1. It’s Not My Circus
  2. Never Again
  3. Party Girl
  4. Forgive Me
  5. Bad Deal
  6. Cheap Motel
  7. Sometimes Love Just Isn’t Enough
  8. The Pretty Ones
  9. At The Park
  10. If You Know
  11. Walking With Beethoven
  12. The Last Rooster
  13. Barry Sussman
  14. Young Boys
  15. At The Park (Unplugged)
  16. Forgive Me (Unplugged)
  17. Walking With Beethoven (Unplugged)

It’s Not My Circus

Contributions

Alasdair MacKenzie vocals, instruments, production and engineering

Alasdair MacKenzie is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and recording and mixing engineer.

As a producer and sideman, he has worked in the studio and on stage with numerous artists, including Couch, Juniper, and the Water Cycle, helping each discover and project the essential truth at the heart of their music(and, when asked, throwing in some tasty licks).

MacKenzie is also a member of the acclaimed band Hush Club, for which he plays drums and bass in addition to singing, writing songs, and producing. With its unique flavor of lush, melodic, and propulsive indie rock, Hush Club has scored a hit album on the NACC 200, headlined concerts at venues including Brighton Music Hall and the historic Club Passim, and opened for national touring acts. The band also received praise from outlets including Under the Radar, Glide Magazine, and Vanyaland, and has been nominated for two Boston Music Awards.

In 2022, Larry Rifkin, the writer of the songs for Rockaway was introduced to MacKenzie and together they have collaborated on twenty three of his songs.

In addition to sharing a love of music, Rifkin, a long time ago, graduated with a B.A. in political Science from the University of Connecticut. MacKenzie earned his A.B. in Government from Harvard College in 2019. MacKenzie lives in the Boston area.

Larry Rifkin, songwriting, vocals, keyboard on unplugged tunes

Larry Rifkin wrote the collection of songs on this album. A drummer throughout his life in bands in his home state of Connecticut, music has always been a passion for him. His career has been spent in all phases of broadcasting, as a television programming executive, whose claim to national attention, was as the man who brought Barney the Dinosaur to PBS. His television credits include overseeing major PBS and public television musical specials with Carole King, Bobby Vinton, Celia Cruz, The British Invasion, Gene Pitney and more. Now 71 years old, Rifkin took up the keyboard in his mid-60’s so that he could translate his musical ideas into songs. He has also worked in radio as a disc jockey and talk show host and now hosts a podcast, America Trends, dealing with major social and political issues in America. He has also written a book about his career, titled “No Dead Air.” His collaboration with Alasdair MacKenzie, a musical wunderkind, in his mid-20’s, in producing this album, as The Rockaways, represents a unique coming together of two diverse talents. Rifkin lends his voice to some of the tracks and includes demos of a few songs so that the listener can hear the songwriter’s vision for it.

Matt Terribile, AceTone Productions, engineering on unplugged songs, and album compilation
Peter Edouard, cover art design
Carmelita Rifkin, band name

Rockaway is a collaboration between Alasdair MacKenzie and Larry Rifkin as they design an adult rock album that has a timeless quality and deals with themes that bridge generations.