HELLYEAH joins Mayhem Tour with stops in Chula Vista Jun 26 and San Bernardino Jun 27
When you put players such as Mudvayne lead vocalist Chad Gray, Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell, Bloodsimple bass player Kyle Sanders, Magna-Fi rhythm guitarist Christian Brady, and former Pantera and Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul into one musical arrangement all you can say is “Hellyeah,” which is what these musicians appropriately titled their group when they officially formed in 2006.
Playing this year’s Mayhem Festival, the group is excited to be on the road with metal heavyweights like Slayer, King Diamond, The Devil Wears Prada, Thy Art Is Murder, along with up and coming acts like Whitechapel, Jungle Rot, Sister Sin, Sworn In, Shattered Sun, Feed Her To The Sharks, Code Orange and Kissing Candice. Mayhem Festival is slated for 26 stops to run from June 26th through Aug. 2 and will be making two Southern California stops in San Diego on June 26 and San Bernardino on June 27.
Guitarist Maxwell took some time out of the group’s busy tour schedule to tell Concert Guide Live about the band’s new LP, “Blood To Blood”, and what they are most looking forward to as a part of this year’s Mayhem Tour.
CONCERT GUIDE LIVE: What is different about playing in this band (Hellyeah) that sets it apart from the other bands each member has played in before? Has being a collective of musicians from other popular hard rock bands been helpful to the bands success or an obstacle?
TOM MAXWELL: Well it’s a different energy all together. Anytime you get people together despite their backgrounds it’s going to be different. We share the similarity in the fact that we are heavy but I think we display a much deeper emotional side to us than what we have done in the past in our other respective groups.
Yes it has been helpful. Each of us brought a devoted fan base with us who truly embraced us from the beginning. Plus the press and/or colleagues in the business got really behind us.
CGL: How often did the group come together to jam before deciding to commit to a new band?
TM: It only took one week of jamming and recording when we realized we had something special. Myself and Chad of course had already written and recorded music that captured our desire to be in a band together.
CGL: Did the group set out to make its latest recording “Blood for Blood” its most metallic album to date or did it just get heavier as it evolved into the final project?
TM: It just happened naturally as it should. After the turmoil that we had went thru leading up to the writing and recording of “Blood For Blood” there was a lot of creativity pouring out of us. Personally this is the record I always wanted to make with HY. I love the extremities of being emotional/melodic and being over the top/heavy. Brutally beautiful as I like to say.
CGL: What song on “Blood for Blood” has the craziest or most unexpected story behind it from forming the first melody to the final recorded version?
TM: “Say When” for sure. It all started with Vinnie’s opening drum riff. He played it for me and said, “Put something on top of this.” So I just followed his beat and came up with an insane poly rhythmic guitar riff to race pace with it. The song just explodes from there.
CGL: What song from all the albums is the most challenging to play live and why?
TM: “Soul Killer” off of BFB. The guitar playing is extremely challenging and all the verses are down picked. No fucking around playing that song. Sink or swim!
CGL: Why did the group decide to work with a producer on “Blood for Blood?” Describe the first few meetings between the album’s producer Kevin Churko and the entire band.
TM: We decided to work with a producer because we wanted someone to help us take our music to a different level. Being a self-produced band you’re very biased and close to the music. It’s impossible to look at it with an outside perspective when it’s your own song. We didn’t really have any meetings; we talked on the phone and had faith in him from the start. Obviously, and gratefully, our gut feelings were spot on.
CGL: What is the group most looking forward to as one of the main headliners of this year’s Mayhem Festival Tour?
TM: I’m looking forward to seeing White Chapel and King Diamond the most.
CGL: Which band or bands is the group most excited to share the stage with during the festival?
TM: All of them.
CGL: Are there any hobbies the band members have outside of music that would surprise your fans and was a surprise to the other members of the band?
TM: I can’t speak for the others but I’m really into my home life and raising my boy. I love boating, cooking, growing a vegetable garden and pretty much laying low. It may sound boring or average but it’s what I love and that’s all I need outside my band.