I love a good tribute band so when I heard about Tusk, I decided to check them out. After listening to them online perform the music of arguably one of the best rock bands out there, I began to believe their rather brazen descriptor: The World’s Number One Tribute to Fleetwood Mac. These folks know their craft and can recreate the songs we all know note for note and with the most authentic vocalizing that one would be hard pressed to distinguish between the original and the loving representation from these five artists: Kathy Phillips (vocals), Kim Williams (vocals, keys), Tom Nelson (drums), Randy Artiglere (bass) and Scott McDonald (guitar, vocals). A last minute interview happened with McDonald on his phone from an auditorium where his young, 9-year-old son was getting ready for his first piano recital … time was definitely limited and we got right to it.

Q: First off, congratulations on your son’s upcoming performance.
McDonald: Thanks, let’s get going!

Q: Right. Well, basically, I’d just like to talk about Tusk and what folks can expect from the show at Aura on the 29th of this month — just generalized stuff like that.
McDonald: Do you want me to free-form with you on that?

Q: Yup, any questions I have will be based on your responses.
McDonald: Okay. We’re a five-piece band, we do the ’75 to ’79 period when it was just the five of them — that’s kind of the vibe that we’re going for onstage, that was the most popular lineup with Lindsey and Stevie.

Q: You’re right, that is a sweet and prolific period in their career.
McDonald: It’s a fun show and we keep it interactive with the people; there’s some creative elements we’ve put in there, I don’t want to give the surprises away but we have some solo moments and just a lot of fun stuff. We have visuals behind us, we have an audio-visual guy that runs movies and lights, we’re hoping to help people forget about their troubles for two hours and remember all that great music, and leave with a big smile on their face.

Q: How long has Tusk been in existence?
McDonald: It’s been about 15 years that we’ve been doing this and it’s the same five people that have been doing it since the very beginning, we haven’t changed members or added or deleted anybody, so it’s the same five of us.

Q: Whoa, that would explain the tightness of your sound, for sure.
McDonald: We were friends long before the band. I’ve known the drummer since we were in Little League, I mean, mutual friends said, “You guys should do a tribute!” and we said, “Well, we’ll give it a shot” and here we are (chuckle), so that’s kind of how it happened.

Q: Just out of curiosity, how far afield do you get touring, is it just U.S. gigging or do you get overseas?
McDonald: We did a show out in England so we will go international if there are opportunities for it. The farthest we’ve gone in America is Hawaii, we had a show there last spring in March, that was a lot of fun. We’re in California early next year with a symphony, we do that sometimes, we have orchestral charts, so that’s kind of neat; or we’ll occasionally pair up with a local marching band and do “Tusk” and “Don’t Stop” and all that kind of stuff, if we get the chance. But we’re all around the country, it is what we do for our job, it’s full time, so we’re everywhere in the United States.

Q: I was going to ask you about that because some of the tribute bands I’ve interviewed have had to take on day jobs to make ends meet.
McDonald: We did, too, but we just grew to a point where we didn’t have to do that anymore, so we said, “Let’s have some fun and do what we love!”

Q: Now, on a more personal note, you play the Lindsey Buckingham member of Fleetwood Mac, so I’m wondering, how did he influence you? I’m sure that you were a singer and a guitar player before Tusk came along.
McDonald: Yeah, I was and “Rumours” was a big influence on me when I was learning to play. I like his writing, I like the way he sings, my vocals were in his range naturally, I love his use of rhythm, and I like that he finger-picks which is really neat because not a lot of guitar players do that. So he was a big influence on me, as a writer, his melodic sense, when I was younger and developing that way; and it just happened that this came full circle and I was able to do this project. He was an influence of mine long before I ever realized I was going to do a tribute.

Q: That is neat! Now, how many shows do you do over, say, a year’s time?
McDonald: We do about 100 shows, maybe more or less, and then there’s probably another 40 travel days in there, maybe 45, to get to and from the gigs.

Q: Now, where am I calling?
McDonald: I’m in Pennsylvania right now. The drummer and I live in Pennsylvania with our families, and the rest of the band lives in New Jersey. We’re all from the central, northern New Jersey area.

Q: So are you considered a Philadelphia-based band?
McDonald: No, we’re actually a Jersey-based band out of Frenchtown, New Jersey. And, I’m sorry, but I’m already pressed for time.

Q: No problem whatsoever, I just have one last question: Is there anything you’d like me to pass on to the folks reading this article?
McDonald: Just that we hope they come to the show. We’re really excited about coming back to Aura, we love the room, we love the vibe, we love Portland. And if you don’t mind, if you just throw on there either our Facebook link or our website, that would be great!

Q: Consider it done!

Lucky Clark, a 2018 “Keeping the Blues Alive” Award winner, has spent more than 50 years writing about good music and the people who make it. He can be reached at luckyc@myfairpoint.net if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

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