By Erik Proveaux
34 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JAN 2019
Rumours Have It…Going On
Holiday travels lead me to a brief stopover in Myrtle Beach, SC. The House of Blues,
Myrtle Beach, is a venue that regularly has live music and the price of a ticket is usually
reasonable. Plus, I have had some memorable experiences and seen some great
performers at this and other House of Blues across the country, but those stories we will
save for another day. Honestly, I am not a big fan of the price for a drink at the bar, but for
a commercial venue the audience is able to get an intimate experience with the artist in
a place with a cool vibe and flow.
Rumours, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band was on the schedule to play. At first I was a bit
skeptical to see a tribute band in a town with theaters dedicated to impersonations (and I
am sure that can be entertaining), but this was the House of Blues paired with the music
of Fleetwood Mac. To be familiar with the band Fleetwood Mac is to know the band’s
namesake and amazing collection of music that comprises the Grammy Award winning
and one of the best-selling albums of all time, Rumours.
The packed house instantly responded as the band entered the stage and broke into
Gold Dust Woman. It was clear that the audience, spanning multiple generations, had
familiarity and a great appreciation for the music of Fleetwood Mac. And Rumours was
ready and willing to enforce that appreciation by performing a dynamic set and taking
time between songs to share stories and histories of Fleetwood Mac and their band.
Rumours, hailing from Atlanta, GA, consists of 6 members, Mekenzie Jackson (Stevie
Nicks vocals), Doug Easterly (Guitar, percussions, and Lindsey Buckingham vocals),
Adrienne Cottrell (Keyboards and Christine McVie vocals), Alex Thrift (Guitar), Nick
Whitson (Bass), and Daniel Morrison (Drums).
The following interview is with Mekenzie Jackson:
I believe you said the band has been together for 5 years. Are you all the original members of Rumours?
“Alex and I are technically the only original members. Adrienne joined in December of 2014, Doug joined in January of 2015, Daniel joined in January
2017, and Nick came along in August of 2017.”
How did you come together and decide to form the band Rumours?
“Alex and I were in other bands together and I was getting tired of writing songs I didn’t believe in, so I figured I would rather sing songs other people
wrote. I asked him if he wanted to play some cover songs with me and then it spun into “Do you like Fleetwood Mac?” “Ok cool, let’s start a tribute
to them.”
Do you have any originals that you perform or do you limit your song selections to the Fleetwood Mac band’s play book?
“When we are performing with Rumours we only play Fleetwood Mac songs, but each member has their own music. Alex and I have Ex Wives, Adrienne
and Doug have their own solo careers, respectively. Daniel performs with a jazz group, and Nick has an indie rock band called Phantom Electric.”
How do you decide which Fleetwood Mac songs to perform?
“We looked up the top 20 Fleetwood Mac songs and added songs from there. Then we decided which of those songs could fit into 90 minutes and
which songs could be traced back and forth for certain shows. For example, one show you play I Don’t Wanna Know and Songbird instead of Second
Hand News and Landslide, although we’ve gotten death threats for not playing Landslide. Not sure how serious they were, but we took it pretty
seriously. We play the song now. Ok?”
What “liberties” do you take with any of the songs you select?
“We try to perform these songs the way Fleetwood Mac would have in the 70s and 80s. But we try to do it with a more updated sound because of
technology improving, i.e. PAs, amplifiers, sound equipment in general.”
Was House of Blues, Myrtle Beach, your first large venue?
“Yes. We had been playing local bars around Atlanta before we played at House of Blues. It was definitely a shock to all of us, but it made us realize
that the hustle is what was going to make us the most sought after and booked Fleetwood Mac Tribute band in the country. We are constantly touring
now and we thank those fans, specifically in Myrtle Beach, for helping us build our fan base.”
Prior to that, were all your gigs limited to the Atlanta area?
“Yes. Maybe once in Knoxville before our booking agent took over. But we booked ourselves shows that would sell out for an entire year. Alex made
sure that we were busy and that people wouldn’t forget we exist.”
It must be scary and exciting at the same time to put aside your careers to focus on music. At what point did you feel it time to pass on your fulltime
jobs and commit to pursue music?