Chris MacKay & The ToneShifters

Chris Mackay and the Tone-Shifters’ “Blue Collar Happy Hour” paints a cozy picture of good company and beer at a little downtown shack in VT complete with jazzy squeezebox and twin lead guitars. This tune also closes with sweet doo-wop a cappella. Songs like these make the listener want to get up and have a good time! - Soundwaves Magazine April 2015

Chris MacKay and the Toneshifters
All Washed Up

self released

By Ms. Marci
September 2014

Zydeco now has a new name. It’s “Chris MacKay and the ToneShifters!” That is mostly, but not solely due to the innovative songwriting of singer/percussionist, Chris Mackay. He is joined by a fine troupe of musicians that include his wife Susan Mackay on accordion, Greg Colbath on guitar, Ben Perry on bass and Ron Adams on drums. His band members are truly “Toneshifters” in that they have taken typical Zydeco to another level. There are elements of roots Rock ‘n’ Roll and Rockabilly adding to the flavor of this recording. With exception of Adams, all of the band members join in on backing vocals.
Track one is the title track “All Washed Up” and begins with peppy guitar riffs that break down to a short passage of scatting bass and drums accented by subtle accordion and guitar. This recipe sets the table for humorous reflections of how life was and now is. “I remember back in the day, when everything was goin’ my way…now I’m pinchin’ pennies from the cookie jar…because I’m all washed up with no place to go!” This is a real dance tune. If you’re not at least moving in your seat, dial 911! I was truly impressed with the arrangement…not just the instrumentation but the backing vocals as well! The unique way this tune ended was unexpected, too!
The second cut, “Sour Grapes” takes the listener to another level with a rumba like rhythm. There’s one segment in the bridge of this song that made me hit the rewind button, “Spreadin’ lies and hatred all over town. You made your own bed, but you won’t lie down!” I thought about people I’ve known who I would like to say that to and I’m certain most listeners would feel the same. The chorus utilizes the classic expression, “Wine tastes sweeter when the grapes aren’t sour!”
Cut three changes mood again with melancholy music that would be expected of a song titled, “Teardrops Fall.” The forth cut literally changes tracks in “Go Speed.” The song opens with slide guitar riffs that imitate the sound of a race car going thru the gears to top speed. The guitarist maintains that passion in his solo and throughout the song in sections. The tempo stays lively on the fifth cut, “Hard Times.” Chris MacKay muses about keeping your spirits up and showing kindness when times aren’t as sunny as they used to be. This song has another fine arrangement, with accents of bass and drums throughout the song. MacKay literally ends this tune on a high note!
Track six gets a little funky with syncopated instrumentation, accent on the bass and drums. I think anyone who is aware of the reality that Father Time chases us all of our lives will identify with the sentiments of this song. As he ends this tune, MacKay dares Father Time to, “Come on an’ catch me!”
Cut seven, “Picture On The Fridge,” is a lively 12-bar blues. There’s nothing too profound in the lyric department. Frankly, this song doesn’t need that element. It’s just a playful song about how, “All I’ve got left is your picture on the fridge!” Once again, the arrangement is the shining star. There are genuinely enjoyable vocal call and response trade-offs!
Track eight is another playful up-tempo tune, singing the praises of “Lena.” The chorus made me chuckle as MacKay declares in one passage that, “She's the apple of my eye," and then returns with, “When she’s not rotten to the core, she’s the one that I adore!” I must say, there were times that I thought he may have been referring about a pet, as he punctuates the songs with the words, “Oh, Lena, you’re drivin’ me crazy, you’re a bad girl!”
The next to last cut on this disc, “Can’t Tie me Down” has a jazzy, blues groove with a moderate up-tempo meter. The chorus has a catchy hook using the song title and well orchestrated vocal harmonies. As you might have guessed from the lyrics in the chorus, this is a song about breaking loose from the everyday burdens and hitting the passing lane of life.
The final cut, “Shakin” possesses a style that diverts from the rest of this offering. It builds slowly on the intro, and then breaks into a hypnotic sound in a minor scale and a NOLA approach to the arrangement. It makes you want to give this man a mojo hand because the woman he’s tooting about sure put a spell on him! She “Sends those shivers up an’ down my spine, feels all prickly like a porcupine. I’m shakin!”
Overall, this CD has the quality of a recording arranged and performed by serious, professional musicians. I enjoyed it very much and think that if you like music that takes you on a journey, you’ll enjoy it, too!
Special guests:
Nashville guitar God, Johnny Hiland-lead and rhythm guitar on “Picture On The ‘fridge”
Steve Cleary-Rhythm guitar on “Picture On The ‘fridge”
Eddie Lonardo- Drums on “Picture On The ‘fridge”
Josi Davis- Backing vocals on “All Washed Up,” Teardrops Fall,” “Can’t Tie Me Down,” and “Picture On The ‘fridge” -

