Faye Blaylock looks at how Irish musician Mark McCausland’s record store went from inspiring a newspaper column to being immortalised in feature film, The Spin.
Mark McCausland is one half of ‘alt-folk geniuses’ * The Lost Brothers. Releasing music under the moniker McKowski, he is dubbed the ‘Sonic Wanderer of Omagh’ and has always crafted his own unique narrative. However this time his art form of choice is cinematic.
Back in 2016, Mark opened a record store, Boneyard Records in his hometown of Omagh. It was there, between tours, that he spent his time buried among the vinyl treasures, writing music and observing the details of small-town life.
Drawn to Storytelling
He says, “It can sometimes be a mind-numbing existence in a small town. I probably opened the record shop to make it more bearable. I felt like I had to create a whole new world in my imagination to help pass the time—an Omagh record shop didn’t tend to get many customers!”
Mark has written a newspaper column ‘Notes From The Boneyard’ which featured in The Ulster Herald for 10 years. When he wasn’t on the road making music, he naturally wrote about the gentle and humorous rhythm of life, both real and imagined, in his Omagh shop.
With plenty of time to sit back and write his semi-autobiographical (and sometimes exaggerated) tales, it was a casual comment from a friend that further sparked Mark’s imagination:
“He said to me, ‘Your music belongs in a film, but the film has yet to be made—you should make it’. That idea of music being the starting point and informing the storyline of a movie, working backwards if you like, really appealed to me.”
A Chance Meeting
Mark grappled with drafts of the script over a period of a few years until one day, screenwriter Colin Broderick (Emerald City, A Bend in the River) happened to come into Boneyard Records, and the two became instant best friends. It took Mark a year to tell Colin he was trying to write a film, but when he did confide in him, Colin loved the story’s themes and immediately came on board to write the screenplay.
Mark says, “Colin and I were on the phone, often for three hours a day. He was writing the script, and I would take long drives around the outskirts of Omagh in this very cinematic countryside, getting inspired and writing music. I think the landscape around Omagh really lends itself to the big screen. Sometimes, it reminds me of a Western, but in a more grey, rainy, Irish kind of way…”
“I would send Colin my music, and it would inspire the scenes he was writing, the music and the writing informed each other. Most of the soundtrack was written and recorded before the movie even started filming.”
The Spin’s eclectic line-up of musical guest stars also includes Barry Devlin (Horslips), the legendary Steve Wickham (The Waterboys), and Drew McConnell (Babyshambles, Liam Gallagher Band).
Mark adds that Colin was able to take his original short story to a whole new level, and he was delighted when he saw the final script.
Although he still doesn’t know if it was intended that way, the two lead characters in The Spin embody the two sides of his own personality. Dermot (Brenock O’Connor) and Elvis (Owen Colgan) are two music-loving but unlikely friends who have two days to travel the length of Ireland to save their record store from closure. Dermot has outgrown his life in Omagh and is considering leaving Ireland to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician, but doesn’t know how to do it without breaking his friend’s heart.
Creative Collaboration
In a beautiful symmetry to Mark and Colin’s meeting, Mark met the award-winning Director of Photography, Sebastian Cort (Blur: To The End), as he checked out of a hotel and Sebastian checked in. The hotel manager greeted Mark and asked how this film was going, and Mark replied that he needed to find a great cinematographer. Moments later, Mark and Sebastian were toasting their new friendship in the local pub.
This good craic continued during filming, with award-winning director and screenwriter Michael Head (Bermondsey Tales: Fall of the Roman Empire, The Last Heist) encouraging Mark to share his vision for the film:
“I would go for drinks with Michael any day of the week; he’s great fun to be around. I became good friends with all the cast and crew. We were lucky to have so many talented people drop everything to be part of The Spin, much like touring with a band; I’ve learned there’s a real camaraderie on a film set.”
The Spin features stars including Tara Lynne O’Neil (Derry Girls), Owen Colgan (Hardy Bucks), Brenock O’Connor (Game of Thrones), Leah O’Rourke (Derry Girls), Amy McElhatton (Kathleen is Here), and Joe Savino (Bally Kiss Angel). It also stars Kimberly Wyatt from the Grammy-nominated girl group The Pussycat Dolls and features the acting debut of TV presenter, model, and social media star Maura Higgins.
Mark says, “For me, seeing the finished movie is a joy. I’ve carried the seed of this film in my head for years – it grew from a chance meeting in my record shop and now it’s come full circle, bringing it all back home. Although the baton has been passed to a writer, director, and producers, I’m so glad that the integrity of the story has remained. They have brought it to life in a way I hope viewers will enjoy. It’s a film with heart that speaks to everyone, really.”
The Spin will premiere at The Belfast Film Festival on 6th November in the NI Independents category, followed by a screening at the Dublin International Comedy Film Festival. The Spin is currently seeking distribution.
Follow the film on Instagram here or via their website here.
