Charleston singer-songwriter Tom Mackell will be on The Royal American stage Aug. 20 to celebrate the release of Hearts Wide Open, his eclectic five-song EP produced out of Nashville.
He traces his sound from Americiana to alt-country to folk rock. “It’s a blend of those with a little bit of pop, especially with this new EP,” Mackell said.
He wrote and recorded the music in bursts over several years. One song he started writing in 2015, “Gone” was finished in the studio last year with the rest of Hearts Wide Open. It was a tough song for him to finish at the time. “I was just getting over losing my mom. I’m happy I waited so long to finish the song because it worked out for the better,” he said.
He writes using the heavier and lighter aspects of life, he said, and wants to both attract at the first listen and become more profound after many. “I like to write music that you can be attracted to at face value the first time. And I like to write music where you can pull off the layers and find more meaning if you want to.”
“Strange Times” was written back when lockdown started in March 2020 in a 45-minute Facetime with singer-songwriter Tony Lucca, who contributed to multiple songs on the EP. “We said, it’s weird, but we are going to find a way to keep doing music.”
Songs “Missing Out On You” and “Maybe Tonight” are about figuring yourself in a relationship, while title track “Hearts Wide Open” was written during the 2020 protests. “I was thinking about the simplest solution. And love is always that thing for me. I tried to figure it out in my own way and put it into a song.”
The 9 p.m. Royal American show with Chris Wilcox and Riley & the Ship is $10 at the door.
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