[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! Well listeners, today I have Trevor on the phone again. Hi Trev, how are you doing this week?
[00:00:58] Hello everybody, I'm good, good. Been doing lots, all sorts around here lately. Well I've got a bit of time off. Yeah, I hear you're just about to gurney your deck. Yes, I've rebuilt the walkway. I've got a ramp that runs up to the front door and then it wraps around the house. And I did that. I'm not even going to tell you how long ago. And I've been gunner-stain it, honest.
[00:01:22] I've been gunner. Sounds like my brother gunner-do. Anyway, I finally got out the cleaner and the cabinet's cleaner and give it a bit of a clean. And I was just about to gurney it when you rang me. And I thought, that's right, we've got to do this interview. I'd better stop. So I've been doing all sorts. Well, I've had a bit of time off my night shifts. I've bought a heap of tools and put in the shed. And I've been, anything to do with timber, built, made, fixed, turned.
[00:01:47] I've got lays and routers and sanders and jigsaws and all those new tools I've put in my shed, which I've got a nice big shed at a workshop. And there's been bits and pieces everywhere that I need to fix. So I've been doing a lot of that, which is really good for the mind and the soul. And then I just come in and play a little guitar and it just refreshes you. It helps. But you've got to be careful with those linish sanders. You don't stick your fingers too close to them.
[00:02:14] No. Yes, I've had that experience. And if the sander snaps, it's not pleasant either. Well, that scares you. Yeah, that scares you. But I have this linisher. I'm rounding off a piece of timber I'd cut to put a handle on my fireplace, which opened and closed the vent. It's got a little timber handle where it broke years ago. Same thing. Went, oh, I'm going to make one of them today. So I got down there and I sorted that out and I'm sanding it off thinking, oh, I'm real proud of myself.
[00:02:43] And then it slipped. Next thing I'm sanding my little finger. Ouch. I'm like, oh, that hurts. I hope it wasn't the guitar finger. Yeah, but it was not the fingertips. It was the side of my fingers. Oh. I'm looking at where my knuckle is. My first two knuckles from my fingernail up are just sanded back. Ow. Yeah, yeah. That's painful. Greg. Oh, I just sent shimmers down my spine.
[00:03:13] I'm having fun. Just got to keep my fingers away from anything sharp, that's all. So with that, yeah, I've been pottering around and having a great time off. I've got the shed cleaned up a little and been doing some woodwork, cleaned the tinning up. It's been covered up and I ran the motor. And so I've just been enjoying, to me, everyone thinks, well, hang on, do you still work? Well, yeah, I work all day.
[00:03:38] But I'm cutting down my hours in the days and I don't have to go to work at the night so I can get home in the afternoon and I can potter and build things. I had a little dolphin, a wooden dolphin that someone was going to throw away. And I said, oh, no, no, I'll fix that one day. Walked past that the other day and went, oh, yeah, I'm going to put a new fin on him. And so I've called him Finley. Aww. I cleaned him up and I used a Dremel. I had Dremels as well, I've got. So I've used them and I glued a bit of a timber on the top of his hen.
[00:04:08] And then I got the Dremel and I shaped it all into shape and we lacquered him. And he's sitting up on my back deck there on the bar and we called him Finley. Aww, that's sweet. So it's all art, music, timber, paintings. I had some bullhorns. I had to put some hide around the bullhorns and get them. And I set them under a nice big piece of timber and, yeah, did that. So there's another job done. So today I'm doing my deck.
[00:04:38] I've got to get that all stained. That's my chore today, the ramp. Now that's a big job. So let's get on to your music and then you can get on to your deck. Yeah. Well, talking about the music, I got back into that last night. We went down to Sandgate, down to DKM Music and we went out for dinner, had a bit of a chat. But before dinner, I played a bit of a tune. You walk in, there's guitars everywhere. I picked up a nylon acoustic that had been hand-painted in all Aboriginal art. Oh, wow.
