Matthew Mayfield

My journey started in 1992 when I fell in love with Guns N’ Roses as soon as Slash got up on the piano for the finale of “November Rain.” When I was 9, I decided I was either going to be a bank robber/surfer or play in a rock n roll band.  I’m not brave enough to ride the big waves and not radical enough to rob banks, so here I am with a guitar in my hand.  I think my mother is very happy with that call.

As a kid, I gravitated toward three things:  songs, swagger and spectacle.  When I turned 11, I got a bright red Gibson Les Paul, which I took all over my hometown of Birmingham, AL– talent shows, birthday parties, middle school dances, and all the other glamorous gigs you book when you’re a kid who just wants to play all the time.  I was enamored with over-the-top rock stars that were pushy and unapologetic because they were that good.  I was drawn to the weight and chops of Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughn, and the soul and grit of Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder.  I couldn’t get enough. As the fascination grew, I quickly started writing my own songs.

At 19, I quit school, started a new band, played every dive in the Southeast for 50 bucks and beer, and eventually signed a giant record deal with Epic Records in 2005.  We spent lots of their money making a big record, opening big tours, and believing big promises.  The wheels eventually fell off and we realised this isn’t about overnight success.  You have to grind it out for a LONG time.  You have to work your ass off just to get by. You have to keep paying your dues and keep paying your dues and keep paying your dues.

—Matthew Mayfield

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