Bill MacKay Invites You to Locust Land

Ideally, the music of Drag City recording artist Bill MacKay is perceived as experimental.

Yet there’s such a warmth to the way by which this Chicago-based singer-songwriter crafts his music it supersedes the Avant Garde. And his brilliant new LP, Locust Land, is no exception.

Five years may have passed since MacKay’s last solo album, Fountain Fire, was released. But in the interim, he did a lot of collaborating, working with such artists as Katinka Kleijn (STIR), banjo player Nathan Bowles (Keys) and keyboardist Cooper Crain of Bitchin Bajas (BCMC). He’s also contributed to recordings by Steve Gunn (Other You), Ryley Walker (SpiderBeetleBee), Bill Callahan & Bonnie Prince Billy (Blind Date Party), and Black Duck (on their self-titled record featuring Douglas McCombs and Charles Rumback). 

All of this social connection can no doubt be heard across the nine songs that comprise Locust Land, as MacKay crafts a luminous netherworld between the rootsy heaviness of the aforementioned Mr. Callahan and the psychedelic headiness of Robyn Hitchcock on compositions like “Half of You” and the Bert Jansch-invoking “When I Was Here.”

Rock & Roll Globe caught up with the artist just before he takes the stage in Chicago tonight for an album release celebration at The Hideout. 

He’ll be on the road all June long, including a stop at Public Records in Brooklyn and a go-home show in Detroit at the Moondog Café. See below for the full tour itinerary.

Locust Land comes out tomorrow on Drag City.

 

Why locusts? What is Locust Land metaphorically?

The title Locust Land really appealed to me first as a phrase. But locusts turn out to have a much wider history of different symbolic references that I had thought. So, for me the record title and album have to do with our own world. Magical, unpredictable, demanding, abundant.  

 

When you were working on the music for Locust Land, how did you decide which songs called for vocals and which should remain instrumental?

It really came down to the original inspiration for each song. The vocal songs were born that way, lyrics being written in close proximity to the melody and changes. The instrumental songs happened similarly. Of course, one can often tack on words to a good melody, so there were some choices made, but it was very instinctual which suits me best. 

What inspired you to work more collaboratively on this album? How did you go about inviting people to participate?

I wanted to hear new colors and sounds on several songs, and I simply knew that inviting these particular other artists to join me, that they would come up with special things I’d never think of doing. And they did. 

 

Were there any particular artists or albums that informed the direction of Locust Land?

I can’t say it was a thought of mine. I usually don’t draw inspiration that way much at all. I might notice later at some point that there is a hint of someone I admire, but it’s never been a way I want to work. Loads of artists have left their mark on me, but I prefer to let that boil up naturally. It will if it’s meant to. 

 

What is the story behind the artwork for Locust Land?

I did that artwork late in the game. It strikes me as a kind of mythic place, with structures, mountains and so on, yet it’s floating on a pier above the sand. I liked the sense of something fantastic that is real, and also hovering, perhaps out of immediate grasp. It’s very life-like in that way. 

 

Looking forward to your upcoming solo show. How did you go about booking these gigs at various record shops, pubs and cafes? 

Thanks much. I’m delighted to be doing a wide range of dates this year. Booking a tour just tends to result in an unusual mix of venues. But I like the challenge of making any particular space work for my set. That’s not to say that certain venues don’t resist every attempt to do so.

 

How do you feel about playing out live in 2024? What’s the vibe out there these days?

I feel very good about it. Recent gigs and tours have all revealed to me the hunger and interest people have for anything vital that is happening. It pushes me to draw more out, to put more into the sets. I think appreciation is the main thing I feel on the road now. 

 

This is your fourth solo album on Drag City. What is it about the label that keeps you there? Were you always a Drag City fan?

I was always a fan of Drag City. It’s a vessel of invention. I’m in a great company of creators, so it always pushes me to do work I think is good. 

 

VIDEO: Bill MacKay “Glow Drift”