Singer Carson Macc Of Detroit’s Mac Saturn Talks About Their Debut Album, Working With Local Music Legends And More

Mac Saturn singer, Carson Macc joins me today, as their "Hard To Sell" record finally drops this Friday, January 26th, with a show to celebrate that night at the Fillmore Detroit.

The process of making this record began long ago. Working with Al Sutton at Rust Belt Studios, they brought what they thought were solid songs, but they weren't. "We brought them so many songs that we thought were it!" Carson said that although they didn't use those songs, they learned much about their songwriting process. More on Al and others who helped them in a minute.

As far as pegging this band's sound, that's a tough one. Carson describes it like this "We're from Detroit. We're Rock and Roll, but we're from Detroit so we got a little bit of funk and soul" He said people always compare them to so many different bands. "We like to do things authentically"

This band does not shy away from being from Detroit. "You gotta say it. You've got to wear that on your sleeve, because why wouldn't you?" They want to be part of the musical fabric that's so strong from years gone by. They are the future of that sound.

As far as singers he's been influenced by, that's another one you just can't point to. He says he takes elements from all of his inspirations "...and be completely free on top of this band, that has some serious players in it." Yes, the band is very tight.

As far as the tour is concerned, Mac Saturn is hopping right into it. They're going all over the country from January 26 at the Fillmore, right through until St. Patrick's Day.

Carson was never at a loss to talk about working with Al Sutton at Rust Belt Studios in Royal Oak. "He was always pushing us to see how far we could take this sound." Kid Rock guitarist and backup singer, Marlon Young and Hershell Boone were all on board in the creation of this album. He sang their praises and spoke to how much he learned from all of them.

You can watch the video for "Mint Julep" here.

It was great to talk to Carson. Wishing nothing but the best for him and the band as they start out on this trek. You can meet the band on Thursday at Dearborn Music in Dearborn starting at 6 pm for a listening/meet & greet party.

Here's the audio-only version of the conversation.

https://wrif.com/episodes/singer-carson-macc-of-detroits-mac-saturn/

The image of my friend Steve Galli leaning against the wall next to a door of WRIF stickers has been making the rounds all over the internet lately. He sent me a text saying that the picture was taken in 1986 or 87. He said it was at the station when we were on 10 mile in Southfield connected to WXYZ, Channel 7.

The iconic stickers have been a big part of the RIFF for the entire 52 years of the station's existence. At every appearance I make someone always, without fail, asks me for a sticker. To this day, I have people sending me self-addressed stamped envelopes looking for the latest ones. Heck, you even see them for sale on certain websites. To me, that's kinda crazy.

Personally, my favorite ones are the stickers in which we get permission from the bands to use their band's logo. One of my favorite RIFF shirts is the one with the famous WRIF oval and METALLICA scrawled across it in that famous font.

I'll never forget coming to interview for my job at the station 28 years ago. As I drove down the street I soon came upon the station parking lot. In it were WRIF promotional vans with the iconic station logo on them It was kind of surreal.

As you can see from the picture below, there have been many WRIF stickers over the years. Think about it for a second, not many other stations do what the RIFF has done with these things over the years. In some ways, the sticker is almost as iconic as the station itself. And the fact that people are still asking for them is the best thing of all.

Check out some of the past stickers below.

https://wrif.com/shows/meltdown-on-wrif/

https://wrif.com/shows/meltdown-on-wrif/