Questions w/ Matthew Mayfield (part two)

Here is part two of “Questions” w/ Matthew Mayfield. Enjoy the interview and be sure to visit MySpace.com/MatthewMayfieldMusic to learn more about Matthew and pick up some of his music for yourself!

StSL – “Open Road” is wonderfully powerful song which is also now an equally powerful music video. What’s the story behind that song and how was the process of translating it to video?

MM – That's certainly my favorite song on the (“Five Chances Remain Hers”) record. I feel like it's a journey, but nothing about it bores me. There's a freedom that's not always present in this life and 'Open Road' is about longing for those locked doors fly forward and the frustration of not knowing when they will. I think there are certain freedoms that we yearn for that we'll never fully experience on this side of death. However, that's the beauty of it. I believe we'll find them in the next life.

StSL – Usually I try not to ask about more than one song in an interview, but I’m also fascinated by “Better”. Would you mind sharing a bit about that one also?

MM – I co-wrote that song with my good friend John Paul White (of The Civil Wars). Every time we get together, it's therapy. He's brilliant. He helps me take my baggage and turn it into songs. My favorite line in that song is 'I haven't found what you need...but don't think what you're after is more than I can be'. There's a lot of hope in that line. Some say I only write sad songs. But that one makes me hopeful.

StSL – A stranger comes up to you and says, “Play me the best song ever written.” What do you play?

MM – I could probably narrow it down to ten, depending on the day. But the one that jumps out at me at the moment is 'Running to Stand Still' by U2. 'You gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice.' It's one of those songs that stops me dead in my tracks every time I hear it.

StSL – Let’s step away from music for a second. What’s your favorite movie quote?

MM – Hmmm. I don't know. 'I'm dropping the hammer' – Cole Trickle That's legit, right? :)

StSL – Can you tell us about what you’re focusing on right now, and what we can expect in the near future from Matthew Mayfield?

MM – At the moment, I'm just focused on trying to get my voice back in shape. It's my instrument and it's not working properly. I know what I'm capable of and I'm not there at the moment. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get it back. The near future holds new songs that came alive in dressing rooms across the Southeast, tending to some old wounds, tending to some new wounds, and making my way through the largest bag of gummy worms on the planet. :)

Thanks so much to our friend, Matthew Mayfield, for taking the time to talk with us! Join us again in two weeks when “Questions” returns with singer/songwriter/producer Ben Shive!