The Macks in Motion: The Portland Band on Touring and Their New Album
- Emma Zoe Polyak
- Nov 11
- 3 min read
Portland rock band The Macks – made up of Sam Fulwiler on vocals, Ben Windheim on guitar, Aidan “Harry” Harrison on bass, Josef Windheim on drums, and Jacob “Jake” Michael Perris on keys – have built a reputation for raw, unrestrained energy. Their sound teeters from gritty to electric, with sharp instrumentations and piercing vocals on their tracks. There’s a touch of nostalgia too – something distinctly 70s that runs through their music. I’ve seen them described as “miscellaneous rock,” and I have to agree; it’s futile to try and categorize them any further. The band have carved out a space in the modern rock landscape that’s entirely their own. With their latest album Bonanza, they’ve captured that live-wire intensity on record, translating the spirit of their shows into a sound that’s equally urgent and unpredictable.
“This tour has been our favorite set list we've ever put together; these songs feel really good live, and I feel like we're translating them well.”
I had a chance to chat with The Macks at their Philadelphia show, which was about halfway through their run with Acid Mothers Temple. The band shared that they’d just about perfected the rhythm of it all: “Wake up, drive, load out, soundcheck, play, load in, hotel, repeat,” said Ben, with the rest of the band nodding their heads. It was their nineteenth show, with only one day off so far. They joked about feeling like “fresh spring chickens” after their brief rest, but there was an undeniable energy in their voices when they talked about the pace.
“It’s been really cool,” they said, noting that this tour has been the biggest they’ve ever embarked on. “We’ve never done anything like that before. Our record previously was nine shows in a row.” Still, the long stretch hasn’t worn them down and if anything, it’s tightened their bond. The biggest concern, they say, is keeping Sam’s voice fresh, but he’s been “training like Rocky” for this tour. The constant motion has kept them focused, grounding them in the rhythm of the road as they bring their new album, Bonanza, to life on stage each night.
“‘Cypher Sore Eyes’ is really cool live because we get to kind of extend out the second verse into a pretty long jam,” said Ben when I asked if they have a favorite song to play live. Touring with another “jam-heavy band” has made those moments even more rewarding, since their audiences are open to that kind of exploration. “We can really kind of explore it without boring people.”
Unlike their last record, much of which was recorded in the moment, Bonanza was mapped out before they hit the studio. It was also their first time recording in a studio, and not in one of their basements, which brought a new level of intentionality to the process. “We knew we only had so much time to be in a studio, so having it very developed when going in made it a very well-practiced album,” shared Jake.
Before even hitting record, they played Bonanza live in a small Portland club, performing it front to back for about 150 people. “It was kind of a test for us to feel the songs out in a room with people; it exposed what we liked about the songs and what other people liked. We didn’t change a ton, but it was good to have that going into the recording sessions,” added Ben.
That balance between preparation and spontaneity seems to define Bonanza. The album threads their meticulous songwriting with the looseness of their live shows and the imaginative worlds they’ve been building visually. Cartoons, they shared, were a big influence this time around. That visual world also extends into Sam’s drawings, which have long accompanied the band’s releases. The character featured on Bonanza first appeared on an older record, and now, Sam says, he’s turning the idea into a comic book. “The music influences it, and they all play off of each other,” he explained.
“The characters in Bonanza reflect real people. Not direct copies, but you can point to people we know and see bits of them in these characters. These people exist in the music too.”
When I asked if there was anything else they wanted listeners to know about their music, the band emphasized the care that goes into every detail. “We really want people to get involved with the music as much as they can,” they said, noting that their albums and performances are meant to be experienced fully. “Don’t just put us on in the background,” Harry added with a definitive nod – and I couldn’t agree more.
