For the five siblings that make up the band Mack Station, musical ability doesn’t come from notes on a page of sheet music.
It comes from their parents, and their parents’ parents before them.
The band members’ innate play-by-ear ability is what enabled Mack Station to win the Rising Star Showcase at the Kamloops Cowboy Festival earlier this month after barely a month of preparation.
The Mack family’s neighbour and friend had heard the Mack children, whose ages range from 10 to 17, perform together around the campfire for guests of the family’s Hidden Valley Rustic Horse Camp and approached the kids’ father, Clint, with the idea of entering the competition.
After some hesitation, Clint agreed and entered Mack Station into the Rising Star Showcase.
The Rising Star Showcase is a competition for amateur artists in two categories: cowboy poetry and cowboy singers. This year, the cowboy singers category had eight entrants, including the young local band.
“The whole thing was put together in a month and a week, from nothing to everything,” Clint said.
First up, the siblings had to select a repertoire of cowboy songs to perform and figure out their arrangements.
And for Jacob, 15, and Jeremiah, 13, that even meant learning new instruments.
Jacob picked up the bass guitar and Jeremiah tried his hand at the Peruvian box-shaped cajón drum.
Their younger brother James, 11, has played harmonica for about three years, and lone sister Gianna, 10, plays percussion.
Eldest brother Joseph, 17, has played guitar for about a decade.
The classic cowboy songs with their rhythmic style were a departure from their typical contemporary country favourites, the siblings said.
“It was definitely a step out of the comfort zone,” Jeremiah said.
“I complained,” Joseph said. “I’m so used to new country that I didn’t know if I could do old country.”
All of the siblings sing, and together, they picked country songs that would showcase their vocal harmonies.
The repertoire they settled on included Cool Water by Sons of the Pioneers, a 1947 tune with harmonies like a dreamy oasis in a Western desert by the classic vocal collective.
They also covered Gene Autry’s Bridle Hanging on the Wall, a tear-jerker about a missing pony, which they knew from hearing their grandfather sing it.
For an up-tempo change, Mack Station performed the Gene Autry romp Back in the Saddle, which James and Gianna took to the microphone for.
Not only did the group have to learn the songs from scratch, they also had to practice their entire performance — from their introduction to the explanation of the songs to their on-stage banter.
They rehearsed their entire performance every day for a month.
“The judges don’t want to hear the same jokes and the same commentary, so you change it up a lot,” Jeremiah said.
The weekend of the actual competition during the Kamloops Cowboy Festival from March 12 to 15 was a whirlwind for Mack Station.
They performed on the Friday night on a small stage, contending with heavy feedback from a wonky monitor.
“The judges judged us on Friday for how we reacted,” Jeremiah said. “We just kept on going through it.”
“We smiled and we did our best, even though we were so stressed,” Jacob said.
The scores from Saturday’s performance indicated which three of the performers would advance to Sunday’s final.
The final took place at the Coast Hotel’s auditorium with about 1,000 people in the seats to watch.
Mack Station ended up winning the showcase by just a point and a half over runner-up Leslie Ross of 100 Mile House.
Still, the siblings said the competition was supportive and inspiring.
Their stunning grand finale earned the Mack siblings fans everywhere at the Cowboy Festival.
“Every step you took, someone would stop and say something to you like, ‘You did good,’ and I would say thank you, and take another step and someone else would say, ‘You did good,’” James said.
Their first-place win earned them $1,000 in prize money, which the siblings plan to reinvest in their instruments.
“We’re going to buy a case for Jacob’s bass and a case for my cajóne, and some new mics and things,” Jeremiah said.
“And maybe extra for going to get an ice cream,” Jacob said.
They also plan to tackle some songwriting, starting with two songs Joseph has written and adapting those to the band, and then continuing to play whenever they get the chance.
With the busy summer season approaching for the family’s horse camp, the band is lining up its performances.
They’ll play at a family friend’s wedding in Logan Lake, and for the Back Country Horsemen’s Rendezvous at the Collettville Rodeo Grounds in June.
It was their dedication and positive attitudes that ensured their success, their parents said.
For their part, the Mack children attributed their dedication to strong family values, as well as the love of music that runs in their family.
“The main thing we went up there for was to have fun, just to say we went to the Cowboy Fest to perform there and all that,” Jeremiah said. “Just to say we went to the Cowboy Fest to perform there and all that.”
