Mayfield

I recently came across this Adelaide band when I was holidaying in Melbourne for a few weeks. In that time, I was able to see Mayfield play in Melbourne and have since seen them 6 times all over Adelaide.


I got my hands on a copy of their debut EP: "To whom it may concern", and was curious as to how a band whom I had grown used to in the live environment would adapt their energy and power into the studio (a process that lets many bands down).


Needless to say, I was hooked. From the meticulous, authoritive drum intro of the title track, to the last captivating outro of ''That bears her name'' This record carries with it an international sound, a breakthrough in alternative rock and a breath of fresh air to the scene and industry.


Mayfield introduces them with the explosive record opener ''To whom it may concern'' the first single from the EP. It’s easy to see why. A form-free intro proceeds a riff based verse, but the chorus is the key. I have not heard a chorus this good in ten years! It reminds me why I became a rock enthusiast in the first place!


The controversial "She’s My Jesus" snuck up on me while I was still catching my breath from track 1. It delves further into the bands unique punk/rock sound, combining their grungy feel with catchy melodies, harmonies and intertwining guitar lines.


Unglued displays West/Knight''s ability to write a dare I say ''ballad'' without departing from the bands signature sound. Too often I see a bands attempt to write a 3:30 pop song as insincere and overly premeditated. Perhaps a fickle attempt at commercial radio success which only exposes the limitations in their songwriting ability. However, Mayfield''s sensitive side displayed maturity and wisdom beyond their years, seamlessly blendi! ng tunef ul melody with rock grooves and powerful chorus''.


Vocalist Zigg Wests'' sensitive, yet mocking lyrics lace the record in a strangely harmonious contrast with his commanding vocals.


I think the song that defines this band for me, and perhaps even defines grunge/rock, is ''So Far Nameless''. I feel I must comment on the guitar tone on this record which is particularly evident on this track; West plays some profound riffs throughout the record but the sharp, biting guitar tone used on this album truly helps set this band apart. There seems to be a common misconception among bands that to be a grunge band means you use poor tones and have loose arrangements. If this is the case, Mayfield are re-incarnating the fundamentals of grunge but with a modern sound and relevance.


The final track on the EP ''That Bears Her Name'' is a confronting and dominant epic that closes the record like a thrilling final chapter, leaving the listener wanting more. This track is an education on how a 3-piece band can and should sound. Clearly the heaviest song on the album, the raw energy and anger, combined with the conviction and sincerity in West''s voice make this track a popular favorite at Mayfield shows and a perfect conclusion to a truly ground-breaking record. Its easy to see why this band has become so big in the United states, particularly Seattle.


I recommend this record to any disgruntled rock fans who feel that the last 5 years have robbed the industry of tell-it-like-it-is rock bands. Could Mayfield be the saviors of a stale dying industry? If this record is any indication, most definitely!


Check them out @:

www.mayfield-music.com


Darryl Austin. - Adelaide bands official website: www.adelaidebands.com/reviews/mayfield.html

"The attitude in this recording leaps from the speakers seeing this band hitting the scene with a serious edge"
-Luke Vickery [JRs music city news magazine] - JRmusic city news

A musicSA.com.au 'featured artist' in June/July 2006, Mayfield are a three piece alternative rock band from Adelaide, South Australia.

Mayfield have matured alot in the last 18 months, successfully planning a european tour, and a U.S tour as well as gigs all over Australia. In that time, they have also released their EP 'To whom it may concern' which has been receiving high rotation on multiple radio stations throughout U.S.A, the UK and Australia.

Mayfield are setting their sights on a tour of the UK in December of 2006 to help promote the follow-up to 'To whom it may concern' which is scheduled to be released later this year.

Gaining popularity and interest overseas, along with a well-earned reputation for rebellious antics has made Mayfield something of a hot ticket around town.

In November, Mayfield head to Sydney to record their follow-up EP at the acclaimed 'Velvet Sound studios' which has been home to 'The Vines' (who mixed their album 'vision valley' at velvet sound), Wolfmother, Grinspoon, and Youthgroup (who recorded their number 1 single 'Forever young' at the studio to name just a few.

The band has also gained interest from 'Chatterbox records' (Brian Jonestown Massacre, Cockfight Shootout, Nashville Pussy) and has scheduled a meeting with them whilst in Sydney.

With A CD launch scheduled for July 7, now is a great time to check out a Mayfield show, and experience for yourself what they are all about.

For more information on the band:

www.mayfield-music.com or www.myspace.com/mayfieldtheband

- Musicsa official website: http://www.musicsa.com.au/artists/mayfield/

6 July - 12 July 2006

1 Wolf & Cub: This Mess
2 Radio Birdman: A Zeno Beach

3 ***MAYFIELD: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN***

4 Poly and the Statics: Daydreams
5 Frequentseahorse: For Mu(sic) Lovers
6 Hilltop Hoods: The Hard Road
7 The Sleepy Jackson: A Personality - One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird
8 Grandaddy: Just Like the Fambly Cat
9 The Fiddle Chicks: Ivory Tower
10 The Fauves: A Nervous Flashlights
11 Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped
12 The Bovines: The Bovines
13 Central Deli Band: Bad Girls
14 Smack Granny: Mouth Full of Marbles
15 Fourplay String Quartet: Fourplay String Quartet
16 Beirut: Gulag Orkestar
17 Chris Finnen: Live at the Singing Gallery, McLaren Vale
18 You Am I: A Convicts
19 The Satellites: Preston 29/04/05
20 Fiendish Cavendish: Fiendish Cavendish
21 Peaches: Impeach My Bush - THREE D RADIO

Former local and Broken Hill high school student Matt West’s band ‘Mayfield’ have been offered the opportunity to record their follow up album at MI studios in Hollywood, California.
The opportunity came as a result of the 3 piece rock band embarking on a tour of the United States with gigs in Los Angeles, New York, Boston and Atlanta, including a show at the world famous Whisky a go-go in Hollywood, a venue that has housed the likes of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and CBGBs the New York club that housed The Ramones, Pearl Jam and The Police.
The U.S release of Mayfield’s first album in October was met with much interest prompting the move to Los Angeles to record the much anticipated follow-up.

