Mackenzie First
November 25th, 2009 - Written by melissa
Equally as important to the band is Canadian producer and writer, Tino Izzo. Over the last 15 years, Izzo has worked with numerous artists and produced countless hit singles – one of the many reasons that Mackenzie First was incredibly thankful to work with him on their song ‘Think’.
“The fact that he got excited about our new album and wanted to work on it made [us] really ecstatic. Tino actually really likes one of our songs and wants to be the producer on that song. It was intensely motivating for us.” Dave told me about how grateful he and the rest of the band were to have worked with such a force in the field.
Bob Telaro, of BTM Management, is a man that Dave spoke of very highly on behalf of Mackenzie First. He explained that Bob helped the band focus their attention and their talent on the right songs for their album. He also made sure they did not improperly direct their energy like many bands have a tendency to do.
“Bob has stuck with us because he believed in our talent and never gave up on us this entire time and has gotten so passionate about working with us. I think, single handedly, the luckiest we could have been was to get him.”
Finally, one of the most important people to the band is Justin Cohen. The band’s former bassist, who stepped down due to necessity following his move to the UK to pursue other ventures, became their official manager. Dave talked to me very briefly about Justin, but he mentioned what good friends they have been for many years and what an important role he has played in Mackenzie First’s success.
“I almost think of him as still being in the band at times because we grew up together- so when I think of Justin I think of someone who is a close personal friend of mine and not so much as a manager.” Dave said about his good friend and now manager, adding: “You can’t keep a guy from shining when you’re amazing, and Justin is amazing. The only reason I didn’t mention him first was just because I still see Justin as a brother, somebody who I do this with always.”
As I mentioned, Mackenzie First’s history has stretched over a good ten years, and it’s probably safe to say that although it may have taken a while before they got signed and had the opportunity to record an album, it was worth the wait. I only talked to the guys very briefly about their time before Universal/Tab records, but neither Dave nor Dom had many negative comments about their time as an unsigned band:
“We just kept finding reasons to keep going in everyday life. From just the song getting picked up on 99.9 The Buzz, to getting to play the Vans Warped Tour, every time we’ve reached out to the world with our music good things happened… So we didn’t give up.” Dave explained. And if the band’s positivity about their ten year wait isn’t enough to motivate struggling artists out there, Dave continued by saying: “I chose to go down this path because it allows me to be who I am and I think that everyone in the band feels the exact same way. Being in the music industry, it’s who we are. It’s what we do.” Dom nodded his agreement in the background.
Of course, it hasn’t always been good times for Mack 1st but they pushed through and made the best of it. I think one of my favorite Mackenzie 1st stories came up during the interview when we were talking about the important lessons they had learned throughout their time together. I was told of a time when year after year, the band would pack up all their gear and drive to the Vans Warped Tour where they hoped to get a spot in the day’s roster. Being turned down time and again, it was in 2007 that they somehow managed to convince the entrance security guard and the entire PR tent that they SHOULD be given a set time for that day… and they were. Two years later, the band has no regrets.
“In retrospect I’m not sorry, because it was probably two of the most awesome experiences of my entire life” Dave said, proving that sometimes you have to “just go for it”.
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