The Mayfield Four
Encyclopedia
For the telephone signalling method known in the UK as MF4, see Dual-tone multi-frequency
The Mayfield Four was an American rock
band formed by Myles Kennedy
in Spokane, Washington
in 1996. The band released two albums, Fallout
and Second Skin
, before disbanding in 2002.
, by four childhood friends who shared a love for music and performing. They were Myles Kennedy
(lead vocals
, lead guitar
), Craig Johnson (rhythm guitar
) (both formerly of Citizen Swing
), Marty Meisner (bass guitar
), and Zia Uddin (drums
). In the fall of 1996, the band signed a contract with Epic Records
thanks to a critically acclaimed demo called Thirty Two Point Five Hours that the band recorded earlier that year, followed by a live extended play
called Motion in 1997. The Mayfield Four's debut album, Fallout
, was supported with a fifteen-month tour with bands such as Creed
, Big Wreck
, and Stabbing Westward
. The album was praised by critics, but it failed to chart, and ultimately became the only album by the band to feature rhythm guitarist Craig Johnson, who was fired from the band due to undisclosed reasons. Following the release of the album, the band's second and final album, Second Skin
, was released in June 2001. The album has been critically acclaimed and Kennedy has commented on how it and Fallout are much more popular now than when they were released.
Though popular, The Mayfield Four never garnered enough exposure to break into the mainstream. In 2002, the future of the band began to look unlikely. The band went on hiatus that year, and would ultimately disband. However, three previously unreleased songs appeared on a fan-run Myspace page dedicated to and approved by The Mayfield Four in early 2010, causing rumors of a possible reunion to begin circulating. However, when asked about this during an interview, Kennedy replied that he does not see it happening for the time being.
The members of the band have since been collaborating with other artists and have been members of other bands. Most prominent is Kennedy's participation with Creed members in the band Alter Bridge
, for whom he provides guitar and lead vocals. He has also toured and collaborated with Slash
. Touring member Alessandro Cortini toured with Nine Inch Nails on keyboards from 2005 onward and collaborated on its latest efforts Ghosts I-IV and The Slip
.
Touring members
Extended plays
Demos
Singles
Dual-tone multi-frequency
Dual-tone multi-frequency signaling is used for telecommunication signaling over analog telephone lines in the voice-frequency band between telephone handsets and other communications devices and the switching center. The version of DTMF that is used in push-button telephones for tone dialing is...
The Mayfield Four was an American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band formed by Myles Kennedy
Myles Kennedy
Myles Richard Kennedy is an American musician and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge, and as the lead vocalist in Slash's current solo project...
in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
in 1996. The band released two albums, Fallout
Fallout (Mayfield Four album)
Fallout was the debut album released by The Mayfield Four, an American rock band. The album spawned two singles: "Don't Walk Away" and "Always." "Inner City Blues" is a cover of a Marvin Gaye song, "Inner City Blues ."...
and Second Skin
Second Skin (album)
Second Skin was the second album from American rock band, The Mayfield Four. Two singles were taken from the album: "Sick and Wrong" and "Eden ." Singer Myles Kennedy has stated that "Sick and Wrong" and "Flatley's Crutch" are the only songs he has written that contain profanity...
, before disbanding in 2002.
History
The Mayfield Four was formed in 1996 in Spokane, WashingtonSpokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, by four childhood friends who shared a love for music and performing. They were Myles Kennedy
Myles Kennedy
Myles Richard Kennedy is an American musician and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge, and as the lead vocalist in Slash's current solo project...
(lead vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
), Craig Johnson (rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
) (both formerly of Citizen Swing
Citizen Swing
Citizen Swing was an American jazz fusion band from Spokane, Washington. The band released two albums, Cure Me With the Groove and Deep Down, before disbanding in 1996...
), Marty Meisner (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), and Zia Uddin (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
). In the fall of 1996, the band signed a contract with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
thanks to a critically acclaimed demo called Thirty Two Point Five Hours that the band recorded earlier that year, followed by a live extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
called Motion in 1997. The Mayfield Four's debut album, Fallout
Fallout (Mayfield Four album)
Fallout was the debut album released by The Mayfield Four, an American rock band. The album spawned two singles: "Don't Walk Away" and "Always." "Inner City Blues" is a cover of a Marvin Gaye song, "Inner City Blues ."...
