Mays Gone
Chillicothe, Ohio, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Mays Gone interviews with radio host Kobey Doughty about the history and future of the band. - WBEX1490
CHILLICOTHE -- Weekends at the Secoy household on Egypt Pike many times aren't the peaceful retreat away from the work week. Instead, it's ground zero for a group of Unioto graduates who many times collectively travel upwards of 800 miles round-trip just to play some music - all day.
The five members of Mays Gone are usually that, gone from each other as they pursue college degrees or work: singer, Ashley Foster, 21, is at Kent State University; drummer Jon Hull, 19, is at Hocking College School of Music; bassist Jarret Kelley, 24, is at the University of Dayton; guitarists Marc Secoy, 27, and Tim Hull, 22, both still live in Chillicothe, but Marc often is in Cincinnati for work.
The distance means full rehearsals are a rarity as the almost three-year-old band continues trying to find its own particular rock sound.
"It's tough, but I think as a family, we appreciate each other and we do commit to making the trips," Marc said.
"I feel like we're all musically strong enough that we can practice separately and ...we mesh so well, it's not a problem we don't practice much together," Ashley added.
In 2010, Mays Gone performed at least 28 times, always prepping as much as possible in the basement of Marc's parent's home.
"Our focus is quality of gigs and not quantity of gigs," Marc said.
Not to mention, the distance would make it difficult for Mays Gone to operate more as a full-time band, but the diversity of location means more networking opportunities to find those quality jobs. For example, Mays Gone opened for Country Joe McDonald at Kent State's 40th anniversary commemoration of the May 4 shootings of students by the Ohio National Guard at the campus.
Ashley is part of the May 4 Task Force that coordinates the annual commemoration and other May 4 activities on campus. Marc had written a song inspired by the events of May 4, called "Peace is Gone," so Ashley mentioned it to others on the task force and gave them an EP.
"They loved it," she said, adding she didn't realize initially they'd open for the event's main act.
"It's cool to say we opened up for someone who played for Woodstock, the original and not Woodstock 2000," Marc said.
Another networking opportuity for the band came through someone Marc met in Cincinnati. That connection has hooked the band up with the American Cornhole Organization.
"What we do in the backyard for fun, they do for money," Marc said. "They've taken us on as their official, quote unquote, band. A lot of our trips are through them ... We're not exclusive to them, but they intertwine us in a lot of their bigger opportunities they have."
The gigs that take them on the road, such as next weekend's three nights at the Horseshoe Casino in Elizabeth, Ind., are what the band enjoys most. The trip is actually when they have the time to just hang out.
"Those big road trips are fun," Tim said. "Playing is obviously the climax, but the trip is fun."
While at the casino, Mays Gone will be interviewed and filmed for a documentary being co-produced by one of Jarret's University of Dayton professors, Larry Schweikart, a former rock drummer, historian and New York Times best-selling author. The film, "Other Walls 2 Fall," will highlight how bands from all over the world are alike and different and the influence of technology, specifically the Internet, on making it in today's music industry.
The documentary is a sequel to "Rockin' the Wall" of which Mays Gone contributed an original song, "Deep Breath," for its soundtrack.
All in all, not too shabby for a band that fully formed kind of at the last minute to enter the Chillicothe Gazette's annual Battle of the Bands contest in 2008. Just two weeks before the performance, they began talking about how they needed a voice to lead the band. Then bandmate Scott Meschke suggested Ashley Foster.
"At first, I wasn't going to do it because I didn't think I could do it. I was nervous," said Ashley, 2006 Ross County Idol winner.
Obviously, Ashley said "yes" and good feedback then and in the ensuing years is what has kept them together, Jon said.
The next step for the band comes in March when they will sit down to professionally record its first full-length album which will include all new songs being worked on now and some past favorites.
They hope to hit the road for a few weeks this summer, but haven't scheduled a tour, yet. Sure to be on the schedule is a CD release party in Chillicothe.
The ultimate goal of the band?
"Let's just see what we can do," Jarret said.
