by: Adrian Varnam

Mac and Friends
featuring McClain Sullivan
Friday, June 27th, 10:30pm
Hell’s Kitchen, $5
www.groove8.com

For over five years now, singer McClain Sullivan has been a fixture on the local and regional music scenes, angelically floating in and out of town, doing projects with a soulful style and voice that transcends age, beauty or race. Perhaps known best for her collaborations with local favorite Organix or her enduring friendship and partnership with hip-hop artist Fuzz Jackson, Sullivan has made a name for herself as an artist with eclectic tastes and collaborators.

“I was really influenced by jazz singers Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday,” she told encore last week. “It was from there that I found hip-hop. I was listening to Dr. Dre in 2001, and I realized, ‘I can skat over this.’ That was the moment for me. After that I just couldn’t stop.”

And she hasn’t. Whether performing live with a backing band or freestyling with Fuzz Jackson over beats, Sullivan has continued to perform and push the boundaries of genre and expectations, seemingly without fear or hesitation. It seems to be what keeps her satisfied and artistically fulfilled.

“I usually dive right into a new song or project,” she says. “With a new song, I write off the top of my head and then will make a few changes as time goes along. I love, love, love new projects.”

Her newest of new projects, Mac and Friends, is once again blending the genres of jazz, funk and soul as she shares the stage with Groove 8, a talented backing band from Charlotte. Playing with a live band again is familiar territory for her, but with Groove 8, it offers an experience that promises challenge and excitement.

“Fuzz and I actually did a show in Winston-Salem with Groove 8,” she says. “When we heard them, we just sat there [with our] jaws dropped [open]. They called me up to do a song that I had never heard, and afterward, we all just stared at each other.

“After leaving Organix I called them up, and we decided to start working together. This is the first live horn section I’ve ever sang with. They are truly a funk-soul group. The sound is so huge, and, vocally, it lets me go places I haven’t before. They’ve been an instrumental band for four years, so we just pop me in where there used to be horn solos. I love it.”

That’s exactly why McClain Sullivan continues to do what she does, pushing the envelope and boundaries of her creativity, and expanding as an original artist with new songs to sing. It’s been a hallmark of her short career, working her voice into harmony with what is going on around her, while pushing forward no matter the opportunity.

“Hopefully my voice has gotten better,” she jokes, reflecting on her growth as a career-long artist, “I’ve learned that I don’t have to pull out all my cards in the beginning. I used to try and fit all my licks into the very beginning; now I take my time. I listen more.”

Listen to the productive musical conversation she will have with Mac and Friends this Saturday, downtown Wilmington, at Hell’s Kitchen.