is with you in the band while on tour?
mcA: Guitarist Peter Gabrielides; Bassist Brett Adrien; pianist Anthony ‘Torch’ Donlon; and Drummer Luke Robertson. Those guys are mcArtney anyway, not really just a touring band. They’ve invested as much of themselves as I have.
MF: What are the plans over summer?
mcA: Peats Ridge Festival baby!
MF: What are you hoping the big man in the red suit is going to bring you for Christmas?
mcA: A beautiful set of moments spent with my family.
MF: What would be the first song you put onto a mix tape?
mcA: The Jeff Buckley version of Hallelujah.
