Interview: Of ‘Pistoleros’ and ‘Extinction’: Trumpet Icon Mac Gollehon and Dave Brenner of GridFailure

Of ‘Pistoleros’ and ‘Extinction’:
Trumpet Icon Mac Gollehon and
Dave Brenner of GridFailure
By Justin Smulison

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Mac Gollehon is one of the most enduring trumpeters and multi-instrumentalists of the last five
decades. Though best known for his jazz output, he has toured the planet and has played
on thousands of records, including over 200 gold and platinum albums since the 1970s,
including his decade-plus run in Duran Duran. He’s contributed to David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,”
Billy Ocean’s “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car,” as well as records from Mick Jagger,
Madonna, Hall & Oates, and Blondie. And let’s not forget the horn in Onyx’s 1993 hit, “Slam.”
I’m a longtime fan of the native New Yorker, who has had a steady stream of releases in recent
years, including:

The End Is The Beginning, by Mac Gollehon (solo)
Bite of the Street, by MAC GOLLEHON & THE HISPANIC MECHANICS

And he’s back with the Hispanic Mechanics for a new LP, Pistoleros, released by World Funk
Orchestra. This album picks up where Bite left off in the way of tone and incorporating various
elements of pop, swing, and sampling. But as the cover image suggests, this album is a bit more
cinematic in scope, telling the story of a musician who signs away his life and livelihood to some
unsavory characters. Watch the action unfold in MAC GOLLEHON & THE HISPANIC MECHANICS’
“Pistoleros” theatrical trailer HERE. “Sopranos” fans will notice the presence of Vincent Pastore
in a key role.

If you are near the city on Nov. 5, you are in for a post-Halloween treat. A special
performance by Mac Gollehon & The Hispanic Mechanics will be held at the Francis Kite Club
(40 Loisaida Ave, East Village, NYC ) – including a look back at the session and recording with
Pastore. And guess what? Admission is FREE!

But this interview is extra special because we are joined by Gollehon’s collaborator, David
Brenner, the mastermind of GridFailure, a mind-expanding sonic project that knows no
boundaries. Aficionados will recall 2021’s Dismemberment Cabaret, by GridFailure featured
Mac Gollehon – the album echoed the disconnection we were all feeling during the height of
the pandemic.

Cut to the present, and Brenner has not slowed down. GridFailure’s new album, Sixth Mass-
Extinction Skulduggery III, was also recently released by Nefarious Industries and features

various guest contributions. The three Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery albums span the
current unraveling of society, oblivious to the ongoing Anthropocene in which we’re immersed.
It is available digitally alongside a limited three-album cassette box set at Nefarious Industries
where released Extermination Level Eventuality, This Was More Than Just Killing… It Was Art,
and Species Deconstructivist.

Now that you are caught up, I thought it would be fun to interview Gollehon and Brenner
together, as their collaborations continue as they also chart their own path through music and
sonic experimentation. We have a blast and hear about the creative process and what happens
if you try to stiff Mac on his royalties.

GridFailure & Mac Gollehon

Dismemberment Cabaret  [https://gridfailure.bandcamp.com/album/dismemberment-cabaret]

Mac Gollehon
https://www.instagram.com/macgollehon
https://www.facebook.com/mac.gollehon
Tweets by GollehonMac1
https://worldfunkorchestra.komi.io
GridFailure & Mac Gollehon
Dismemberment Cabaret
GridFailure
https://linktr.ee/gridfailure
https://www.gridfailure.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/@gridfailure
https://www.instagram.com/gridfailure
https://www.facebook.com/gridfailure
https://x.com/GRIDFAILURE
https://nefariousindustries.com
https://nefariousindustries.bandcamp.com
https://facebook.com/nefariousIndustries
https://instagram.com/nefarious_industries

Nefarious Industries
https://nefariousindustries.com
https://nefariousindustries.bandcamp.com
https://facebook.com/nefariousIndustries
https://instagram.com/nefarious_industries
https://twitter.com/nefariousInd