Rising Stars: Meet Alex Mack

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Mack

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
We started playing together in the summer of 2014. Laura had a duo of two flutes that had kind of run its course, and I had recently arrived back in town after working on cruise ships after college. I know that I had a lot of free time on my hands, and I was looking for any kind of playing opportunities possible. Laura was interested in channeling her energy into something new. Neither of us had any experience with a flute and guitar duo and really had no idea where to begin, but we each came into it with our own musical tastes and an open mind. Very quickly, we started to realize that this had a lot of potential. We kind of cringe when we look back on our early performances, but I think a decade of playing together and developing our sound proves that we didn’t make the wrong choice.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think the biggest challenge we’ve faced is one of our greatest attributes; there aren’t many flute and guitar duos. But people do typically have a preconceived notion of our instruments and how we would sound. For the few flute and guitar duos out there, they typically are a little more classically inclined. Laura is a phenomenal classical player, but that’s not where I was trained. I love the classical repertoire, and we play some wonderful classical material, but I’m more “contemporary” by trade. So the blend of our strengths has proven to be a real differentiator amongst our peers. But like anything different, it was a challenge to convey who we really are and what we do in a way that was clear and concise to any new audience.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our flute and guitar duo has been performing, writing and arranging music of all genres for over 10 years. Whether we are playing a concert, private party, corporate event, wedding, or memorial service, we use our instruments, experience and talent to suit whatever the occasion calls for. In addition to playing the music, we also offer curated sets featuring the songs of specific artists, writers, genres or themes. With my experience as a musical historian, I like to explore the stories behind the music, so the audience can leave with a greater appreciation for the songs they’ve heard. We are incredibly proud of the vast and diverse repertoire we’ve built over the last decade and are especially proud of our hard-fought ability to play virtually any song in a style that is all our own. We are so grateful to our audiences and clients for continuing to enjoy it!

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
It’s hard to deny that musicianship is the “most” important characteristic to our success, but that is mostly true for any musical group. So what really sets us apart from our competition is our professionalism, or what I guess you could call, customer service. Right or wrong, musicians sometimes have to shake the preconception that we can be flakey. In our experience, this is no more true than any other industry but there is no denying that clear communication, honesty, punctuality and making sure our equipment is in top-shape has been key to our success over this last decade. These charactertistics ensure that our audience can trust us to deliver every time we perform.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://soscoduo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sosco_the_scottsdale_musicians/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soscoduo
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoScoDuo
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sosco-duo-scottsdale
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sosco-1