MayOrWest

"It’s hard to resist going crazy. Screaming their lyrics. Head banging to the beat.
And that’s what MayOrWest makes you do. Hearing the Hoboken punk-rockers at the end of a stressful week can be the perfect therapy, and seeing them in concert at a Hamilton bowling alley is enough to forget about all of your troubles.
With their unique music, MayOrWest would definitely be labeled as talented...."
By KELLY MacNIVEN - Trentonian- 3/15/09

New Jersey four piece MayOrWest play a very straight forward hard edged alternative rock on their debut full length We, The End that stands out with its tight song structures and soaring power choruses. The band has been tweaking their sound since its 2005 inception, as it shows here with a cohesiveness that sounds like it came from a more seasoned act. This completeness goes a long way, especially when you add in catchy call outs, that not only invites crowd participation but helps with the flow of the record. We, The End was produced by Tim Gilles (Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, Bouncing Souls) and Matt Menafro (Damsels, Serosia), which I can only believe helped its intensity, because MayOrWest aim for the mass audiences here with their feverish assault that never gets out of control and supplies enough quality rock to hit repeat!

Key Track: "Icarus"

Band With Similar Fire: Taking Back Sunday - The Fire Note - 1/25/2010

Forming in early 2006, MayOrWest is a four-piece alt/punk-rock outfit from Hoboken, NJ. Composed of Adam Ramsden (lead vocals/bass), Eric Lewy (vocals/guitar), Pete Cataldo (Guitar), and Jimmy Dowell (Drums), the quartet draws together swift and hard punk rock tempos with power blasting chords to create a melodic fervor that is heightened by the addition of Ramsden’s lead vocals.

In 2008, the band released their debut EP, The Mark and the Memory at Northshore Recording (Armor for Sleep, Jet Lag Gemini). Building on the well received release, the boys enlisted the help of Widescreen Productions and director, Daniel Coda to create a music video for their popular single, “Back From The Brink.”


MayOrWest recently finished their debut full-length LP entitled, We, The End, recorded with Big Blue Meenie Studios (Thursday, Taking Back Sunday, etc) under the brilliant guidance of Production Supervisor, Tim Gilles and Producer, Matt “Debris” Menafro.

The 12-track album delivers high-voltage, heavy, rock anthems like “Scream Therapy” and “Cambridge” along with slower tempo numbers “Sevier” and “The Return.” This is offset by the consistent rhythmic and harmonious vocals found across each song. MayOrWest is now continuing to tour the East Coast in support of the new record.
- Eat Sleep Breath Music

MayOrWest listed as one of six unsigned bands to look for in 2010:
"...the four dudes are nothing if not hard workers in the tough Jersey punk and metal scene. You’re bound to find haters whenever you mix breakdowns and singing, but their brand of crossover has managed to tug young heartstrings throughout New Jersey. And it’s kept them busy. The Hoboken natives’ debut LP, We, The End, has earned them a number of dates, including the Paramus VFW on Feb. 28 and their hometown venue, Maxwell’s, on March. 3." - The Aquarian Weekly- 2/17/10

New Jersey’s MayOrWest are a melodic post-hardcore band that has me puzzled for comparisons (Latter NO MOTIV? Early THURSDAY? Bah…). The group is currently supporting their debut full-length, We, The End, which was recorded at the famed NJ studio Big Blue Meenie, and four songs from the release are rockin’ their MySpace page. No matter the comparisons, these guys have an interestingly dark, nuanced sound, and while I’m not thrilled with the ‘gentle’ lead vocals, they’re worth checking out. - PASTEPUNK- 2/2/10

MayOrWest listed as a spotlight artist along with a band interview at: http://theywillrockyou.com/2010/03/mayorwest/
- They Will Rock You- 3/1/10

“They have songs that bear the stamp of the four unique personalities that crafted them. Adam's dynamic vocals ride the waves of brutal sound produced by the core of Eric, Pete, and Jimmy, attacking their subjects head-on with razor-sharp lyrics.
The band's intense live shows have met with an enthusiastic reception, and it will continue to bring its unapologetic sound to the underground of New Jersey and make more converts to the MayOrWest cause.” -NJ Underground Magazine; EP Review - NJ Underground Magazine

