Ben McKenzie Releases A Simple Thing

Oklahoma City - Ben Mckenzie has recently released his sophomore collection of works, a 7-song acoustic album called A Simple Thing.

It was recorded live on tape at Castle Row Studios in Del City.

“It took about two hours to do the whole thing. Which is funny because we worked on getting something done for like a year and a half there, but then it took two hours to finally bang one out and we just did it live,” explained McKenzie.

“We used an old half inch tape machine to record it through, which provided some cracking sounds that we were going after, you know, like for the old songwriter records. We’re big fans of those, and it’s really just an ode to some people I was really into and inspired by in a lot of ways too.”

Luke Tallon produced the record, Ron Treat Mastered it. John Tyler Perry and McKenzie’s sister collaborated on the artwork.

Jeremy Knipp and McKenzie co-wrote Worn out Shoes. Tallon and Mckenzie co-wrote Falling Pictures and Haywire. The rest of them were written by Mckenzie.

“I want to play music that builds bridges between people. I want to play music that can bring some joy to people even I know I have some downer tunes, but when people listen to my record, I'd like it to feel like I'm just playing for them in a living room or something. I'd like to just be relatable when playing, connected to the stuff that's like, a long since gone perspective,” said McKenzie.

Now that the album is done and out, Mckenzie says he’s going to continue to book shows and play gigs, and just do whatever it takes to make playing music for a living happen.

“It's a challenge sometimes, but it's worth it. Especially if you weigh the pros and cons. Which is something I don't do a whole lot of anyway,” explained Mckenzie. “I think playing music for a living is still a feasible thing that can be done. And so that's why I'm not going to give up.”

The journey of making this album also taught McKenzie a lot about himself and his passion for music.

“The most interesting thing I've learned about myself through making this album, is that I learned a lot about how much I care about music. One of the challenges of being a musician full time, is feeling like you've always got to have the status as an artist. And the self-doubt or whatever, it can kind of make you feel like you don't love it as much as you once did. Like you don’t romanticize it like you once did, and it can kind of take the soul out of you. It doesn't really do that, but it sort of feels that way sometimes.,” explained McKenzie.  “For this album, we had some trouble getting it released. We had things going on that were so far from music and art that were hindering us from being able to get this art or this music out to people. It was driving me up the wall. I spoke to people at the studio and then to the people that are helping me put this stuff out, I talked to them like I had never talked to people in the music business before. Like this is pure passion and I was an asshole but I had to be to get something done, at least that's how I saw everything.”

McKenzie says that while the process of getting the album out was long and drawn out, and definitely had some challenging moments, that it all was a learning experience that taught him plenty.

 “I realized about myself that I said things that I would never say and made phone calls that I would never make. I related that to both the frustration of how long it's taken to get something out and how much I love what I'm doing and how much I love what I do and hopefully get to continue to do,” said McKenzie. “It was a pain in the ass and it's tenuous on friendship, but at the end of the day, it's what we do. We got it done, and I'm thankful for everyone involved. And, you know, I hope that we can all do this again and hopefully we can get it all to work a little better next time.”

A Simple Thing opens up with a short little title called The Intro. It’s fun, because you think it’s a song starting and then Mckenzie breaks in talking and it’s a little outtake from the studio which just adds some genuine authenticity to the whole vibe of the album.

Next up is Carousel, a fast paced song about a gal with a matching fast paced life, who gets the advice to’ try to stay upright while you’re riding that carousel’. It’s a story telling song, and it’s done well, painting a picture of someone we all might even feel we know.

Mckenzie’s voice is raspy and light all at the same time, giving it a nostalgic quality of music from the late 70’s or so. I would easily compare his sound and style to legends like Neil Young, James Taylor and even Simon and Garfunkle.

“I wrote Carousel in the bathroom of my old apartment in Stillwater about someone I grew up with, who left the herd and went to New York City and then moved to Hollywood, started working crazy jobs in Hollywood and got into all kinds of crazy shit. Just kind of wrote a song about her,” said McKenzie.

Maybe I will is a slowed down, easy paced tune with a lovely melancholy feel to it. It’s got a distinct singer/songwriter vibe, a song that feels perfect for a rainy night with a sky full of clouds and stars. It’s got an unapologetic and raw quality to it. The lyrics have a kind of depth that can feel almost lost in this day in age, and the vocals bring that to life in such a simple way.

