On May 20th and for Mental Health Awareness Month, singer/songwriter Brian Mackey released released “Saturday Night Sleeping,” a song that embodies the deep sentiment of losing a loved one in the battle against addiction and opioid abuse. It draws from Brian’s loss of his own son and namesake, Brian, to a heroin overdose on a warm Saturday night in May.
The minute we heard this beautiful song we couldn’t get it out of our heads. It’s one of the best and most touching songs we’ve ever heard. The production is smart, professional and brought this song to a new whole level. Brian’s voice is charmingly pure on top of honest and emotional lyrics. The melodies are catchy and mesh with Brian’s voice and lyrics perfectly. His vocal performance in this song is unbelievable and shows how talented he is. This song brings a new emotion with every listen! We hope you love it as much as we do!
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Singer-Songwriter Brian Mackey voices what often goes unsaid with warmth and vulnerability that is reminiscent yet new. He’s often been told that he has a sound that combines a healthy balance of Folk, Pop, Rock, and Americana with a voice that is in the likes of the late Jim Croce. Originally from the northern Florida panhandle, Brian was raised on a diet of 90’s alt-rock and 70’s folk music. From a very early age, the youngest of three had an ear for music. His grandmother played piano, sitting in at local clubs, and his mother dabbled in songwriting. There was nothing Brian liked more than music. “I used to ‘steal’ albums from my brothers and parents. I remember listening to Queen’s Night at the Opera over and over and over. I never got sick of it, never got sick of listening to the radio or hearing new music,” he says. “I liked everything, it didn’t matter what it was as long as the musicians played instruments!”
Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, Brian released his single “Keep The World Alive,” written and recorded remotely as an anthem for 2020 and how the world as we knew it has changed-simultaneously with the loss of his brother. In a time when the pandemic has also changed the landscape of the music and live entertainment industry in its entirety, it was featured in American Songwriter Magazine, the video garnered over two million views on Facebook, and sparked much coverage across numerous press outlets.
Brian began recording his 2nd full–length album at Sony Tree Studios in Nashville, TN, due to release later this year. A writing project during 2019/20 with his friend Jeff King (Reba McEntire/Brooks & Dunn) sparked several tracks, “My Only Friend” and “Six Strings” on the new forthcoming album, as well as Mackey’s new standouts, “Saturday Night Sleeping,” “Even Though I Try,” “Count The Stars,” and “Bird In A Cage.” The album comes after a period of touring and single releases.
In 2018 + 2019, Brian toured with Katie Voegele and Tyler Hilton on their joint European tour, Howie Day, Tyler Hilton, and American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. The tours supported a collection of singles, “Promise Me”, “Don’t Own Much”, “Underwater,” and “Learn To Be” produced in Los Angeles by Jon Levine (Rachel Platten, Andy Grammer). “Learn to Be” charted #1 most added for 3 weeks in a row tied with John Mayer on the US FMQB A/C Charts. This single, poppy and bold, reflects on the life lessons of learning to live without a crutch and the liberation of breaking free. The music video for “Underwater” premiered at the Huffington Post, boasting the headline “Sublimely Gorgeous Music From Brian Mackey“. It was also officially nominated for an HMMA award for “Best Independent Music Video”, along with his video for, “Don’t Own Much.
During this timeframe, he has also toured with David Bromberg in the US, with Ron Pope in Europe, and Jon McLaughlin for select dates. In 2015, Brian released his first full-length album Broken Heartstrings, a collection of pop-infused American folk-rock, also in Nashville. The music took him through a very personal journey, spurred by loss and then renewal, and signified a new beginning for Brian. He assembled a talented team: Producer Sam Ashworth, Engineer Richie Biggs (Tom Petty, The Civil Wars), bassist Mark Hill (Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban), and guitarist Jeff King, (Reba McEntyre/Brooks& Dunn). Broken Heartstrings yielded his hit single, “Are You Listening,” which, after being featured on YouTube by gamer Gronkh about the PlayStation 4 game “Until Dawn,” became a runaway hit in Germany. The song peaked at #8 on the A/C Radio Charts in the US, charted top 25 on German iTunes, was on the ‘100 Most Sold’ chart on Amazon Germany, had over 400k streams on Spotify, and resulted in sold-out shows throughout the country.
