Today we’d like to introduce you to Renée Mackin.
Hi Renée, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My very first stage and microphone experience was as a 5 yr old singing Silent Night for the Holiday program in a small town. Our home was built in an (at the time) undeveloped forested area outside of Youngstown,Ohio. I love the outdoors and spent my childhood playing in those woods. I continued singing in any group I could find throughout elementary school. With the emotional changes that jr high brings, I began to channel those emotions through writing poetry, prose and song lyrics. I had 2 older brothers who exposed me to the likes of Woody Guthrie, Judy Collins , Joan Baez, Lomax brothers, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Tom Rush to name a few. At 15 one of my brothers and I attended Woodstock and THAT was a game changer. I began to follow many different artists and fell in love with the strengthened power of female singer songwriters. At 17 I was selected to travel on a European tour with the All Ohio Youth Choir the summer preceding college. I then attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. The campus sits along the Hocking-River not far from West Virginia’s Appalachia whose music directed me more deeply into the roots and culture of the Hillbilly genre. While my college studies were geared more toward writing and linguistics, music and singing happened in dorm hallways and wherever we could play. By 21 I had graduated and my future (and still current) husband and I began a traveling adventure to spend a winter skiing. In 1975, with $200.00 left and ’67 Chevy packed with all that we had, we ended up in SLC where we continue to live! Playing music took a backseat for many years as we raised 2 children and I had a career in the hair styling industry. In order to re-enter the music world I searched for festival music camps, began “circle playing’, and attended several song writing camps. I am very fortunate to have been able to study with Darrell Scott,Mary Gauthier, Jeff Austin,Jim Lauderdale, Molly Venter, Hayes Carll, Kate Lee O’Connor and Grant Gordy most recently and others I have met through being present at festivals. During the Pandemic I had the guts to figure out how to make videos and start presenting my songs and myself to the public. The next step was to go out to Open Mics when they became available and I continue to do that today because that experience is a great teacher.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Honestly the first and most outstanding struggle is fear of putting yourself and your lyrics out for the public! But I have to admit the more you do it, the less fear you carry. My music seems to be accepted as I move forward but I have had plenty of failures. I have been told no-one cares about my song content; I have to defend that with folk singing is not pop. My songs tell stories- it’s not for everyone.
The other drawback, that I am constantly trying to improve upon is music theory. I am a self taught guitarist which sometimes is hard to communicate to a schooled musician. As a solo singer songwriter I tend to write and play with the cadence of my voice; it’s sometimes referred to as ‘crooked’. I also spent a few years when I first started singing in circles having people complain that they couldn’t hear me.. That is a very real struggle and took a very long time to overcome….but you certainly can hear me now!!! I was in a band contest last year in Colorado where a woman called me a little machine. That makes me laugh but also shows me what a journey it has been and how far I have come.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In my former career as a hairstylist, I often did work in shows creating art pieces from hair on models for photographers and fashion pieces. I also worked out of my home with clients on a regular basis while raising our 2 children. Now that i have retired from that, writing and performing music is my current priority. I have been performing at house concerts, small venues and local festivals around SLC.
Also I have been a regular at a couple open mics in town to work songs out and to learn stage performance. I am in the process of creating an all original album of 11 of my songs. It should be finished sometime in June 2025. I am very excited about this body of work and have so much more to share. My songs reflect emotions and trials and stories through the gifts that nature brings for the most part and of course I have a couple break up songs as well! I am most proud of having my first release just recently entitled Ray’s Tavern. It’s about a small tavern in Green River Utah with a western history centered around the Uranium boom to present day. I research each story thoroughly and bring truth to each story.. The song I am most proud of was a gift from the universe sent to me through a flock of mountain bluebirds. They coerced me from my seat and prodded me to get up and look around- to get out of my head and SEE what was around me. Somehow woven into that song is a story of 2 souls trying to reach each other. After the walk I wrote the entire song in an afternoon and it remains as is. The Bluest Bird will be the title song of my upcoming album as well as the album title.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
No matter the genre …..your music is worthy….your lyrics matter…do not be afraid to share them.
Pricing:
- $100.00 per hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reneemackinmusic.com
- Instagram: renee.mackin
- Facebook: reneesmelodyandrhyme
- Youtube: utube@reneemackinmusic
- Other: bandcampreneemackin