Chris MacKay & the Tone Shifters - Olde Mistick Village Arts Cinemas
For the fortunate crowd of musicians, music lovers and families that poured into the beautiful Olde Mistick Village Arts Cinemas on Thursday evening to attend this great music venue's first purely local artist, double-bill concert, things got off to an instantly special start.

From the first few bars of their opening tune Something In the Water,people got to know just what ToneShifting is all about.
Chris Mackay & the Tone Shifters have a very unique, eclectic musical sound, reflecting the fact that the band brings together a truly talented group of musicians, who are clearly adept at blending different musical genres into an indescribably delicious stew. Once the listener tries it, they're hooked and their musical taste buds are changed forever.

Chris Mackay's personal musical evolution and journey has taken him from his much heralded role as the young percussionist with CT's most influential 80's modern music band New Johnny 5, through his many reincarnations into blues, funk, swamp music and even rockabilly.

Over the years Chris not only became a great, vocalist, lyricist and charismatic front man, he had the good taste and sense to marry Sue Mackay, have a family. Like many of us, Chris has lived a life of ups and downs and he writes and sings about it in a personal and passionate way that people can truly relate to. With songs like Father Time, Working Stiff and the great title track of the soon to be released CD Picture On the 'fridge, Chris MacKay and The Tone Shifters are offering something truly special you can grab a hold of, sing along with and positively dance to, and it's definitely going to take them places.

Their non-stop 14 song set on Thursday night clearly revealed how much this band really loves playing together. Sue's accordion, together with the Chris's washboard and percussion puts down an almost zydeco meets jug band feel.What can you say that hasn't already been said elsewhere about Steve Cleary's guitar work. Guitarists I know in the audience were simply amazed at his beautiful phrasing, uncanny solos and irresistible hooks. Steve always performs with a constant, happy smile on his face from ear to ear. He obviously loves performing and has done so in every genre as well as through his years of solo and duo work throughout the region. His vocals are also always excellent and he could sing lead himself in any musical act.

What a great night this show at the Olde Mistick Village Arts Cinemas truly was. By the time the awesome Chris MacKay and The Tone Shifters handed over the stage to the headliners The Munsell Brothers Band for a totally amazing set of their own, the audience was totally grateful, elated and hungry for the great night of music that was to follow.

If you haven't heard the Tone Shifters lately, treat yourself to a great night at a local club when they're around, and definitely pick up their new CD Picture On the 'fridge very soon. - Richard Douglas - Music Promoter/ Show Review

If you haven't seen Chris MacKay & the Tone Shifters yet, now's the time. A roots outfit with a solid underpinning in swampy blues, the band is pretty much capable of astonishing work in whatever direction they spin off. Later this month, they releases their debut CD,Picture on the 'fridge, so a sampling will be in the offing.

-RICK KOSTER - The Day

****Press Release**** Feb. 17th 2013 Chris MacKay & the ToneShifters based in New London County have just been nominated to represent the state of Connecticut at the upcoming New England Music Awards to be held April 13th at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, MA. Formed in 2009, the ToneShifters energetic live show melds their individual musical tastes into a danceable freestyle fusion of blues, rock, swing, rockabilly and honky tonk, otherwise known as “Swinginrockabluesabilly.” They released the single “Lena” on the Good Sponge label “Good Sponge Volume 1” compilation in March 2012 followed by a full length debut “Picture on the ‘Fridge” in April 2012, which will be re-released in a new format this spring. Most recently their single “Go Speed” was released on the Good Sponge label “Volume II” compilation, which is now available for download and will be available as a hard copy shortly. - Wailingcity.com

As per their invigorating performance late last year on The Day's Live Lunch Break," the latest and hopefully permanent incarnation of Chris MacKay & the Tone Shifters is a mighty unit that fuses a variety of rock, rockabilly and honky tonk attitudes in riotous fashion.

