The band started about four and half years ago, we recently had a line up change about two years ago, the original line up had some guys that come together, and Dallas the singer from Underoath just gave it a shot and said 'Hey I'll come listen' and soon started taking on parts and it started to work out, then they formed.

So is the line-up now pretty solid then?

Yeah, no one for foreseeable future is planning to leave, obviously it was good in one sense when the line-up change happened, because four people left then four people joined.

So it's almost a completely new band really!

Within reason, yeah it is, I mean when the other guys left, the future was uncertain, originally we were gonna do some tours and see what happens, then we got on board and wanted to continue. It's hard because fans are real loyal to bands, and with a new line-up and new sound, I mean I can understand, we never as a line-up wanted to change, our fans were still appreciative, it was still Maylene, we were really happy with the new record, its been great.

So did the sound change too much?

We had to throw in a few more country elements, I think it became more mature, the first record was much more Southern Metal, the second was Southern meets more rock, but with this we threw in some heavier songs, but we wanted to showcase this Southern rock sound and that transcends into Maylene.

Are you from Alabama yourself?

I'm from Florida, the band hails from Alabama, but I'm from Florida. The band lives all over now, I'm all about the hills, and I lived on a farm for quite a few years, so I know all about it!

True country living then!

Oh yeah, it's funny, it makes me laugh, when I first started people were like 'Ah these guys aren't Southern' and I was like, I've lived on a farm, I raised cow and dairy, I knew all about it. Southern people are sometimes misrepresented, its not about the way you look, it’s the way you were raised, the hospitality, so its way different.

Everyone has a misconception...

Yeah and it's the scene itself has changed that, that you have to look a certain way to be Southern, I mean there are very Southern dudes that I know about, go to Texas, there's some crazy messed up dudes there!

You've just finished US tour with All That Remains and Lacuna Coil! How was it?

Awesome! That tour was really, really great, as a band we couldn’t have asked for a better drive and sponsored by HardDrive, those guys really got behind Maylene, pushing the single and obviously with All That Remains having a really loyal fan base and Lacuna Coil being on mainstream radio over there, it opens up a whole new market for us as a band, it really helped us bridge that gap, we wanted to be able to play to the scene kids, play on the radio. As a band we need to take risks, what demographic of fans can we appeal to next, we went to fans from age of fifties to teens, so it really allowed us to tap into that. It was phenomenal!

How do you find being in Maylene, as you're taking on role as tour manager as well as playing each night?

I love touring, I've been touring for about twelve years off and on, I find it liberating, I get paid to travel the world and some people don’t understand that but it’s a passion, as a journalist, if you're passionate about what you do, no one can stop you.

What did you do before Maylene?

Ah which time! I played in three national acts, the first time I was a manager for a Law Maintenance company, then customer service, I got wise and invested some money into a studio so I record bands when I'm home, which eventually when I stop touring, I'll try producing and managing when I'm back home.

What kind of bands do you record and work with?

We do a lot of metal bands, it's kind of weird because I stop and do a country artist and I'm recording his third record, and he pays me to write his songs for him and he's doing quite well. I write and produce and do anything I can get my hands on, I love all things related to music.

You seem really passionate about it!

I am, its my life you know, you can either deal with it, or don't. Myself, I've learnt to understand and explore my passions in life, if you don’t understand then its up to you, I will probably do this for the rest of my life.

So what does a normal day consist of for you, it must be pretty hectic to balance family, band time, recording…

I mean, when I'm home, I'm home, I don’t do anything but I try my best to spend as much time with my daughter, she's eight but her Mom and I aren't together anymore, but we share a common interest in making sure our daughter is taken care of, I'm gone like nine months in a year, and as a father that’s really hard but my family is super supportive, if there's ever a time when I need to make that decision, my family will always come first.

Is your daughter old enough now to understand you being away from home so much?

She has been involved since I started, she's always understood, and children don’t have a concept of time so she just knows that I'm away. I use Skype a lot so we can see each other, for the most part we've been really good, as of recent she's been super supportive.

What's your relationship like with Ferret, a lot of bands seem to have a love hate relationship with their label.

Well actually we're no longer on Ferret, we just recently signed to ILG, Ferret was bought out by Warner so basically they have consolidated all of the independent labels, so we signed with ILG, so far its been good. I mean Ferret, I love Carl, he's one of the greatest dudes, Ferret is a great label for Metal bands and bands just starting out, I mean they signed Every Time I Die and Devil Wears Prada are on there now.

So now with the new label, hopefully this will be a huge step in the right direction!

It's a huge step for us, as we've only been on Ferret. Ferret is all we've ever known, and ILG are a division of Warner and they have a radio division too. It’s a make or break situation, hopefully we can move forward and become a bigger band, or we can go. There's a lot of pressure right now, but hopefully it will transcend into something great.

It sounds exciting!

Oh yeah, it's scary but its awesome at the same time!

Lastly, if you were going to describe yourselves to someone, sell yourself.. How would you do it?

If you like Classic Rock, a lot of elements of 70's, blues, it’s a division of blues and that kind of guitar, we do it the more country way, with a metal edge, if you are really into 70's rock 'n' roll, you'll love us!

Laura Kelly

www.myspace.com/mayleneandthesonsofdisaster