A Conversation with David Macias  (continued)

PM: Your unique history in the music business created the ability to put together unusual things [laughs] like the brothers from the Black Crowes and their father Stan as the Folk Family Robinson, doing "Reuben James."

DM: Right. And that just comes through my personal history with them. I was their first manager way back when, when they were in high school--so it was like way, way back. I knew the whole family, and knew that their dad was a folk singer. He had performed on the Grand Ole Opry, and had been on American Bandstand and stuff like that back in the great folk scare of the '60s.

PM: [laughs]

DM: I just thought it would be a really cool thing to offer to them--and certainly the guys, Chris and Rich, are both well-versed in folk music. Even if you don't necessarily sense that--

PM: Yeah, nobody knows that side of them.

DM: Yeah, they're well-versed in all kinds of music, really, but having grown up around their dad, they were very steeped in folk music. I just thought that would be a really interesting idea to have them do that with their father. And as it turned out, I think they really enjoyed it a lot. We had a really fun time in the studio.

PM: Who knows? A tour may be in the offing.

DM: Mmm, we'll see.

[laughter]

PM: No, I know how it is with brothers, yeah, right.

DM: Yeah, I think the family dynamic is volatile enough without dragging their dad out on the road with them.

PM: That was a fantastic read by the Del McCoury Band on "The Times They Are A-Changin'."

DM: Yeah. And I'll tell you, that was one where--there were a couple moments in this whole experience where some really crazy synchronistic stuff happened. That was definitely an example there. I spoke to Chris Harris, with their management company, about them doing this song. And he's like, "You're not going to believe this, but they actually recorded that song for their last album, and decided not to put it on there."

PM: Oh, wow...

DM: It was already done.

PM: Nice telepathy there.

DM: Right. And what's crazy, too, the same thing happened with Andy Bey.

PM: Really?

DM: I called and asked about Andy doing, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" And his manager, Herb Jordan, thought that I knew that Andy did the song, that it was part of Andy's repertoire, but I had no idea.

PM: Part of his live repertoire.

DM: His live repertoire, yeah, but he had never recorded it before.

PM: Wow.

DM: So they did a version in the studio for the album. And it's just a super track.

PM: Oh, and I loved Elizabeth Cook with the Grascals doing "The Great Atomic Power."

DM: Oh, I do, too.

PM: We just had a very fun interview with her. She's just the best.

DM: She is.

PM: Was the song "Jefferson & Liberty" by The Wilders originally intended to be an instrumental? I mean, the notes made it sound like it was going to contain lyrics of Jeffersonian propaganda or something.

DM: It actually was, originally. That's a good call on that. It was, but when we had gotten the track from them, it was instrumental--one of two on the record, along with Jake Shimabukuro. But we got it, and it was just kind of like, well, we could go back and do that, put words on it, but we really loved the track the way that it was.

PM: Yeah, it's a great track.

DM: And it was a nice break in there, too, between the sort of off-beat but incredibly cool "Yankee Doodle" and then a really beautiful, poignant "Hail Columbia," and we thought, "You know what, let's just leave it there."

PM: And the Wilders are so smokin'. That was just a cool track.

DM: Yeah, absolutely.

PM: Where do the creators prefer the CD be purchased, and are the tunes all available as single downloads as well?

DM: It can be purchased any number of places, and any one of them is fine with us: Amazon, or Borders, or wherever. The album is available at iTunes as a full album download, and all the tracks are available individually.

PM: Beautiful. So how has the media coverage been so far, and how is Thirty Tigers working this deserving but unique project to radio--is it?

DM: Yeah, actually.

PM: Is there going to be a single, for instance?

DM: Well, no, because we're not going to really chase any kind of commercial formats, exactly. Our radio efforts are being led by the incredible Leslie Rouffe [songlinesmusic.com]. Leslie has been really good. She's one of those radio people who definitely thinks beyond her immediate panel of stations. Janet Reno went up to New York to do some press for the album.

PM: Brilliant.

DM: And Leslie arranged with XM to do a remote interview with her, and also lined up the Bob Edwards Show at XM. She did a lot to really get us some of the things that are going to break that record. So in that respect, yeah, we've done it. But it's not like we're going to be working a single, per se, to like Triple A Radio, or anything like that.

PM: Right, any of that stuff.

DM: We're making it available to radio, we're hoping that they play it. Hopefully some people will pick up on it. But Leslie is making it available to them.

PM: Beautiful. Well, it's so nice to talk to you, my friend, in this unusual way, where you're not working the levers behind the scenes, but actually sitting in the front seat as one of the creators of this great new record. And I believe you've got an excellent shot at another Grammy here.

DM: Well, your lips to God's ear. And thanks for the opportunity to talk to your audience about it.

PM: You bet, David.

DM: All right.

PM: Okay, buddy. Take care.

DM: Okay.

[designer note: Be sure to check out Steven Kowalczyk-Santoro's video and written description of reinterpreting "Hail Columbia." He has made a wonderful presentation of his process.]