Colin MacIntyre (aka Mull Historical Society) Interview: SXSW 2010

Scottish songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and author Colin MacIntyre has released five albums since he emerged on the European music scene in 2000 -- the first three under the group name Mull Historical Society. MacIntyre, whose sound could best be described as a fusion of pop rock, folk and soul, have achieved four UK Top 40 singles and two UK Top 20 albums. His latest release and second under his own name, 'Island,' is his most stripped-down and intimate album to date. MacIntyre is currently working on a follow-up to 2008's 'The Water,' with a bigger, more electric sound.

Describe your sound in your own words.

I'll say this as objectively as I can: It's just what I feel in my head and body coming out. Sometimes you hear a sound like it's a sugar rush that you want to capture, and sometimes it's more of an emotion, more deeply felt. I think my sound is quite widescreen, and I do think I compose in an orchestral way, albeit without having any formal training whatsoever. Having been a producer of my own music helps, too, as it makes you think of your songs as sounds and not only melodies. My sound is best captured when I'm willing to jump of a cliff for it.

What are your musical influences?

Growing up, my influence were my uncles and their cover band. They played the Stones, the Beatles, Van Morrison, Beach Boys -- all sorts. I grew up on an island called Mull in the Scottish Hebrides in the Atlantic, so national radio/music shops/cinema were not available. So I was lucky to have live music coming out of my uncle's garage every night. I saw the instruments and the craft involved and just caught the bug. I was honored to find out that my last album was on Brian Wilson's tour bus, so my influences -- or my uncles' -- have swung full circle, if such a thing is possible.

What made you decide to start using your name after being so well known as Mull Historical Society?

I decided that the three MHS albums were a body of work, and it was time to re-explore my creativity and freshen things up. I'm very proud of my MHS material, and it will always be a part of anything I do. The MHS demos were originally sent out to labels under my own name, so in my mind it wasn't such a shift. Hopefully, people who liked my MHS music have no issues with it -- they don't seem to have -- and folk seem to be joining the dots between my two identities.

How did you get started with music?

As I've mentioned, there was music in my family, and the other side are all writers, so creativity was always around. But coming from a small island, there weren't too many record labels coming through. So I started writing songs when I was 6 or 7. At first, they were just thoughts and then I was given [money] by my grandfather to go and buy a secondhand acoustic guitar. Some years older, when I was 14, I put my foot through it in teenage anger! So I got a 4-track recorder and a Fender Telecaster and eventually moved to Glasgow where the environment was so different it sparked a songwriting deluge. I couldn't keep up with myself. Somehow I've learned other instruments since but still approach them as a tradesman would a tool.

What inspires you to write or make music?

People, places, being in transit. As Bob Dylan says, "Putting one foot in front of the other" -- any form of motion helps. I like being in planes, trains, buses, and my mind starts to think of what can seem like little nursery rhymes, and before too long they become songs. Still never seen John Candy, though. So environment is a big part of it, I always have the Hebrides stored inside me somewhere, even if I'm stuck on the London tube packed like a sardine.Oh, and books, films and the Paris Review Interviews greatly inspire me.

What's your biggest vice?

I have a real weakness for carrot cake and red wine. Also, buying too many books ... I've always got a stack of books and can't get through it. it's quite depressing having that many words sitting there that you're trying to digest and haven't even opened the cover, yet I'll still buy more.

Beatles or Stones?

I'd have to say the Beatles. The distinction I would make is that when I was a kid I used to love watching the clips of them -- the girls going crazy, the haircuts and the suits -- it was almost Beatlemania more than it was the Beatles' songs. As I've matured, I would say the Stones interest me more musically. I'd rather listen to the Stones, but there's something about the Beatles that just grabbed me more, just the whole aura around them.

What's the craziest thing you've experienced on tour?

I suppose that one of the most surreal things I've done is, on my first album, 'Lost,' the cover is a dog wearing a wig. It looked about like Scooby-Doo, kind of blue-haired. So think of a 15-foot version of this dog as kind of a prop. It was on wheels, and we toured it behind the bus. Sometimes I think about that and think what the hell did that have to do with the music? But it was good fun at the time.

What are your plans for this year?

I'm going to be working on a collection of songs. They'll be more like the material is from my album 'Water,' more electric, and a bigger sound. I'm also working on a completely different thing -- very different from what I've done, but seems to be coming together quite instinctively. I feel quite set with a vision I have creatively for the next year to 18 months...just have to keep the songs coming. I'm really excited to be going to SXSW. I'm hoping to pick up as many performances there as I can. It's quite fun trying to put together a set list. I've got 5 albums and new songs to represent. It's my first time, so I'm not quite sure yet what to expect, but I know it's going to be great fun.


Samantha Shrader is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.