[00:05:08] Did you take a photo? Oh, no, I didn't. But I will next time I'm down there. Yeah, do. Which we'll talk about because I'm going back down for a festival, a Giddy Up Festival. So I picked up this guitar and played just this beautiful tune while I was waiting. Dave was teaching actually in the office. So I went in. He was in one room there. And I picked up this guitar and sat back on the lounge, shut my eyes and it just happens. All of a sudden the tune comes out and you hear his door open a little bit. He's like, you sound dead. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:05:38] And I snuck in. He didn't hear me coming. And he opens the door about 25 mil, 30 mil. He opens her up. Oh, that's okay. He shut the door and he goes, oh, it's only Mac. It's okay. He's out there just tinkering on the guitar. And he finished his lesson. And we had a bit of a, just a jam session with one of his clients and his partner because we're all going to go out for dinner. So we just sat down. We did a hot three of us, four of us. We're just doing harmonies to this tune. Beautiful sound. So we said, look, we're going to do this more often.
[00:06:07] Just sit around and just harmonize and sing. And it's a great feeling when you just have these voices. But Shelly's very quiet. We've got to get her out of the shell. She's like, I'm singing the shower really loud. So we made the joke of, well, Shelly, we'll put you up on stage. We'll put a bathtub there with a shower curtain around it. We'll get some plumbing set up. So, you know, a hose with a bit of water for you. And you'll sing behind the curtain. Well, that could be a showstopper.
[00:06:35] If that's what it takes to get you to sing out loud, well, okay. So we won't let that go. We'll keep on that for a while, stir her up. But you said she's got a beautiful voice. She has got a beautiful voice and she can sing some really good pitches, some good notes. But she says, oh, would you teach me, you know, a little bit of this and that? And I'm like, oh, you've already got it. It's a case of we've just got to get you louder. You know, we want to hear you. So it's a whisper, a whisper voice at the moment.
[00:07:03] Yeah, singing from the stomach instead of from the chest. Yeah, but she's just shy. It's shy. And once you get over that shyness, you won't stop her. She'll just, yeah, she'll be like 100 decibels in sound. Well, good luck. We've got to get that out of her. So we will. We will. She loves it. She really loves music. That's why her and Dave get on so well. They just, their passion for music is just endless. It's just so deep. So with that, I said, all right, you're going to sing at our Giddy Up Festival.
[00:07:30] They're all they're having on the 15th of August. It's the whole town doing a country thing. I suppose they'll have markets and fates and music and all sorts happening down through Sandgate. So if anyone's up this way or down this side, pop in and say Giddy. We'll be playing in the new, brand new, still working on it. It should be finished by then. Wine Bar, which is right next door to DKM Music. That's where we are. So what's the date again?
[00:08:00] It's the 15th of August. Okay. And who's organising that? It must be a council thing. So I think they're doing it in a couple of different towns too, all different places, a country thing, celebrate a country music. I don't know much about it. I've just heard about it and said, would you come down and just hang out and help put some students on stage and keep them comfortable or hop up there with them and just sort of support them and give them a chance to play on a little stage. How exciting would that be for them?
[00:08:30] Oh, yeah. They'll love it. Some will be paid. I think they'll all be paid for a fight actually. But it's a case of just giving them the confidence of, well, don't look out there. There's you and me on stage. We'll sort of look at each other and just do your thing. And if you feel comfortable, you look out across the crowd. And if you get a bit nervous, you come back to me. Just focus on me and do what you do. So that's where I start them off. That's the best way.
[00:08:54] You just forget everybody else or try to and focus on either you or have something on the floor, or a page or an iPad and just look at that and look over everybody's head. There's all different tricks to just get those nerves and settle them. So it just depends on what they need. So you've got to work out what's their most relaxed state when they're in a position like that. It's like public speaking. People get up in front of all these people and go, I can't do this.
[00:09:24] Yeah, I can relate to that when I first started. Well, same as me. I ran a company and the boss said to me one day, all right, we're going to have meetings every month. This is what we're going to talk about. Productivity and anything we can make better. He says, that's your job. I went, really? Talked to all these staff, all these people. There's probably 50, 60 people out there. He said, yep. He says, you can talk. You know what to do. I'm like, okay.
[00:09:53] So that's where I started actually feeling comfortable talking in front of people. And that's what helps with the music as well, the singing. So it's all the same. It's just the nerves of how do I come across? I want to come across professionally. I want to be kind. It's a big thing. We have, I think, at the RSL, they have a night where they all get upstairs in one of the function rooms and they all publicly speak to get confidence and things like that.
