Gerry Jack Macks Reimagines a Neil Diamond Classic with Genre-Blending “Beautiful Noise”
If there’s one thing Gerry Jack Macks refuses to do, it’s follow the rules. The blues-roots-swing-folk-country-rocker has long defied genre conventions, and his latest release, “Beautiful Noise,” is no exception.
A fresh and vibrant reimagining of the Neil Diamond classic, the track breathes new life into the song with a roots/Americana feel and a Latin beat, featuring the powerhouse drumming of Sara Varro.
Macks, who also runs the Beautiful Noise – a Canadian Music Showcase radio show, took inspiration from the original Robbie Robertson-produced hit but made it his own. Unable to find a Canadian cover version that met his standards, he decided to craft one himself—a version that both pays homage to the song’s timeless energy and injects it with his signature, multi-genre stylings.
“Recording such an iconic hit offers only two choices: imitate or create something new. I chose the latter,” says Macks. “I wanted to take ownership of the song, give it a new dimension, and still stay true to its essence.”
A ‘Beautiful’ Collaboration Recorded at Dusty Cottonwood Studios in Kamloops, BC, Beautiful Noise is a testament to Macks’ independent spirit and musical vision. The track showcases Gerry Jack Macks on vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and electric bass, Sara Varro delivering dynamic Latin-infused drumming; and a production style that bridges folk, soft rock, country, and roots music.
With Macks producing, arranging, recording, mixing, and mastering the track himself, Beautiful Noise is a true indie effort, proving once again that great music doesn’t need industry gatekeepers—it just needs passion and talent.
Macks has spent decades carving his own path, earning a reputation as an outlaw musician whose sound is as unpredictable as it is authentic. From blues and country to rock and folk, his music defies easy categorization. He’s drawn comparisons to the likes of Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and John Fogerty while maintaining a voice and style all his own.
“I never really know what genre my music falls into, and I think that’s the beauty of it,” says Macks. “The industry loves to put music in boxes, but my job is to tear those boxes open.”
His independent ethos extends beyond his music. Macks’ radio show and online Beautiful Noise community have become spaces where Canadian musicians can share their work, unfiltered by mainstream industry expectations.
Hi Gerry! Good to see you again! What have you been up to since we last spoke?
Hi Jenna! So happy to be back in touch with you. The last time we spoke was about a year and a half ago, in September of 2023. I was pushing hard on several fronts at the time, personal and professional, and I wound up burning out before the end of that year. I had put a lot of hard hours into producing the best products I could with my limited resources in the making of “Two Melissas”, “Too Many Times Down That Road”, and “Beautiful Noise”. I also put as much production and promo funds into them as I had, actually more than I really could spare.
I was rather excited about them and was convinced they were bright enough to gain me some traction. I didn’t expect them to be monstrous hits or anything like that because I am not very well known, but I expected them to create enough buzz to help me keep moving forward.
Imagine my disappointment when they were even ignored by all but just a couple of Campus/Community Radio Stations.
I had a lot of tentative plans for 2024, including bringing my radio show out of hiatus, but that all crashed with the depressing snub those recordings received.
The fact that I was a decades-seasoned entertainer and musician was a blessing, though. There was no question that I would get my feet back under me and continue. If I had been one of our younger Canadian talents starting out, that would probably have ended it for me. That is why I have such a great concern with trying to find ways to support our struggling Canadian artists.
Throughout 2024, I continued coming up with new songs that one day might get recorded and released. In the meantime, I spent most of my time doing yardwork and working on my gardens, which are my other main interests.
Even that was tough to keep up with, though, with the unprecedented scorching heat we had last year. There was little time for anything else.
I finally got back into the Music late last fall, early winter, and I am now back in the Studio working on the next releases.
What drew you to cover Neil Diamond’s Beautiful Noise, and how did you decide on this fresh, roots/Americana take with a Latin beat?
I have always been a big fan of Neil Diamond, and Beautiful Noise was one of his many songs that I performed regularly back when I was touring the circuits full-time. In fact, my performance of that song alone clinched some of my most lucrative bookings, including a several-month full-time stint in Whitehorse, Yukon. I have the same love for Canadian Music and the same passion as you do for promoting the talented Canadian artists still under-acknowledged in the scene, and I decided to make a Facebook Group where I could try to help them gain more acceptance. I needed a name for the Group, and I thought “Beautiful Noise — a Canadian Music Showcase” was a perfect fit.
Shortly after, when I decided to try my hand as a Radio Host at the local Campus/Community Radio Station, I decided to link that into the growing community of very talented, serious musicians who were joining the Group, so I used the same name for the radio show. I wanted it to be a dynamic showcase, and I wanted Diamond’s song as the theme song.
But, Campus/Community Radio’s licensing does not allow for playing the actual hit recordings very often. I needed a non-hit cover version by a lesser-known artist, preferably by a Canadian, but could not find one.
The only solution was to do it myself. Close imitations of the original are fine — in fact, expected — when touring as a mostly cover band, but just don’t cut it as a serious new recording. And that meant keeping a similar vibe but making it unique.
You mentioned that covering an iconic song presents two choices: imitation or reinvention. What was the biggest challenge in making this version truly your own while respecting the essence of the original?
There actually was very little challenge to me. Through the decades, I finally formed my own personal sound. All I needed to do was redo the song with my own sound in my own way.
Sara Varro’s powerhouse drumming plays a big role in the track’s Latin-infused energy. How did that collaboration come about, and what did she bring to the song’s feel?
Ah, yes, Sara Varro! What a gem! Back when I first started releasing recordings, I needed a good drummer. At the time, there was a lot of discussion about a lack of women musicians, so I put out a call on Facebook for a female drummer. One of my special online friends pointed Sara out to me, so I checked her out. She had plenty of demonstration videos on YouTube, and she was very good. She was only
17 at the time, but had been drumming since she was about 5 years old, and she was very serious about her craft.
I knew that as a young, very serious musician, she would also be that much more enthusiastic with the end-product. I contacted Sara, and she agreed to come on board as my Studio Drummer. She has proven herself over and over again since.
You asked earlier how the Latin rhythm came about. Few people pick up on it, but much of the most popular Pop/Rock Music since the 1960s has Latin rhythm undertones. It often isn’t in the drumming, but it can be felt in the phrasing of the lyrics and of some of the instruments.
When I was about to get Sara to create the drum tracks, I noticed that a fair amount of that style of Pop/Rock had found its way into the Session. I suggested to Sara that she might even try a Latin beat in it, see how it sounds. When I pulled the track in and played it back, it was the right thing to do, indeed!
The result was quite stunning, brightened the entire Recording up. It would not be half of what it is without Sara’s enthusiastic, brilliant drum tracks.
Your independent spirit extends beyond your music with the Beautiful Noise Canadian Music Showcase radio show. How does that platform help support Canadian musicians outside of mainstream industry structures?
I know several musicians who think music is a strict competition and that acknowledging other non-star musicians somehow undermines their own music. I don’t buy into that. I do not feel the least bit vulnerable by praising the efforts of other talented musicians.
When I choose Music for the show, I go out looking for what I think is Beautiful Music from new Canadian artists I have never heard of, and I try placing them in between some of our more recognizable artists.
With those artists, I also look for the ones other than the great commercial successes, hoping they, too, can pick up more success from a little bit more support.
That type of support is backed up and continued in the Facebook Group, with the help of a group of very enthusiastic Canadian Music fans as key members, including our cherished co-Admin from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Theresa Dmytriw. She is the rock that keeps everything moving forward.