Five For Five With Todd Mackey of With Honor
Putting in to words how much With Honor means to me is rather difficult. They released two of my favourite melodic hardcore records ever in "Heart Means Everything" & "This Is Our Revenge", and the fact that bands like Comeback Kid & dare i say Champion (oooft) blew up, and With Honor didn't is a travesty. One of the most criminally underrated bands of the scene and released the best album in the Victory Records catalogue, "This Is Our Revenge". Yes, i'm well aware Earth Crisis, Hatebreed, Snapcase, Strife and A Day To Remember (ha!) have all released monumental albums on that label, so don't @ me!
Todd was nice enough to take part in this series and i'm stoked to have him first cab off the rank in 2020. If you don't know With Honor, you need to rectify that.
Is there a record, song or band that changed your life?
Holding this Moment, Superhero, Bane ... This band changed my life numerous times over the years, but the first time I sat with this song ... wow, it just presented me with a sense of self-empowerment that I had never experienced. I haven't put the record on in years and still it will bubble up and I will catch myself repeating one of the most important mantras I have in my pocket to this day .. 'the difference between hard and impossible is a thousand miles wide ...' I am so thankful for Bane and the individuals who came together to make it.
If you were forced to pick only five albums to listen to for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Yikes - here we go, shooting from the hip here ... 'Relaxin'' Miles Davis Quintet, 'Hope is Made of Steel' Northcote, 'Give Blood' Bane, 'Nothing is Wrong' Dawes, 'The Band' The Band
Best show you've played?
This is almost an impossible question, but I will answer with one of the most unexpected and exciting shows we ever played. Our first tour we played with Roger Miret and the Disasters in NC on a Wednesday night in Charlotte, NC. On the spot he offered us a slot opening Agnostic Front's 20th Anniversary show at CBGB's with Death Threat and Murphy's Law if we could make it ... They let us play on their own gear as the doors opened ... still brings the sweat to my palms haha!
Worst show you've played?
I couldn't even tell you at this point ... it was all strikes and gutters, but honestly, I can't remember a show I wish we didn't play!
With Honor are unfortunately inactive. Are you still involved with music in any way? (feel free to get the band back together and put another record out!)
2020 is actually the 15 year anniversary for the 'This is our Revenge' record ... plans are in the works! Ha! Otherwise, I do play quite a bit of music at home - I have two young children who LOVE music; playing guitar and drums .. so we have a bit of a family band ha!
I have written quite a few songs in more of a folk / rock format - have even played a few shows over the years! I keep joking about taking it more seriously - we will see!
Are there any bands, past or present you wish had more attention? There are plenty of bands I wish had more attention but the biggest is easily Northcote. Matt Goud's songs move me through and through - these records should be absolutely huge!