[00:10:21] So it's a bit of pressure. But these guys on the stage, they want to do this. So it's a case of just getting them used to it in small areas and small doses. And they'll have a lot of fun, I'm sure. Well, that's common sense. Yeah. Yeah. And good advice. Yeah. So that's what we're doing with all the students. The lady who owns the place, she'll get up and she's got a good voice and can play guitar really well. So she's going to get up and kick it all off. And it's funny because we've got DKM, the music studios where we teach.
[00:10:51] You've got the wine bar right next door. And then she's got her dress and shoes shop. She sells all dresses and clothing and shoes and it's all tied in together. So it's a happy little family. And we all love the music. So that'll be fun. And then you've got other places playing music. As I said, I think the cardigan bar across the road from us, they've always got music on, which I'm going to play over there. Soon enough, I'll get down there and have a bit of fun with those guys. And yeah, it's all music, music, music. Well, that's good news.
[00:11:20] The more music, the better. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So I do have to go back to the RSL and do back to my night job. But I'll work out what I'm doing there as well. I've got to give some things up to give me a break. So I might have to sort of just cut down the hours or the days. I'll shuffle them around. You've got a taste now of what it's like to be able to relax a bit more. Yeah. Well, I work seven days a week and around the clock. And it's hard to stop when you've done it for so long. So we will get there.
[00:11:49] But you need to get into your music. Yes. Well, I'm still waiting for the guys to come back from the States. My mate from the States, he's got to get back yet. When he does, that'll be great. Cole Finley, I think he's doing the New South Wales. He's down your way now. Or was. He was doing some shows down that way, country shows. So he should be back. I think they're all back around the August time. So we'll go from there and open those doors now and see what happens there as well. But my main aim is to record.
[00:12:16] Like I said, get these songs down and recorded with good musicians, good studios, good techs. And that's my number one priority. I'll play here and there. I think Cole's got a new Mulaney show started. Yeah, you told us about that last week. So yeah, I'll have to see if I can squeeze in there somewhere and have a bit of a play with them all. So when he gets back, I'll have a chat with him and we'll go from there.
[00:12:39] Well, I've got an exciting event happening at the Coleroy on the 9th of August at 7 o'clock in the evening. We've got the Songs of Dire Straits happening, which are being played by what we call the Sods. So the Songs of Dire Straits. And prior to the pre-show is Bruce Springsteen music. And Michael, who is a local here, Samuel, he's going to be playing Bruce Springsteen. And you've met Michael. He is an amazing guitarist.
[00:13:09] Oh, wow. Yes. So we're sort of prepping and getting ready for that now. We've sold quite a lot of tickets already. So hopefully it'll be a sell-out. It looks like it's heading that way. So for anybody that's listening, if you're in the northern beaches or even on the North Shore, make sure you get in and get your tickets because they're selling fast. And it'll be one hell of a night. And what date was that? It was a Sunday, wasn't it? It was, yeah, 9th of August.
[00:13:39] Yes. At 7 p.m. at the Coleroy Cinema Theatre. What a way to just chill out on a Sunday hour. Yeah. It's going to be a real top show. Yeah. Yeah. All right. With that, I'm going to love you and leave you and let you go and do your deck. Yes. It's all right. I better do some work. It's a beautiful day out here. It's freezing cold, but it's beautiful and sunny. Yeah. So it's perfect. Yeah. Well, we've got sunshine, but I've put the fire on because it's just so cold. But the sun's out.
[00:14:07] I had to just snuggle up under the blankets and I got up this morning in the house with just like a little ice cube. Yeah. That's why I've put the fire on. Same down here. All right. I'm going to love you and leave you. Go. Don't work too hard. No, no. Just cruise along today. Lazy Sunday. That's what I call a lazy Sunday. Yeah. Working. Yeah. Well, it's a McCormack trait. We just don't stop. I mean. True. True. All right. Lots of love. Talk to you soon. Okay. Take care, everybody. Stay safe. Bye. Bye.
[00:14:36] And you can purchase your tickets for the Songs of Dire Straits at northernbeachesentertainment.com.au. Hope you can make it. Now, don't forget to check out Trevor McCormack's YouTube for Trevor's latest music video, which is going off. So don't forget to have a listen. And you can also go to Trevor McCormack Music for any podcasts that you might have missed. So don't forget to follow and share.