Matthew Mayfield on iLike

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- Bio

Matthew Mayfield

Birmingham based Matthew Mayfield traces his musical history like a line, from smoky concert halls and Columbia Records, college dorm rooms and garage band battles, all the way back to a bunk bed. He was a kid living in the suburbs, seven years old, sharing a room with his older brother Tommy. It was late at night, and down the hallway Matthew's father pulled out his 1976 Martin D-28 guitar. He played and sang, classics like "Blackbird" and "Fire and Rain" and early Neil Young, faintly but with enough voice for the silent and still Mayfield boys to hear. "Very few things are quite like a melody," Matthew says. "Even as a little kid, I felt something profound listening to dad sing and play."

Even though his dad was a businessman, those solitary evening sessions lit something inside Matthew. They pushed him to follow the path of a musician, a twisted and narrow journey where simple melodies acted like lanterns.

"I bought Pearl Jam's album Ten when I was 9 years old," Matthew says. A year later, "Mom took me to see Slash's Snakepit," a side project by the Guns' player. When a pretty horrific leg fracture around that time laid Matthew up for half a year, his dad's old Martin sealed the gently-perceptive Alabama songwriter's fate.

Matthew dropped out of college in 2002 and spent nearly two years preparing for a major label release with his band, Moses Mayfield. After multiple cross country recording sessions and nearly half-million dollars spent, the band felt the corporate crunch and was dropped only six weeks into their release. "Canned is the word," Matthew says. "Honestly though, I am more free now than I've ever been."

In 2008, Matthew self-released The Fire EP, an eight song songwriter-distinctive collection recorded in thirty hours for $1,000. The record quickly caught the attention of Birmingham's Live 100.5 radio station, and, in a sense, brought Matthew back to those lonesome bunk bed nights. A guitar and a room. Honest, underdone, a doubting-Thomas authenticity and, yes, palpably melodic. "Pain and secrets," he calls the record.

It's impossible to listen to songs like "Dead to You," "By Your Side," and crowd favorite "Element," and not hear both the influences and kindreds: Eddie Vedder's great no-namer tracks on Vitalogy; Peter Gabriel's atmospheric odes like "Solsbury Hill"; Kings of Leon's sometimes-Delta-bluesyness. "That's the way Muddy Waters would sing about pain," Matthew says about Kings' "Cold Desert" on Only by the Night.

At this point in the journey, Matthew is back in Birmingham. He's had stints on tour with Pete Yorn, Blue October, Switchfoot, and Needtobreathe. He's written enough songs to fill a whiskey barrel. And, he's enjoying newfound open space in the emerald greenery of his hometown. "Whether it's a golf course at midnight or a rooftop downtown," he says. "I hate being crammed. I'm obsessed with freedom." For proof of this admission, ask him about his tattoos. Or listen to the EP.

Twitter Updates

3,500 downloads of the Free EP so far. Thanks to everyone who's listening. http://bit.ly/5aVGoL Pass it on if you like what you hear...
about 22 hours ago

Latest bulletin 03.25.09

Twitter!

Come follow Matthew on Twitter!

http://www.twitter.com/matthewmayfield

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Photos posted by Matthew Mayfield

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Blog posts

'First In Line' on Grey's Anatomy this Thursday! May 5
The Studio, Twitter and Votes! Apr 26
Getting Close... Apr 14

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Blog posts

May 05, 07:00 PM

'First In Line' on Grey's Anatomy this Thursday!

'First In Line' will air this Thursday on ABC's Grey's Anatomy 100th Episode! Check your local listings!
Apr 26, 05:30 PM

The Studio, Twitter and Votes!

Hey everyone!

Matthew's in the studio right now working on brand new material for his upcoming record! If you haven't already checked, you can keep up with him there on Twitter (@matthewmayfield).

Matthew has made it into the final round on Alternative Addiction and the tables have been turned on us! Matthew really needs your votes to get back into first place! One vote per day, per email is allowed! He's been on top ALL month until today! The final cut is on May 1st, so all of your votes need to be in by MIDNIGHT EST ON APRIL 30!! Let's take it back!

