Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, Ennio Morricone, Hank Williams, R.L. Burnside, Bill Monroe, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Hugo Montenegro, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Django Reinhardt, Tom Waits, Calexico, Bruce Springsteen, C. Gibbs, Richard Buckner, Chris Isaak, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Dirty Three, Buena Vista Social Club, Fleetwood Mac, John Lee Hooker, Neko Case, Dwight Yoakum, Jerry Reed, George Jones...
.........Article by Ezra Waller, City Beat Magazine, February 16th, 2005...........
Multi-instrumentalist Zachary Mechlem's heritage is Eastern European Gypsy. This is indicative of his far-flung stylistic leaning, which wanders from India to Spain and lifts sound from all points in between. His latest project, Mack West, has found an unexpected home in the Old American West, saturating both music and subject matter with romantic Cowboy imagery.
This is the culmination of an idea Mechlem has had brewing for a while. His solo set has been creeping in this direction, showcasing the Country-tinged songs he had been producing, some for a soundtrack in the works. His music lends itself to visualization, so it's no surprise that the film medium has influenced him.
"I used to watch a lot of horror movies, and I loved the soundtracks, with all the mystery and swells," he says. Along with a healthy dose of Louis L'Amour books and Spaghetti Westerns, this pushed Mechlem in the direction of narrative songwriting with an Old West theme.
With his cavernous baritone and gothic imagery, comparisons to Johnny Cash are inevitable.
