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An intimate evening with three gifted singer-songwriters
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Matthew Mayfield
Matthew Mayfield:
My journey started in 1992 when I fell in love with Guns N’ Roses after seeing Slash get up on the piano for the finale of “November Rain.” When I was 9, I decided I was either going to be a bank robber/surfer or play in a rock ‘n roll band. I’m not brave enough to ride the big waves and not radical enough to rob banks, so here I am with a guitar in my hand. I think my mother is very happy with that call.
As a kid, I gravitated toward three things: songs, swagger and spectacle. When I turned 11, I got a bright red Gibson Les Paul, which I took all over my hometown of Birmingham, AL – talent shows, birthday parties, middle school dances, and all the other glamorous gigs you book when you’re a kid who just wants to play all the time. I was enamored with over-the-top rock stars that were pushy and unapologetic because they were that good. I was drawn to the weight and chops of Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughn, and the soul and grit of Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder. I couldn’t get enough. As the fascination grew, I quickly started writing my own songs.
At 19, I quit school, started a new band, played every dive in the Southeast for 50 bucks and beer, and eventually signed a giant record deal with Epic Records in 2005. We spent lots of their money making a big record, opening big tours, and believing big promises. The wheels eventually fell off, and we realized this isn’t about overnight success. You have to grind it out for a LONG time. You have to work your ass off just to get by. You have to keep paying your dues and keep paying your dues and keep paying your dues.
In 2008, I decided to go solo and take the DIY route. It was time to own it. The thrill of any success and the weight of any failure would be on my shoulders. I wasn’t going to hide behind a band or pretend it wasn’t my name on the marquee. I was ready for another season. I recorded The Fire EP in August 2008, and the reset process was in full effect. I self-released 7 more EP’s over the course of the next year and a half. I toured in my car, shared bills with some incredible artists, and made some new friends. I had a couple of songs placed on Grey’s Anatomy and made it to number 1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts a few times. By May of 2010, I had a list of 30 tunes that I still hadn’t recorded. With the help of fans, Pledge Music, and producer Paul Moak, I had the team and the resources to make my first full-length album. I headed to Nashville to make the record I’ve always wanted to make.
Now You’re Free is everything I want it to be. Honest, anthemic and diverse. The songs are full of hope, which in some ways is very new to me. They are the sound of a fresh start. I’m excited about attempting to change something with this record. It could be someone’s mood for a few minutes, the temperature in their room, or the way they watch the sunset driving down the interstate. Music has changed everything for me. I want to be a part of that for other people.
So here I am. 27 years old and still climbing the ladder. Partially because I love it, partially because I’m addicted to it. I still tour in a van. I still rummage through the gummy worms at 4am fuel stops. I still look out the window for hours because I can’t sleep in a moving vehicle. I still miss home. And I still dream.
A wise man once sang, “I know it’s only rock n roll…but I like it.”
I hope you do too.
David Ramirez
David Ramirez:
“I’m a wandering man, got no money in the bank, got no wife at home watching children.” Nothing could more accurately depict the adventurous, carefree spirit of singer-songwriter David Ramirez. Uneasy with being in one place for too long, David repeatedly finds himself on the road playing his brand of modern Americana that fans have coined “Folk-brewed Pop.”
He’s been writing and performing for over 10 years. From his teen years swapping songs with friends in Houston to the struggles of making a name for himself in Nashville, David’s songwriting journey has spanned multiple EP’s and a full-length, American Soil which garnered over 1,200 downloads in a 48-hr. period on Noisetrade. In 2010, David played 150 shows on numerous, independently booked tours. Feeling truly at home on the road, he calls his second home Austin, Texas. It’s here where he wrote and recorded his latest release, Strangetown EP.
The songs, with their heart-yearning lyrics and sparse musical backdrop, tells things as he sees them: honest, unfiltered and true. “Wandering Man” is a revved up, foot-stomper that would make Johnny Cash proud and turn even the most fickle listener into a true believer. “Shoeboxes” and “Argue With Heaven” find David coming to terms with life’s ups and downs and the reality of lost loves and broken hearts. “I Think I Like You” hits your ears like a whispered secret and the title track, “Strange Town” weaves a memorable, melancholy lyric with an infectious, heart-pulsing beat.
David Ramirez knows no luxury. He wants no satisfaction. All he needs is an acoustic guitar and the words in his mouth to tell the true stories of a wandering man. But to see him live, with only that acoustic guitar in hand, spitting those words into rings of fire, is to experience something real…something that cannot be reproduced.
Dave Desmelik
Dave Desmelik:
Dave Desmelik has established himself as an accomplished and rising singer/songwriter whose music might best be described as Americana or Alt/Country. Drawing upon influences from country to bluegrass to blues to rock and roll, Desmelik writes and performs an original blend of songs. His seven independent albums, dating from 1999 to present, have garnered acclaim and positive reviews in various music communities around the world and he has toured extensively in support of his songs including numerous performances in the USA and UK. Focusing on lyrics, melody, instrumental and word phrasing, Desmelik mixes distinct ingredients into his songwriting as well as his live shows. Music critic Rein van den Berg (altcountryforum.nl) states “Desmelik’s music is honest, his are relevant questions, and he plays guitar viciously. This man carries with him the legacy of a dying breed.”
Desmelik has released seven albums to date, “Move On” (1999), “Have Another” (2001), “Afterthoughts” (2003), “When Your Eyes Are Closed” (2005), “Unheard Of” (2007), “Onlooker” (2009), and “Deep Down the Definition” (2011) as well as two albums with his former band Onus B. Johnson. Dave’s song “If It’s Good For You” was chosen in the Top 25 Songs of 2010 by Indie-Music.com. His albums have placed on the EuroAmericana Chart, Roots Music Report, Freeform American Roots Chart, and North Carolina Roots Radio Chart. Dave’s albums have also been voted consistently in the “Best Releases” by the listeners of WNCW radio as well as being voted in the “Best Of” Mountain Xpress Readers’ Poll. His recordings have been reviewed in a number of reputable publications and online music sources such as Maverick Magazine (UK), Southeast Performer Magazine, americana-uk.com and nodepression.com (Flyingshoes Reviews) to name a few.
Currently, Desmelik resides in Brevard, NC and continues to write songs and play music for his growing fanbase. He performs live as a solo artist, or as a duo or trio. Perhaps music reviewer Joe Sample (Focus Newspaper) sums it up best with his description, “Dave Desmelik’s brand of Americana is the kind that makes you neither cry in your beer nor suck it down at a grim pace. His is the kind that makes you stop drinking for just a moment to acknowledge it with an emotional nod, a shiver of recognition that touches your own experience.”