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Spotlight: Ty Mayfield
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I first saw Ty Mayfield play in Dallas last year when he opened for Ryan Star. I had never heard of ...I first saw Ty Mayfield play in Dallas last year when he opened for Ryan Star. I had never heard of him before, but was so wowed by his set. He is a mix of Jason Mraz and Jack’s Mannequin with a his own twist of course. Ty has a great voice and uses his skills on the keyboard to bring his music to the next level, aptly fitting in to the genre of piano pop and rock. He has recently released his first EP, The Curveball EP, which I have been listening to and am really impressed with. He is originally from Tulsa, but is now in Dallas and playing sets all over the place, opening for bands when they pass through. His songs and lyrics are very honest and relatable, reflecting his personality perfectly.
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Ty Mayfield
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Ready to release his first full-length album “Give Me A Second” in April, Ty’s next years are lookin...Ready to release his first full-length album “Give Me A Second” in April, Ty’s next years are looking to be quite the musical adventure. “We’ve really put a lot of work and time into this record, my very first one, trying to make it as perfect as it can be,” Ty said. And while listening to the new tracks, it has exceeded expectations. Ty also added, “I hope the music will be not only enjoyable to listen to, but also relatable in the aspects in the songs--love, heartbreak, having a great time, and breaking free to name a few.” Ty’s first full-length album looks to be a hit across all ages, if you haven’t seen him, you should! If you have seen him, you know! If you don’t see him, you will! Just “Give Him a Second”, and you’ll love him!
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What Comes Naturally: Tulsa Pop Movement Continues with Ty Mayfield's Latest Album
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Back in early May, I took a look at the young pop movement that has been underway in Tulsa over the ...Back in early May, I took a look at the young pop movement that has been underway in Tulsa over the past year. While acts like Zeke Duhon, Apollo and Chase Stites are all simmering to the top and more established acts like Stars Go Dim continue to show its younger peers how things are done, we've got even more pop percolating in the background.
One such artist is Ty Mayfield, a Tulsa native and graduate of Metro Christian Academy who has been spending his more recent time in Texas studying music business and furthering his aspiring career as a singer/songwriter.
About a year ago Mayfield released his debut EP, The Curveball, with a show at Cain's Ballroom. Even with a release party at the prestigious honky-tonk, Mayfield continued to fly under the radar as a talent in development.
The disc itself was good, if a bit uneven, indicative of his youth and debut status. A mix of piano pop, rock and ballad material, the five-track disc showed much potential, but a lack of distinct focus. Nearly a year later, Mayfield is back with a follow up and what he considers his proper full length debut, Give Me a Second.
With this release, Mayfield seems to have found his stride. All of the elements are still there, but the overall package is more cohesive and direct. I got a preview of the majority of the disc, but lead single "19 to 2" is a perfect example of what to expect from the disc: soulful piano pop with a rock 'n' roll backbone.
Now 20, Mayfield has been immersed in music the vast majority of his young life. After starting on drums when he was only six and going though his pop-punk and screamo phases as an early teen, he picked up piano his freshman year of high school and his focus changed.
"At that point I kind of said 'I'll pass on the screamo,' and started writing my own songs," Mayfield said.
The big shift came as the musician finally had an instrument he could use to pair words and melody. Amazingly, however, the process didn't come from piano lessons and music theory, but natural intuition.
"With piano, I was self taught," he said. "I was just able to feel out what I was doing and find chord progressions and melodies and stuff. Now that I'm in college studying music business, I get to add music classes to go with it and I'm starting to understand what I'm doing."
Along with music business and theory classes, Mayfield also took a couple semesters of piano lessons, which has changed his approach to the instrument.
"I had to relearn how to play piano," he said, "because I'd never had lessons or learned to read music, so I had to relearn proper technique and how I should play."
Although Mayfield had to relearn technique, that didn't mean he had to unlearn and relearn the compositional process. If anything, it's only given the musician a better understanding of what he's doing and more to draw from.
Composition and arranging have always come naturally to Mayfield, who admitted that even while drumming for a band in junior high and high school, he had a hand in arranging. Even if he couldn't explain things in technical terms, he knew where the separate parts should be and how to structure the songs, oftentimes directing the band during rehearsals as the band wrote or learned new songs.