, was supported with a fifteen-month tour with bands such as Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...
, Big Wreck
Big Wreck
Big Wreck is a rock band formed by Ian Thornley in 1994. They disbanded in 2002 and Ian Thornley went onto a successful solo career with his own band Thornley. In 2010, Ian Thornley and Brian Doherty reunited for a cross-Canada tour, playing both Big Wreck and Thornley songs. Doherty then...
, and Stabbing Westward
Stabbing Westward
Stabbing Westward was an American industrial rock and alternative rock band. They formed in 1985 in Chicago, Illinois and began recording in the 1990s. The band announced a dissolution in 2002.- Early years :...
. The album was praised by critics, but it failed to chart, and ultimately became the only album by the band to feature rhythm guitarist Craig Johnson, who was fired from the band due to undisclosed reasons. Following the release of the album, the band's second and final album, Second Skin
Second Skin (album)
Second Skin was the second album from American rock band, The Mayfield Four. Two singles were taken from the album: "Sick and Wrong" and "Eden ." Singer Myles Kennedy has stated that "Sick and Wrong" and "Flatley's Crutch" are the only songs he has written that contain profanity...
, was released in June 2001. The album has been critically acclaimed and Kennedy has commented on how it and Fallout are much more popular now than when they were released.
Though popular, The Mayfield Four never garnered enough exposure to break into the mainstream. In 2002, the future of the band began to look unlikely. The band went on hiatus that year, and would ultimately disband. However, three previously unreleased songs appeared on a fan-run Myspace page dedicated to and approved by The Mayfield Four in early 2010, causing rumors of a possible reunion to begin circulating. However, when asked about this during an interview, Kennedy replied that he does not see it happening for the time being.
The members of the band have since been collaborating with other artists and have been members of other bands. Most prominent is Kennedy's participation with Creed members in the band Alter Bridge
Alter Bridge
Alter Bridge is an American rock band that was formed in 2004 in Orlando, Florida by lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips, who are all also members of Creed. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four and the frontman...
, for whom he provides guitar and lead vocals. He has also toured and collaborated with Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
. Touring member Alessandro Cortini toured with Nine Inch Nails on keyboards from 2005 onward and collaborated on its latest efforts Ghosts I-IV and The Slip
The Slip (album)
The Slip is the seventh studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released on July 22, 2008. It was the fourth consecutive Nine Inch Nails release to be produced by frontman Trent Reznor with collaborators Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder...
.
Band members
- Myles KennedyMyles KennedyMyles Richard Kennedy is an American musician and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge, and as the lead vocalist in Slash's current solo project...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(1996–2002) - Craig Johnson – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(1996–1999) - Marty Meisner – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1996–2002) - Zia Uddin – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1996–2002)
Touring members
- Alessandro CortiniAlessandro CortiniAlessandro Cortini is an Italian musician best known for touring and recording with the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from 2004 to 2008. Currently, Cortini is also the frontman for the Los Angeles based electronic-alternative band SONOIO. In addition, he was a touring member of The...
– rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2000–2002)
Discography
Studio albums- FalloutFallout (Mayfield Four album)Fallout was the debut album released by The Mayfield Four, an American rock band. The album spawned two singles: "Don't Walk Away" and "Always." "Inner City Blues" is a cover of a Marvin Gaye song, "Inner City Blues ."...
(1998) - Second SkinSecond Skin (album)Second Skin was the second album from American rock band, The Mayfield Four. Two singles were taken from the album: "Sick and Wrong" and "Eden ." Singer Myles Kennedy has stated that "Sick and Wrong" and "Flatley's Crutch" are the only songs he has written that contain profanity...
(2001)
Extended plays
- Motion (1997)
Demos
- Thirty Two Point Five Hours (1996)
Singles
- 1998 Always
- 1998 Don't Walk Away
- 2001 Eden (Turn the Page) 37 US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks
- 2001 Sick and Wrong