MacBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco who was born as Vernor Winfield MacBriare Smith IV; on April 30, 1990 is a Canadian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He has released five full-length studio albums, his debut, 2 (2012), Salad Days (2014), This Old Dog (2017), Here Comes the Cowboy (2019) and Five Easy Hot Dogs (2023). He additionally released the mini-albums Rock and Roll Night Club in 2012 and Another One in 2015, along with the compilation One Wayne G in 2023. His style of music has been described as “blue wave” and “slacker rock”, or, by DeMarco himself, “jizz jazz”.
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| Birth name | Vernor Winfield McBriare Smith IV |
| Born | April 30, 1990 Duncan, British Columbia, Canada |
| Origin | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
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| Years active | 2008–present |
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| Website | mac-demarco |
Early Life and Education of Mac DeMarco
DeMarco was born in Duncan, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. His great-grandfather is Vernor Smith, Alberta’s former Minister of Railways and Telephones, for whom DeMarco was named, and his grandfather (also named Vernor Winfield MacBriare Smith) was a judge of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta.
His mother, Agnes DeMarco, later changed his name to MacBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco after his father left and refused to pay child support when DeMarco was four years old. DeMarco is also of Italian descent.
Mac DeMarco attended McKernan School for junior high. Around this time he started playing guitar, with lessons from his grandmother. During high school he was in several bands, including indie rock band the Meat Cleavers, alternative R&B group the Sound of Love and post-punk band Outdoor Miners (along with current keyboardist, Alec Meen), which was named after “Outdoor Miner”, a song by English rock band Wire. He started smoking cigarettes as a teenager, which has now become a big part of his image. In January 2023, DeMarco said he no longer smokes cigarettes.
After graduating from Strathcona High School in Edmonton in 2008, DeMarco became a backing musician. After that, he moved to Vancouver.
Career Path of Mac DeMarco
Living in the Killarney neighbourhood, he released a self-produced album, Heat Wave, as a part of the indie rock project Makeout Videotape in 2009. The album sold out its 500-unit run. DeMarco worked on “psychedelic” video projects during this time. He was joined by Alex Calder and Jen Clement, signed to Unfamiliar Records, and toured with Vancouver band Japandroids in 2009. In 2011, DeMarco moved from Vancouver to Montreal to begin recording as a solo artist. Failing to find work as a musician, he participated in medical experiments for money and worked on a road paving crew. On January 9, 2012, record label Captured Tracks announced the signing of DeMarco. In early 2012, he released an LPtitled Rock and Roll Night Club. The four-track-recorded album features skits and slowed-down vocals.
On July 8, 2015, DeMarco released a 9-track instrumental album titled Some Other Onesand called it a “BBQ soundtrack”. Later that evening, he hosted a listening party in New York City (where DeMarco was based) for fans to hear Another One, where they could get free hot dogs if they donated to a food bank.
Conclusion
Previously based in the Far Rock away neighborhood in Queens, New York, he currently resides in Los Angeles where he regularly hosts jam sessions with musicians and friends such as Thundercat and the late Mac Miller.
