Meet Mekenzie and Alex Thrift of Rumours ATL: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute in Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mekenzie and Alex Thrift.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Mekenzie and Alex. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Alex and I met in February of 2014 and quickly became friends over our distaste for the band KISS. We realized pretty quickly that we should play music together so I invited him to play lead guitar in my original band Owner of the Sun. People in that band started moving out of state or getting jobs, but Alex and I wanted to keep playing music together so we started Rumours in the summer of 2014.

We got together for practices at my old house and we used to cook dinner and drink beer or wine and then just casually make our way to the basement and play Fleetwood Mac songs. We knew we had something from the first practice, but it was still something we never thought would end up here. Rehearsal was something that was super important to us because if we were going to do a tribute band, we were going to do it right. And I think we’ve accomplished that! It’s crazy the experiences we’ve had in the past five years. That’s not a long time and we’ve already headlined and sold-out shows in another country. The first time ever playing in another country. It’s crazy and we’re super humbled by it.

Has it been a smooth road?

Oh, it has not been easy whatsoever. We’ve had members quit or move on because of life and kids and jobs. That’s always hard, to lose someone. But, it’s a weirdly necessary. Especially with a tribute band. It isn’t like original bands where you start in your basement or garage in high school or college and you’ve known each other forever. We’re adults with real adult problems and obstacles that we all face. Some of us are parents, step-parents, leaving a spouse or significant other at home, etc. For Alex and I, we’re constantly together, and that can be difficult, too. That’s just the personal stuff.

As far as touring in general, being in a van for 10 hours at a time is a not easy and I think we can all admit that we’ve aged. Haha! But it’s super rewarding and sometimes can be a learning experience. I think if we were still running things the way we were in the beginning, it wouldn’t have lasted. We had to learn A LOT.

Please tell us more about your band, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
We’re a tribute band. Plain and simple. We put on a show every single night and obsess over all the little notes and nuances. We entertain people every night and leave all the emotion and stress and passion on that stage. Then, we get in our van and go to sleep at the hotel. Haha!

I believe that we’re the best Fleetwood Mac Tribute out there. Not just because we sound really good, because we do, but because of that passion. It’s a show. It’s an experience. And we want people to leave saying “that was the best night of my life! We have to go see them again!” We’ve heard that before and people leave that in reviews on our Facebook page. We’re proud of that for sure. We take very seriously making people happy and making people come back and want us to come back.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The music industry is constantly changing and there’s definitely a fear that it’ll change drastically and against what we do. But at the end of the day, we’re actual musicians. We aren’t “rip off artists” or trying to make a buck off someone else’s music. People think that, but we take this very seriously and are hoping this will continue for a while.

Playing original music, especially in Atlanta, is tough. It just is. And anyone out there busting their ass to do that deserves respect. The most respect. We play our own original music, too. But we get hired more to do Tribute band shows.

But, we’re all in this together and every musician in town should be supportive of each other. Whether you’re playing covers at a Mexican place, underground hip hop at a club, new rock, and roll at the Earl, or tribute shows across the country. Who cares? We’re all musicians and there is definitely room for all of us. The more support in the community, the longer it’ll last.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rumoursatl.com
• Email: rumoursatl@gmail.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/rumoursatl
• Facebook: Facebook.com/rumoursatl
• Twitter: Twitter.com/rumoursatl

Image Credit:
Emily Butler, Sid Kuhn, Astrid Bovis

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