Under the pseudonym General Mack's Grapeshot, Melbourne singer-songwriter Mitchy McIvor unleashes a salvo of original tunes on his debut album 'Revel, Revel'.
Self-funded, written, recorded and produced by Mitchy, 'Revel, Revel' is a bold opening statement from the independent musician. "It was a relief to get the record out," Mitchy says. "Exciting as well and a bit daunting, but these things generally take a long time from conception through to putting everything in place and working through the production and certainly doing it myself provided some additional challenges. So, it was really great to have it out in the world."
The album brings together Mitchy's vast and varied palette of stylistic influences in a cohesive volume of work. Something of a sonic chameleon, Mitchy blurs the lines of genre on 'Revel, Revel', creating an album that takes listeners on a journey.
"I want people to be open to it, to give multiple tracks an opportunity," Mitchy says. "Even myself [sic], you get on a streaming service, look at the popular [songs], you listen to it for a bit and make a decision whether you're going to go further.
"We all have to filter things to some extent, but I'd certainly like people to take the time to listen to a few before that judgement happens."
As an independent artist, Mitchy committed himself to the DIY ethos to write, record and produce 'Revel, Revel' without artistic interference from a label or financial backers, giving him full reign over the final product.
"I've been lucky enough to do that myself for this occasion, which was a deliberate approach, and it gives freedom, but it has some challenges too," he says.
"You end up being the sole decision maker on everything, which is really good. Even if you're making those decisions in a band or with other people, you're naturally feeding off other ideas and compromising, in a good way, to get an outcome.
"When it's just you, you're deciding on everything, working things out and trying to engage with people. It was really rewarding to work through it all, ways you might do it differently again."
The name General Mack's Grapeshot comes from General Karl Mack von Leiberich, a somewhat disgraced Austrian officer remembered by history for capitulating to Napoleon's forces in 1805. He also makes a brief appearance in Leo Tolstoy's epic novel 'War And Peace', which is where Mitchy first read the name.
In line with that revolutionary spirit, the grapeshot was a type of ballistic ammunition consisting of multiple small-calibre round shots packed tightly in a canvas bag. At short range, the grapeshot delivers a devastating volley in a scatter pattern like that of a shotgun.
For Mitchy, it provides a neat metaphor for his songwriting on 'Revel, Revel'. "This goes back to the composition of the songs and the fact that it's varied, that it was like a shotgun of tunes. It was an array of different styles," he explains.
General Mack's Grapeshot launches 'Revel, Revel' (available digitally) at The Fitzroy Pinnacle (Melbourne) on 12 April with support from Tallulah Grace and Wild Dog Mountains.