"We're at the age where we have the opportunity to do some of this stuff. We want to seize the opportunity of our age," Marc added. - Chillicothe Gazette - A Gannett Company
Discography
No Need For Towels EP
Desolate World - Single
Peace Is Gone - Single
Photos
Bio
ABOUT:
Mays Gone features a powerful female vocalist blended with a solid beat, steady low end, and well pronounced rhythms and melodies, creating a dynamic and diverse indie rock sound. Playing both original songs and completely revamped and re-energized classic-rock covers, the band’s style spans across several genres in the musical spectrum, providing a treat to the ears of many music lovers. As an iTunes artist, the band has pursued different outlets to share their music such as in-store performances, movie premiers touring with American Cornhole, newspaper and radio interviews, streaming on Pandora Radio, and keeping up with online social networking. Mays Gone was also recently filmed for the upcoming rockumentary, “Other Walls 2 Fall”, a follow up to “Rockin’ The Wall”, in which they were included on the soundtrack. A few notable performances include the Horseshoe Casino; home of the world’s largest riverboat casino, an appearance at the Kentucky Derby Festival; playing in the heart of Cincinnati on Fountain Square for the 2010 Tailgate Bash; and opening for original Woodstock performer, Country Joe, for a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event remembering the May 4th shootings at Kent State University. Other Mays Gone performances have ranged from club sets, large festivals, parties, special events, and even acoustic. No matter the type of show, the band will captivate the audience in an unforgettable way.
FACTS:
•Music on iTunes and other online stores (Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster, etc.).
•Music on Pandora Radio.
•90 Minutes of original material.
•Filmed for the upcoming rockumentary film, “Other Walls 2 Fall” by Larry Schweikart.
•Upcoming Kentucky Derby Festival 2011 - Great Stage (Following Kentucky Derby Marathon)
•Upcoming Spring Fling Festival 2011 in Spartanburg, SC - Spring Fling Stage (Main Entertainment)
•Upcoming Warrior Dash (Ohio) - SOLD OUT!
•Performances at the Horseshoe Casino Southern Indiana (Caesar’s/Harrah's Casino Property)
•Performed at "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame presents: Country Joe McDonald" @ Kent State University: Remembrance of May 4th Shootings, 40th Anniversary.
•Mentioned in book, "Cornhole: Throwing Bags In A Hole" by Mark Rogers.
•Tour with American Cornhole Organization.
•Kentucky Derby Festival 2010 (Prior to Uncle Kracker) - Great Stage.
•Headlined Fountain Square, Cincinnati, OH - Tailgate Bash 2010.
•Spring Fling Festival 2010 - Street Performance - Spartanburg, SC.
•Featured on soundtrack for independent film, "Rockin' the Wall" by Larry Schweikart.
•Radio interviews on Clear Channel stations.
•Hot Topic in-store acoustic performances.
•Movie premiere performances.
•Working on a new CD: release and tour in Summer ’11.
SONGS:
Originals and Covers that include Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, The Eagles, The Beatles, Heart, and more.
HISTORY:
Despite being located throughout the buckeye state, Mays Gone began in their hometown of Chillicothe, Ohio where each member attended the same high school (classes of ’02, ’05, ’07, ’08, and ’10). Long time friends Jarret and Marc had worked on several projects in school including holiday concerts and talent shows. During Jarret’s senior year he organized a benefit concert and asked Marc to help out. This is where Tim Hull caught the eyes of Jarret and Marc. Tim was included in their current band shortly thereafter, however, the three of them decided to pursue a different direction with the addition of Tim’s younger brother, Jon Hull on the drums. Jon also brought in songwriter, Scott Meschke to help diversify their sound. As the band began writing original material they chose to showcase it at a local battle of the bands but had yet to find a vocalist. With the deadline looming, Jon and Scott mentioned their classmate in Jazz band, Ashley Foster. A few phone calls later, Ashley agreed to learn the songs and perform leading her to be the front woman of the band and the completion of Mays Gone.
Each member has grown up with music surrounding them and they’ve too made it a central part of their lives. The band is collectively influenced by classic, modern, and alternative rock, with artists ranging from Crosby, Stills and Nash, AC/DC, NIN, to Death Cab for Cutie, Joe Satriani, MuteMath and Metallica. These styles and the combination of their individual backgrounds, including jazz, marching, bluegrass, rock, pop, and classical, has helped them develop a distinct alternative/indie rock sound with simple to complex music arrangements featuring the strong presence of female vocals. Their dedication to travel from all parts of the state including Cincinnati, Dayton, Nelsonville, and Kent in order to practice and perform has made them a stronger, tighter band and helped them spread their music throughout Ohio. The band debuted their EP, No Need For Towels in August ’09, and has since released a pair of singles and several free live downloads. The band is currently working on a co
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