When You Have Community, No One Dies in Obscurity
Billy Mack featured by Gabriella Peña covering how to bring people together over music
Happy Nigerian Independence Day on October 1st! This month our header is in homage to this gorgeous country.
Monthly Header: &z. (zeinab “ames” ajasa)
Story: Gabriella Peña
Interviewer: Sophia Stopper
Featured Artist & Interviewee: Billy Mack
It’s a well known sentiment that many famous artists aren’t recognized for their prowess until they’ve passed on. I would contest that saying and shift the focus from how others perceive artists to how artists perceive themselves. Many artists do not recognize their own talents, and therefore find it difficult to advertise themselves, to sell others on creations they themselves do not see the worth in. This is why community is so important in the artistic world. Surrounding oneself with a positive, warm, and loving base allows the artist to see the merit in their own work reflected through others’ eyes. If Billy Mack has stressed anything throughout this artistic career, it is the importance of community.
In 2015, Billy Mack released a song titled ‘City Without Limits Theme Song’ on Bandcamp. Before putting the song out on social media however, he sent out the chords and lyrics which led to 95 covers around the globe before the song was even released. The outpour, love, and support he received from the song was what inspired him to take his creative ventures in new directions. He became emboldened to open a coffee shop in 2016, which was open until 2019. This shop became his ‘Coffee House Without Limits’, an artistic hub that sponsored music, galleries, and a myriad of other organized events centering community togetherness. The popularity of the shop allowed for Billy Mack to refocus on his ‘Collector Project’, which was a solo project that he started in 2005. The project had formed into a band in 2007, first touring in 2008. Billy Mack was able to meet many musical collaborators at his shop, in addition to the various he met on his travels.
‘Collector’ quickly became an invitation for a wide array of talent to join him on his tours. In his interview with Sophia Stopper, Co-Founder of The Neighbors, Billy Mack described some of his most memorable shows to be Crandall Pumps in Crandall, South Dakota, where he and an accompaniment of other artists played in, “...the yard of a gas station in an 8-person town.” He and his fellow artists joining him on tour went on to perform at a Zombie Prom in Bismarck, North Dakota, the “defunct cave attraction” in Rapid City, South Dakota, the “anarchist tent city” in Gainesville, Florida, an apple orchard in Ithaca, New York, and many more entirely exciting venues, as featured in the interview. Calling Billy Mack a seasoned musician would be an understatement.
Despite claiming and holding pride for his art, Billy Mack continues to place his emphasis on community and spreading the love. ‘City Without Limits’ has been covered nearly a hundred times, and yet, Billy Mack welcomes that invitation for others to utilize his works. He claims that he will never copyright his songs, because he believes, “Most other people play them more beautifully than [him].” He is quoted as saying, “I often think of myself as more of a writer than a musician, so it’s wonderful to hear other people breathe life into those writings.” This is the artistic energy that we need more of in the world. Billy Mack has displayed a commendable selflessness throughout his career, constantly bridging the artistic community through his work, and continually inviting partnership.
Billy Mack heads as an artist, “Community, Connection, and Safety are some of the things that make life worth living.” The love that Mack’s work has encouraged is the priceless thing that makes his life incredibly rich. His artistic legacy is that of adventure, connection, and freedom. The chaos and unpredictable nature of his performances are what have excited Billy Mack most of all. Quoting him from the interview, he expresses his elation through the statement, “I felt like anything was possible, showing up at a venue from the atmosphere and the people you meet…It could be grimy, feel unsafe, or be the coziest thing ever. It made feeling the way I did in my 20s (unhinged and craving comfort and adventure at the same time) make sense.”
His words mirror a feeling that many artists echo throughout their statements and works. Music begets an exploration into the nuances of humanity, the depths of souls, and the hearts of performers. Stopper wraps up her interview with Billy Mack’s final response, “I’m not sure which stories I would want to live on, but I hope they would convey the spirit and importance of collaboration, community, honesty, place, and food. I think empathy and self-expression are in there too.”
Billy Mack is a one-of-a-kind community organizer and artist. He is the type of inspiring person who may invite you into another world of artistry you weren’t sure existed. His career has consistently invited the quirky and lovable chaos that is a simple antecedent to life, and celebrated it unabashedly. He describes himself as a ‘Father of twins’, ‘writer of weird folk songs’, and a ‘Magic: the Gathering lover.’ Billy Mack is the kind of person who makes me think back to that archaic saying people use when they talk about artists, stating that artists don’t gain true recognition until after they’ve left this earth. Authoring this article, I can say with absolute certainty that Billy Mack knows how loved and appreciated he is by his community and the fellow artists he has surrounded himself with, and not only does he accept that love, but he shares it. This is what makes him so inspiring: his love of people that intersects wonderfully with his love of music and art. Billy Mack, you have inspired me first and foremost to live my artistic truth without limits.