They don't have basement shows in Hoboken, but there's no doubt this young Hoboken quartet comes from the same basement-show ethic that spawned the likes of Thursday. MayOrWest combines technical metal guitars with fist-pumping punk melodies. There’s certainly no shortage of ambition or potential here; the band even recruited producer Tim Gilles (Bouncing Souls, Thursday,) who brings his signature gang vocals to help imbue the band’s impassioned songwriting with an anthemic largeness. With that in mind, the self-released “We, The End” sounds as booming as anything you’d hear from a major label (on radio-ready tracks like “Devil’s In The Details” and “Scream Therapy,”) with the deftness to scale things back for a more intimate ballad (“Sevier.”) If there’s a criticism, the band just has to kick its songwriting up a notch or two and they’ll be ready for national attention. -Jim Testa - JerseyBeat.com- 3/14/10

We, the End is the first full length LP for New Jersey-based MayOrWest and the album plays like a study in modern alternative music. Borrowing some elements from other current hard-edged bands, but incorporating a style that Adam, Eric, Pete and Jimmy have been perfecting since 2005, the result is a sound that wouldn’t be the least bit out of place on mainstream alternative radio. Recorded at Big Blue Meenie Studios, where big acts like Thursday and Taking back Sunday have laid down tracks, stylistic whines are laced with metal riffs and relentless drums to create true post-hardcore. Production Superviosr, Tim Gillies and Producer Matt “Debris” Menafro seamless weave a steadily building ablbum with some tracks like the instrumental “The Offensive” acting as a perfect transition between heavy, hard rocking tracks like the title track, “We, the End” and “Scream Therapy” to slower but equally dark tracks, like “The Return.” For all the hard and heavy, MayOrWest understands the importance of soaring vocals, as in “L.A.S.H” and doesn’t shy away from harmonizing. MayOrWest works best when they’re blending what they admire with what they can create and if We, the End can be viewed as any indication then this just may very well be the beginning.
Sarah Mosqueda - Skratch Magazine- 4/6/10

After forming in 2006, New Jersey punk-rock band MayOrWest has covered a lot of ground in just these few years. Since independently releasing an EP in 2008, MayOrWest recorded their debut record, We, The End, with Big Blue Meenie Studios, who have worked with bands such as Thursday and Taking Back Sunday. This album is loud, dark, and full of emotion. Singer Adam Ramsden definitely has a very unique voice, and the other members can sure play their instruments, as guitars shine throughout the record. MayOrWest have their musical style down, though the lack of song variety does become a slight hindrance as the record progresses.

Title track and opener “We, The End” kicks off with drums and then a guitar solo, showing the musicianship of MayOrWest. As the vocals kick in, it’s clearly evident that Ramsden has a different voice than most in the genre, yet he sounds great for the band. Guitars and Ramsden’s vocals shine on the track when he sings “cause this is the ending/let it ring out/let it shine.” “The Offense” is an instrumental track that demonstrates the skill of Pete Cataldo and Eric Lewy as the entire track is a guitar solo, as well as the talent of Jimmy Dowell, for the drums sound great. “Icarus” is a heavier track, and once the guitar solo kicks in it again drives the track. Although lyrics do not appear to be the band’s strongest point, they stick to what they know best, using their song structure and Ramsden’s vocals to make up for this a bit, shown when the band chants “this place is dead” throughout the end of the track.

“L.A.S.H.” again follows the now exhausted, overused structure of beginning with a guitar solo, as it again does this. The lyrics are dark (“your screaming makes me want to drink myself down for days.”) However, the record’s lyrics are surface level at best, and never really break through that barrier, a slight restraint to the record as a whole. The vocals and musicianship do, however, help to somewhat make up for this. “Look at Us” is also incredibly dark with lyrics such as “be my guest and volunteer/to snap your own neck.” “Hotter in Handcuffs” follows the same song format, which is a setback for the album, for at this point in the record, the songs begin to drag on. However, “Devil’s In The Details” picks the album back up quite a bit, for it is incredibly catchy, with chanting in the background at the end of the track.

“Sevier” and “Rise Of The Tides” finally change song format, slowing down We, The End for the first time, showing that MayOrWest are capable of writing different songs. “Scream Therapy” is dark, heavy, and fast paced. Final track, “The Return,” combines all of the elements on We, The End, ending the album on a similar note as it began.

MayOrWest clearly have a unique sound, one different than most bands penned in their genre. Ramsden can sing and the band are clearly talented musicians. Although, they do need to vary their song structure a lot more, so that the tracks don’t all blend to together and tire the listener after awhile. This is just one flaw, and We, The End is only their debut record; this band has potential to progress even farther, and could stand above many other bands in their genre if they are able to renovate and vary their songs more. If they can do this, MayOrWest will surely go places, as We, The End is a solid start for them. - Absolutepunk.net- 4/5/10