Morning Metal – Mayfield Interview
Who are the members of Mayfield and what are your respective roles in the band?
Pat does lead vocals. Zach plays guitar and does vocals. Brad plays bass and does vocals. Zane plays drums. Alex plays guitar.
When I hear a metal band, their name usually consists of something dark – Mayfield sounds very welcoming and caught me off guard when I heard the music. Where did the name “Mayfield” come from?
We wanted to create a name that would leave people with no preconception of what the band would sound like. Now a days, bands tend to use names that subject them to a certain genre or image they wish to fill. We wanted people to have an open mind before they heard us. The actual name “Mayfield” came about in May when Patty was coming home from school and the band started to take shape.
Tell us about your EP, “Let It Be Known”. What was the songwriting and recording process like?
Song writing for the EP started in September 2012, when Zach and brad were ready to form a serious band.They were writing most of the material in Zach’s parents house, doing rough recordings and demos to show other potential band members. Recording was done with our good friend Chris Ferris at his home studio, CFS Audio. When we got in the studio things began to take shape and many of the songs were changed for the better. Chris was a big help in forming the EP.
One of my loves of metal comes from the lyrical content. Tell us about the meaning behind some of the songs.
Most of the songs are up for your own interpretation. We’re all strong believers of finding your own relation to music and lyrics.
Do you try and incorporate different styles in the music? I know some of you guys are in pop punk bands.
We collectively have a wide range of music that we listen to so we try to include all influences in the creating process. We don’t try to sound a certain way.
Mayfield is relatively new – but why should new fans check you out?
We believed by bringing back an older style of music that we all enjoyed as kids, we can bring what we heard back to the newer generation.
With “Let It Be Known” being released in February this year – are there plans for future releases, possibly any covers?
We’re working on some new material right now that you can catch a glimpse of at our shows. As for covers, you can expect to hear a couple throw backs for sure!
Do you have any upcoming shows that fans need to check out? Where and when?
We just finished playing a show with We Were Sharks and Silverstein which was definitely a highlight for us. We’re working on some out of town shows to try and reach more listers.
What was it like forming a new band in Ottawa?Â
Zach, Patty and Brad were previously in a band called Far From Home, then we recruited Zane as a drummer and finally grabbed Alex to play rhythm guitar.
Pick one band in the Ottawa scene to play a show with – whom would you choose and why?
We’re really good friends with the boys in Rydell and have shared the stage before. It’s always nice to play with them because they bring a good energy to the show and have great fans. We love jamming with those guys!
What influences drew you to play metal core?
For all of us individually as teenagers, heavy music was an outlet for our emotions. Although we may not be angsty teenagers anymore, that style of music has stuck with us through the years. Those similar emotions are probably what brought us together in the end as a band.
By that same token – what musician inspired you to play metal?
I don’t think there’s any specific musician that we collectively look up to as in inspiration for what we do. There’s been lots of bands over the years that mold your style of playing into the kind of musician you are.
What is the one artist you listen to that other people wouldn’t know about?
Throw on some Fall Out Boy while we’re drinking and there’s bound to be a sing along. Aside from Alex. He hates them.
Half way through the year – what can we expect for the rest of 2014 from Mayfield?
2014 has been a busy year for us. A lot of it has been behind the scene thus far, but should be brought to light pretty soon. Music videos and an acoustic version of an old song along with some other things. Of course the usual stuff like writing new songs and lots of shows. Some out of town shows too.
Mayfield –Â https://www.facebook.com/mayfield613
“Let It Be Known” –Â https://www.facebook.com/mayfield613/app_204974879526524
James Rockso – Host of CKCU 93.1 FM’s “Morning Metal”, Tour Manager for “Minds of Men” & Engineer at “Pebble Studios”.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Morning-Metal/286205571505773
https://www.facebook.com/MindsofMenband
http://www.hummingbirdmusic.ca/pebble_studios/
Morning Metal 2014.