"I always listened to a lot of music, so when I started playing piano, I thought 'Hey, maybe I can put words and music together with this,'" he remembered. "Playing just made me want to write and sing my own songs."
When asked how the songwriting process works for him, Mayfield admitted that it varies by song. "For '19 to 2,' it started with a verse," he said. "'Give Me a Second' started with a verse and pre-chorus and "Only One" began with the line 'Baby, can't you see' and I thought I've got write something to go with that."
Despite his young age, Mayfield is already well ahead of many of his peers in the songwriting field, but that all comes with practice.
"Like all songwriters, you start out not that great. I think I got through that phase pretty early, though, because I wrote a lot of mediocre songs in high school," he admitted. "It worked for me, though, because I had both things driving me. If something came into my head, I had to write it and get it out. On the other hand, I also wanted to write so I could learn the process and practice and get better at it."
That perspective and level head has undoubtedly helped Mayfield as he has quickly progressed in his writing, even over the past year. Give Me A Minute not only incorporates songwriting influences like Gavin DeGraw and Dave Barnes, but also the pop/rock elements of Rocket Summer and Hanson and touches of the soul of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Not surprisingly, Hanson has become a strong influence in recent years.
"My favorite part is how they (Hanson) incorporate horns and instrumentation but don't overdo anything," he said. "The arrangements feel bare, but all the essentials are there."
On a whole, Mayfield's influences and taste in music run the gamut, from the aforementioned Gavin DeGraw to Ryan Tedder to Michael Buble. Perhaps that's all the better, however, and what gives Mayfield's pop tunes a surprising maturity and well-rounded feel, even though he's only now truly launching his career.
Ty Mayfield's Give Me a Minute was released digitally on April 19 via iTunes and Amazon MP3 and is being supported by a handful of CD release shows where you can get a physical copy of the disc as Mayfield begins the touring process to support his latest project. Being a Tulsa native, Mayfield couldn't kick things off without a hometown show, so the T-Town release party will be this Friday night, April 22 at Bob's (Cain's second stage). Zeke Duhon and Ryan Burton will open the show at 8pm and keep the overall pop movement theme in tact as pair of impressive young songwriters in their own right. Tickets are still available for $10 in advance or $12 at the door.
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Ty Mayfield
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Ty Mayfield makes some fantastic feel-good, piano-driven music – a refreshing sound that I’m looking...Ty Mayfield makes some fantastic feel-good, piano-driven music – a refreshing sound that I’m looking forward to on my ride home after a loooong Friday at work. The man of two cities (Tulsa and Dallas) has a new record out that you’d appreciate on your commute as well, titled “Give Me a Second”. Ty himself gets into it: “You can expect a good mix of pop music from tracks, ‘19 to 2’ and ‘Stumble Upon You’, to just great soul songs, ‘Elevate’ and ‘One Man Army’.
The title of the track came from the title song, ‘Give Me A Second’ which is just about having a great time and I named the CD after it because I wanted the fans to just give the CD a second, give it a listen.” Not asking for much, right? If you can’t sample the record itself, just head over to Mayfield’s FaceBook page, where you’ll hear “piano pop/rock.” Ty continues, “It’s kind of a mix between Gavin DeGraw, The Rocket Summer, a few singer/songwriters, and Owl City. However, I believe it stands out over the others because my sound doesn't quite define itself in a specific genre. It crosses two or three.” Check out “Give Me a Second” and the tour schedule for more information. There’s a lot more to get into, so keep reading for all the answers to the XXQ’s. XXQs: Ty Mayfield
PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound and what do you feel makes you stand out over the others?
Ty Mayfield (TM): I would probably describe my sound as piano pop/rock. Kind of a mix between Gavin DeGraw, The Rocket Summer, a few singer/songwriters, and Owl City. However, I believe it stands out over the others because my sound doesn't quite define itself in a specific genre. It crosses two or three to where there's usually something for everyone, whether it be my poppy side in "19 to 2" or my soulful side in "Elevate".
PEV: A man of two cities, calling both Tulsa and Dallas home, what kind of music where you into growing up? Was anyone your main influence?