- RICK KOSTER - The Day

2013 New England Music Award nominee blend bar band fervor with some cool percussion tricks.
Chris Arnott- - CT.Com March 28th 2013

Go Speed-Chris MacKay & the ToneShifters. Country/rock/swing with an accordion. Yes, an accordion! A melting pot of awesome!
-Tamyra Davis
- Local Band Review April 4th, 2013 "Top 5 Sampler Tracks"

Interview by Corrine Jensen



1. How would you describe your sound/the music you’re making in 10 words or less?
Swingaswampabluesabilly

2. Of all my songs, the one that...
A. people tell me they like the most is: "Picture On The 'Fridge"
B. is my favorite to perform is: "Picture On The 'Fridge" because it is rocking, fun and has a chorus people can sing together.
C. holds the most meaning for me is: "Father Time" because it's about getting older and looking back at your life, decisions you've made, paths you have taken and culminating with where it has gotten you, what you have learned and being thankful for what you have.

3. What is the best advice you've ever received?
After placing my order at a diner in NY late one night after a gig, our Road Manager said "Never! Ever!, order chicken salad again! It could kill you!"

4. What song or artist is your guilty pleasure?
The Ditty Bops or any 80's new wave.

5. If you could collaborate with any New London County musician/singer/group/artist who would it be?
Gonna cheat and pick a few! Ken Atkins, Nancy Parent, Josi Wales Davis, and the Franklin Bros.

6. What do you do when you’re not making music?
Making dinner! Stressing too much! Taking care of my boys, wife, dogs and cats.

7. What do you think has been your biggest success in the last year?
Finishing the first version of our CD that has had many obstacles along the way and took much too long to make! And having people believe in us enough to help us get out there and be heard.

8. How did you feel the moment you found out you were up for a Whalie?
Flabbergasted! Especially in a category with so many veteran heavyweights! I would say we are a huge underdog to win it but we are honored to be considered. So if you appreciate the underdog..... Just sayin!

9. If you could walk down the ‘red’ carpet with anyone/thing, who/what would it be?
I would say my wife but she will be with me anyhow, so I think my dad who is in his 80's would be cool. He would be proud of me. I would also like to have the group of folks that I thanked on our CD. That would be awesome!

10. How are you going to celebrate post-Whalies
Hope to have some beers at the Dutch with my fellow musicians. - www.wailingcity.com