“We are excited about the opportunity to record in such a world class facility” says Mayfield’s singer/guitarist Matt West who moved to Adelaide in 2002 to pursue a career in music where he met Sam Knight (drums) and Ed Soang (bass).
“We make a big deal about the importance of our live show which is why an extensive tour of the U.S was a high priority for us.” says Knight.

“We really wanted to show our appreciation for all the support Broken Hill has given us, and we felt a farewell show at Christmas time was an excellent opportunity to do so” says West.

Due to popular demand, Mayfield’s will be playing two nights at The Palace on Thursday the 22nd and Friday the 23rdof December.
- Barrier Daily Truth

Rock/punk 3 piece Mayfield have their sights set on the global stage... but despite plans for a European and US tour in the works (they'll hit the UK starting in December), Australia will still get their fair share of the band's angsty "new grunge" sound this year.
With a media tag like that, it's no wonder their new EP To Whom It May Concern has already met with heavy airplay on Seattle-based station GrungeFM, as well as high rotation on multiple radio stations throughout U.S.A, the UK and Australia. Mayfield was also named "Number 1 Most Popular Australian Unsigned Grunge Band" on a recent Myspace poll, helped by the independent 'E-release' of the EP.
Their follow-up recording is hot on their heels, and will be laid down in November at Velvet Sound Studios in Sydney, known for The Vines album 'Vision Valley' and Youth Group's number 1 single 'Forever Young'.

Mayfield will be in fine company, as Velvet Sound has also hosted bands such as Wolfmother, Grinspoon, Tumbleweed, plus some legendary producers including Richard Lush (The Beatles) Bill Kennedy (Nine Inch Nails, Deep Purple, Tom Petty Alice in Chains) John Haeny (The Doors, Jackson Brown) and many more. While they're in the big city, Mayfield will be meeting with Chatterbox records (Brian Jonestown Massacre, Cockfight Shootout), so keep an ear out for more news.
In the meantime, To Whom It May Concern -recorded with Adelaide's own super producer Matt Hills - will be officially launched Friday July 7 @ Rocket Bar with Syd's Gate & The Bovines. If you can't wait that long, Mayfield are helping organise a 'Grunge Nite' at the Governor Hindmarsh on Saturday, June 24th - an early 90s themed evening featuring Australia's no. 1 Peral Jam & Red Hot Chili Peppers tributes (EvenFlow and Funky Monks, respectively) as well as Fear of Flying (main stage) and Mayfield & Underbelly (front bar). 5 bands, 2 stages - should be fun!
To win a copy of Mayfield's CD To Whom It May Concern simply Email MusicSA. Winner drawn 11 July.
- MusicSA

>>MAYFIELD TO RECORD IN LA >>

Adelaide band Mayfield is jetting off to L.A to record at the famous M.I studios in Hollywood California. The band will record the follow up to their first offering ‘To whom it may concern’ which was warmly received when released in the U.S in October 2005. Mayfield will then embark on a 30 date U.S tour beginning at the Whisky a Go-Go (L.A) and finishing at CBGB’s (New York.) The band departs in June.
- Rip it Up Magazine

When I first met Mayfield, the self-described part grunge rejectionism, part hippie ideal, part project mayhem band from Australia (what up Ric B) I was anticipating a group of kids angry at a generation they grew up longing to be a part of. I was armed with jokes about Koala bears, Crocodile Dundee, Men At Work (the band, not the Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez buddy movie), Silverchair, and INXS (what was their biggest break? Michael Hutchence’s neck after he stepped off the chair).
Instead I found three guys that were happy to be performing for the first time in New York. We ended up sitting there bullshitting for over an hour discussing everything from how protesters drive their SUVs to the nearest anti-war rally, to walking the line between maintaining ideals and selling out, to how the journal written in 1984 is addressed to the future in the same manner Stalin wrote his, to facilitating change by inspiring children, to Nietzsche, to the shitty band that was doing their sound check.
Damn these guys! All of my jokes about Vegemite out the window! Instead I enjoyed the most intellectually stimulating conversation I have had in a while (sorry Bobby, discussing the many different positions we would do Eva Mendes in given the chance does not qualify as intellectual).
The anger finally did come out when the guys were on stage. Bleeding eardrums aside, these guys are quality and they actually convey a message through their music rather than just trying to be seen on MTV and heard on KRock.
http://www.bombinmagazine.com/blog/?p=3813

- BOMBIN' MAGAZINE

There’s a reason that music critics and fans alike fell out of love with grunge around a decade ago. We were all tired of having half-hearted, faux-melancholic music thrust down out throats by copycat bands that were trying to catch some of the money that was being tossed about copiously by record companies. Yet, while it may have taken that decade for that bad taste to be cleansed from our palates, we are rewarded with the music of bands like Mayfield. Hailing from Australia, this intense three-piece seeks to intentionally wipes the grunge slate clean so that fresh music can be made again. Tracks like “The New Black” and “Against The Grain” call to mind the glory days of Stone Temple Pilots, while “Talent Show” comes across (both positively and negatively) as a Nirvana B-side, circa In Utero. Rock music fans tired of the cheesy bluster and theatrical bombast that have polluted hard rock for far too long will find much to love with Mayfield. - dryvetymeonlyne