22 April 2024
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with London band Mellow Mayhems to find out more…
Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the name?
Yo Merryn! Thanks for having us. Sam (vocals, guitar) had the name Mellow Mayhems in mind largely to represent small beginnings for a music project, making little waves – maybe we should have gone bigger!
He then met Pete (bass, backing vocals) through the Vampr app in April 2022 – which is funny because neither of us are particularly great with technology – but it fortunately worked for us that time!
Pete knew Steve (drums) after jamming with him at some different events previously and convinced him to join (he hopefully didn’t take that much coercion).
We then played our first show at London’s fabled Hope & Anchor in January last year.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Sam’s early favourites would largely be 50s and 60s bands (first album was “The Best of Buddy Holly”) and that developed into Bob Dylan, Creedence, numerous Scouse bands, Motown, hip hop greats such as Jurassic 5, People Under the Stairs etc.
We don’t think those influences have changed much really!
Pete’s bass playing comes from a hugely diverse range of influences; from grunge, to hip hop, to funk and disco. He originally picked up the guitar over 25 years ago inspired by a musical father and a love of Oasis.
The recurring theme in the crossover is that of melodic tunes and soulful vibes.
Similar to Pete, Steve’s mantra is: “Rock, pop, funk and soul both old and new, all feed into an approach to playing that defies any one genre.”
How would you describe your sound?
We find this really difficult! Pop/Blues/Rock & Roll/Motown-fusion! How about that?!
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Our second single Nemesis was out 10th April, we like to think it sounds a bit like The La’s and Creedence combined – folky/rock and roll sounds with nice melodies and a driving rhythm.
What’s your local music scene like?
We all hail from different parts of London and originally different parts of the UK! Born in Carlisle, Sam’s local music scene there was pretty cool, quite a lot of guitar bands playing at local venues such as The Brickyard – although he has been in London for over 12 years now!
Now a resident of Holloway, Sam’s local music scene consists of quite a lot of open mic stuff, Irish music is very prominent. Steve and Pete have been regulars at a variety of jam nights around London! Pete has spent many a night in Shepherd’s Bush playing all sorts of music.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
We have one more slated for release before summer and then we are looking to release some more music later in the year, around September time.
And maybe something dark and disturbing for Halloween as well so watch out!
Yes, actually, we are working on a live recorded charity gig with a promoter called Hotvox to raise money for War Child, aired on Monday April 8th.
That’s really exciting because we will be able to reach a wider audience with our live sound, which is where we think we are at our very best!
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Sam would love to collaborate with Kelis – her voice and her vibe are so cool – it would be amazing to make a bluesy, hip-hop themed anthem with her vocals.
Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
For some reason Steve is always eating when we are either due on-stage or about to sound check! The last gig we did he was wolfing down a bagel as we were due to start. We will try to make sure he eats earlier next time!
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
We are a melodic kaleidoscope of stuff!
Upcoming live dates and performances
Wednesday 24th April – New Cross Inn, London
You can find out more about Mellow Mayhems via Apple Music, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, Threads, TikTok or YouTube.
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