Post this link into a bulletin to get your friends listening and voting!

http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/unknownbands/nextbigthing/

Thank you so much!
Apr 14, 06:35 PM

Getting Close...

Just wanted to say thanks to everybody who's been putting in their votes over at Alternative Addiction. Regardless of what happens, I appreciate you guys taking the time. If it's new to any of you guys, here's the link:
Alternative Addiction - Next Big Thing
You can vote from all of your email accounts once each day. The first 'cut' is on April 15th.

Also--the new record will be underway next week. We start tracking on Tuesday and I'm really excited to get in the room with some talented people who want to push me and help me take the songs to the next level. The master list of tunes has finally been whittled down to a reasonable number, so it's time to pull the trigger and get to work. I'll be doing my best to keep the updates coming.

Thanks for everything, as always. Stay in touch.
--MM
Apr 01, 03:28 AM

Matthew needs your VOTES!

This month, Matthew is up against seven other artists on Alternative Addiction's monthly Next Big Thing contest! He needs your help to win and be the featured unsigned artist there!

Here's what you need to know:

You can vote once per day, which means you should message/IM/Twitter all of your friends and family to hit the vote button for him! Votes are filtered by email address and not used for anything except contest reasons. Click the link below to get your votes in!!

http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/unknownbands/nextbigthing/

http://tinyurl.com/altaddiction(put this link in your Twitter tweets!)

Please repost this!
Thanks so much!!
Mar 05, 05:32 PM

New Record on the Horizon

That blog title was not meant to sound so much like the name of the new U2 record. However, there it is.

I'm currently sifting through the 30 + new songs trying to file it down to a reasonable number for the new record. I've nailed down some dates with friend/producer/songsmith Paul Moak in late April/early May. It's gonna be a little different story this time around--a little heavier on the dynamics and atmosphere. I love the EP--everything about it--so I'm gonna let those songs stay there and take a whole new approach this time. Honesty and intimacy are still the heart and soul of these songs and that policy has become crucial for my survival as an artist. I'm learning a lot from it every day.

I'll keep you guys up to date on what's happening as the dates get closer and the tracks begin to bloom. Thanks for all the continued support and for taking the time to listen. Some say this art form is slowly becoming obsolete--but I say that artists are finally taking the music back from the biz and good songs will always be good songs. I will keep trying my best.

--MM
Jan 15, 04:31 AM

Pandora.com

It's been a long time coming, but my solo record has finally made it onto Pandora's radar. If you're a fan of what they're doing for artists via online radio and you like the tunes, please put me in rotation. That's the beautiful thing about it--you guys are the program directors. You choose what gets played, not a handful of politicians with microphones. :)

http://www.pandora.com/

Keep it alive.

--MM
Dec 23 2008, 03:58 AM

2,008 Thank Yous

Friends,

I'm sure a few of you can relate when I say 2008 has been a bit of a strange year. Lots of changes, lots of the unknown, and lots of doubt at times. I just wanted to let you guys know that your support has meant the world to me through this time in my life and I hope that the music I'm making is something that hits home in some way, shape, or form. People don't value the art form the way they used to, and at times, that can be discouraging for me. However, you guys have shown me that music is very much alive in the hearts and souls of people who care and want to 'support the team', so to speak. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you.

2009 is looking promising. I'm gonna make another record at some point--and this time, I'm gonna be able to spend more than 30 hours on it. Not to knock the EP--I love those songs. I just wanna make a record with more sound, more depth, and a few more layers. Nothing crazy, I promise. :) Plus, the song archives are overflowing, so it's time to get back in the studio and start carving away.

These are hard times--perhaps the hardest we've ever seen, but I feel like art is something that shines in the dark. Thanks for letting me be a part of that community.

If you know anyone who may enjoy what I'm doing that doesn't have the record, you can gift 'The Fire EP' via iTunes by clicking here.

Once again, thanks for all the continued support. I wouldn't be here without it.

Cheers to all of you,
MM

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