 Down on the Prairie has a good toe tapping quality but in that serene and lazy way of a journey that has no real destination and no rush to get there. The vocals show a deeper range in this song, following the story up and down and around. The lyrics have a soulful and bluesy type quality, a story of a down trodden man, but it’s done in such a soulful way that makes it much more lovely than sorrowful, or perhaps such a good blending of the two.

“Down on the prairie was the song that I wrote kind of halfway in the studio, it’s about several things. It was written after I witnessed an altercation between a cop and a guy in a wheelchair, and I saw this little brief moment and it pissed me off.  So the idea of the song came about from that, which resulted in the first verse. The second verse came from a friend of mine who committed suicide.  That’s the part that came out in the studio, I had the first part for a while and didn’t have anything else and I needed to get something off my chest I guess, and I did,” said McKenzie. “So it’s sort of random how it’s thrown together, but it sort of kind of worked out in its own way.”

“We did a Mental media video, and I recorded that song.  I had some friends from where I grew up, which was the same place my friend I wrote the song was from, that I hadn't heard from in a long time  contact me after seeing the video because they understood from the verse what I was talking about and I hadn’t expected that at all, so it kind of like awakened sort of some old friendships and ghosts from the past, you know? And like that's kind of cool. People I hadn't talked to in years.”

Antique Wings feels like it takes you on bit of a ride, slowed down and sped up and leading you down a trail by McKenzie’s soft and smooth voice, with lyrics like being “a devil holding onto the antique wings of an angel”. It’s got a love song quality to it, but definitely not a traditional love story, this one feels more raw and real and laced with all the deeper and maybe sometimes darker things that sometimes get glossed over in modern day love stories.

“Antique Wings is most special to me because it’s about my sweet Logie, who has been here through thick and thin for me,” said McKenzie.

Haywire starts off with “your sister says you sound like Nirvana…” which holds some truth. While I feel like Mckenzie’s vocals and sounds do carry with it a touch of the 90’s rock scene, it’s got more of the feeling of the classic rock vibe, however it’s more folksy and less angsty.

“Haywire is a song that I wrote all the way from Fort Smith Arkansas to Amarillo on I- 40 all the way.  I played a wedding the night before and I was driving back to Amarillo and had a couple ideas and stopped off at Hext, Oklahoma. It’s not really a town anymore, it used to be. It’s by Hollis, Oklahoma. I pulled off there because I thought it sounded interesting, Hext, and there was this old creepy church. I just drove around there, in this little area for like 30 minutes on an old desolate road and wrote that song,” said McKenzie.

 There’s something alluring to the quiet way Mckenzie’s voice pulls you in, seemingly without even really trying. His music and lyrics all seem unrushed and even slightly unpolished in the best way possible. His music gives you the feeling that you have all the time in the world to just lean in and feel what you need to feel, to learn what you need to learn, and to find whatever it is you need to find.

Falling Pictures has that meandering spirit, full of melancholy and blues, but wrapped up in a tune that has almost a whimsical quality to it. It’s a sad song full of hope in an unassuming way, woven together with the expressive vocals which make the words come alive.

“Falling Pictures was a song that took like three different writing sessions with Luke Tallon. I wrote the first part, the first verse and chorus all in one session. Then I wrote most of the lyrics and Luke really helped a lot with the arrangement of all the cords, some funkier changes than I would usually write. I learned a lot about that working with Luke. He's really, really good at arranging songs and putting chords together and he really helped a lot with that on a few of the songs that were on this record, and other songs that were written in the past. So even though it was just me playing acoustic and singing into the microphone, a lot of the stuff that I was able to do was from being helped out with my friends like Luke and Jeremy, by input from people that are from around here, you know?”

Worn out shoes wraps it all up nicely, with a sweet little ditty, soft and smooth, simple but with a depth you wouldn’t really expect. Each of these songs are filled with such an authentic and raw energy, but in a way that takes you by surprise, because they don’t demand anything from you, they just offer up their treasures in a tune for you to take or leave, and it doesn’t seem to matter either way, which makes it even more endearing.

It's a great acoustic album that has a lot to offer, and just highlights all the talented promise of this young musician. Go find it on all available streaming platforms, and follow McKenzie’s social media sites for more info on shows.