Anyone venturing into area music clubs recently can attest to the fact that it's been raining roots and Americana.
Fortunately, Ben Parent has an umbrella.
More to the point, Parent, leader of the local alt-country band the Rivergods and co-founder of the songerwriter-in-the-round series called the Sinners Circle, has started Good Sponge Records. It's an outfit that combines marketing and product distribution for area roots artists and, though this includes signing acts and recording and distributing their EPs and CDs, Parent is hesitant to call Good Sponge a label per se.
"I prefer to say it's an umbrella," Parent says. "It is a label, but it's a philosophy and a way of doing business beyond just recording albums and putting them out."
Good Sponge actually started as a vehicle for Parent to release and distribute the Rivergods' 2011 album, "Signs." Shortly thereafter, he released "Vision of Angels," a single by his wife and fellow Rivergod member, Nancy Brossard-Parent, and then an EP by the blues-rock oriented Sue Menhart Band.
A celebration of the "umbrella" takes place tonight with a release party for "The Good Sponge Sampler, Volume 1," which features 15 tracks from Americana acts across the region.
It takes place at Waterford's Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, and most of the artists on the sampler will perform on one of the two live music stages.
Included on the album are John Fries & the Heat, the Rivergods, Chris MacKay & the ToneShifters, Nancy Parent and Hugh Birdsall, Dogbite, Vince Tuckwood, the Sue Menhart Band, Dirt Road Radio, Amalgamated Duck, Anne Castellano & the Smoke, Kevin Salley, Lauren Agnelli & Dave Rave, and the Franklin Brothers.
Most of those acts are officially affiliating with Good Sponge, and plans are each will release EPs or full-length CDs for the label in 2012.
Parent's blueprint is a fusion of music industry strategies ranging from old school major label-style elements to marketing and distribution angles that morph and expand daily through social media.
His career as a Rivergod spanned the precise time period when a) roots music became a respected and popular genre beyond anything previous, and b) independent and DIY music exploded as artists started taking control of their own careers in defiance of outdated or restrictive major label practices.
"I learned a lot dealing with all of that," Parent says. The Rivergods are now comfortably entrenched as local artists, and Parent and Brossard-Parent are indeed parents to two children.
But there was a time when they pursued national stardom as a bigger priority, and the lessons gleaned over the years had a profound effect.
Simply expressed, Good Sponge works on a project-by-project basis. Initial sales goals are realistic but ambitious - maybe start out trying to move a few hundred copies - and, using Parent's design skills and marketing connections, the hope is to create a ripple effect for each band and recording through a co-op spirit.
"There's a lot of overlap of talent," Parent says. "We're all friends and have played together. At the same time, a lot of these artists have other skills and connections, too, and we pool resources. We share resources and try to use available options."
For example, Lauren Agnelli and Matthew Male of Amalgamated Muck run the Small Town Concert Series and promote live music in such venues as Old Saybrook's Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center and the Chester Meeting House. Similarly, Carl Franklin's PWOP Studio is a world-class facility where some of the Good Sponge recording sessions have taken place.
Good Sponge isn't the first local label to consciously target a broad talent pool. For years, Rich Martin's Cosmodemonic Telegraph tapped into the area indie rock scene, releasing albums, singles, EPs and compilations that earned national sales and radio airplay. More recently, Cosmodemonic Telegraph has expanded and included bands performing in a variety of styles.
Good Sponge, Parent says, will stay more stylistically focused in the roots arena, but he points out that a variety of genres in that parameter - from blues, folk and rockabilly to bluegrass, honky tonk and alt-country - are pretty diverse.
"I became a fan of Good Sponge when they started and released Nancy's and Sue's projects," says Chris MacKay of the ToneShifters. Parent soon contacted MacKay to see if the ToneShifters were interested in the Good Sponge compilation. Since the band already had some recorded, unreleased material, they jumped at the chance. "We loved the idea of exposure and bands working together for a common goal, and it's worked out perfectly for us. It's incredible how quickly and organized the whole project has been."
While guitarist John Fries and his band, the Heat, maintain their independent stature and will shortly release their own EP, the idea of local labels is something he supports. Fries and the Heat had positive experiences when they released material for Cosmodemonic Telegraph, and - The Day

Nashville guitar picker Johnny Hiland has agreed to lay down a track for Chris MacKay & the ToneShifters upcoming debut release "Picture On The 'Fridge" which is due to hit the streets in March. Some of the acts Johnny has worked in the studio with include Randy Travis, Toby Keith, Vince Gill,Ricky Skaggs,Hank III, Steve Vai and Sammy Hagar. Johnny has several c.d.'s out of his own including his current offering "All Fired Up" on Shrapnel Records. You can check him out at www.johnnyhiland.net to learn more about Johnny and his projects. - All Media Outlets - Nov. 2012

The afternoon started with one of the first shows by Chris MacKay & the ToneShifters, "We've been looking forward to this show for a long time" said vocalist MacKay after the bands well received set. "We're sort of the new kids on the block around here, and we wanted to come out and show everyone we could compete with the amazing talent in this area"
Debbie and Leonard Smith of Humbold, CA said New London reminded them a lot of their town four miles north of San Francisco. "This is a great place. Whats not to like?" He nodded toward the band. These guys are great too. I wish we could stay for the whole night." - The Day