TM: Well, I started out as a drummer. I've been playing the drums since I was six years old. So, a lot of what I listened to was focused towards the drums and the music around it. Music from Relient K and Yellowcard to Phil Collins and The Police. However as my focus started changing to singing and the piano, artists like Gavin and Stevie Wonder became the type of music I was listening to consistently. Those two artists would have to be my two main influences.
PEV: What was it like for you when you first started out in the music business and trying to make a name for yourself? Any "war stories" from those early years?
TM: Honestly I feel as if I am still in the "war story" zone. I released my first EP a little over a year ago now and it has been a long but encouraging road since then. I remember doing some acoustic shows and singing so loud on one in particular that I blew out the Mic cable. I had to sing without a mic the rest of the night.
PEV: Do you remember the first time you thought to yourself - "I am really onto something!"?
TM: Well this last spring I got the news from my managers that Hollister wanted to use my song, 19 to 2, on its summer playlist that it plays for stores. That was the first time I really thought, this might actually go somewhere real. I've always thought it actually, just first time it was a reality.
PEV: With that, what can fans expect from a live Ty Mayfield performance?
TM: If you get a chance to come to one of my shows you can expect some great music that gets you off your feet, and some killer vocals. I try to make the fans supporting me get involved in the set and just enjoy the night.
PEV: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you step on stage to perform?
TM: Let's do this.
PEV: Any preshow rituals before you take the stage or do you just wing it?
TM: I drink a ton of water. So much in fact that I usually have to use the restroom multiple times before my set.
PEV: What was the underlining inspiration for your music? Where do get your best ideas for songs?
TM: My inspiration comes from love, heartbreak, having a great time, and just breaking free from your surroundings.
PEV: Tell us about your latest work, "Give Me A Second" - what can fans expect from this work? Why this title?
TM: You can expect a good mix of pop music from tracks, 19 to 2 and Stumble Upon You, to just great soul songs, Elevate and One Man Army. The title of the track came from the title song, "Give Me A Second" which is just about having a great time and I named the CD after it because I wanted the fans to just give the CD a second, give it a listen.
PEV: Do you ever find yourself getting writer's block and if so, how do you get over that?
TM: I have writers block all the time. What I usually do is just sit at the piano and wait, sometimes even for hours.
PEV: What's one thing we'd be surprised to hear about Ty Mayfield?
TM: I actually taught ballroom dancing to middle school children.
PEV: Was there a certain point in your life when you knew you wanted one day for music was going to be a career for you?
TM: Well I had always done music from when I was growing up but in middle school I strayed away from sports, I'm a huge sports fan by the way, and got to focus on music.
PEV: What one word best describes Ty Mayfield?
TM: Contagious.
PEV: How is life on the road for you in the music world? Best and worst parts?
TM: Well this past summer I was doing a tour across the Midwest and I was blessed enough to have some amazing shows with some amazing bands, however we also had some really hard times with mix-ups on communication and just shows that didn't work out. But realistically that's the life of a musician, and you take the good and the bad. I love what I do.
PEV: Is there one area you wish you could travel around and play that you have not yet?
TM: In the USA - California. Out of the USA - Great Britain
PEV: How have all your friends and family reacted to your career? What's it like when you get to play at your hometown?
TM: My friends and family have been so encouraging and supportive every step of the way and I couldn't do it without them. I love them dearly.
PEV: What can we find you doing in your spare time, aside from playing/writing music?
TM: Studying or golfing.
PEV: Is there an up and coming band or artist you think we should all be looking out for now?
TM: Lately I have been listening to a lot of My Red & Blue, however I have two friends that are amazing musicians that you should check out. Ryan Burton is a southern rocker, kind of a NEEDTOBREATHE kind of feel. His album The Lower Road is brilliant. He has this song, A Thousand Times - BRILLIANT. Also I have a friend named Laura K Webb who just got the masters back of her debut EP, Serious EP. I had the privilege to listen to it and if you like Country/Pop music, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, you will LOVE this album. Some of the tunes I still can't get out of my head.
PEV: If you weren't playing music now what do you think you would be doing as your career?
TM: Um... Studying a lot more than I am currently! Haha Honestly I could see myself as an accountant, I love math.
PEV: So, what is next for Ty Mayfield?
TM: Well hopefully I will be hitting the road here soon and doing some shows. So if you are in the Midwest be on the lookout!
