Spencer Mackenzie takes on a classic and makes it his own. The JUNO-nominated, Maple Blues Award-winning Southern Ontario guitarist releases “Don’t Know Where I’m Going,” his fourth single from the upcoming album ‘Empty Chairs’, out now via Gypsy Soul Records.
The original is an acoustic Rory Gallagher track. Mackenzie’s version is anything but. He cranks the voltage, laying down a deep, gritty guitar tone over a fast-moving rhythm section that transforms the song into a full blues-rock statement. It’s the kind of reimagining that respects the source while staking its own territory, and Mackenzie pulls it off with confidence.
‘Empty Chairs’ is produced by Ross Hayes Citrullo, a two-time JUNO-nominated producer, mixer, engineer, and Emmy Award-winning recording mixer, known as the guitarist of The Commoners. The album draws on blues tradition and present-day blues-rock energy in equal measure, featuring electrifying guitar, punchy riffs, soaring organ, dynamic vocals, and an explosive rhythm section throughout.
Mackenzie has built his reputation across Canadian, European, and U.S. stages, with appearances at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Festival d’été de Québec, Moulin Blues Ospel, and Ribs & Blues Raalte, sharing stages with Walter Trout, Fantastic Negrito, Samantha Fish, and Jesse Dayton.