The Mayflies released their newest album in 2009 and all news has been good news. The following is a Q&A with the band’s frontman, Stacy Webster:
What does the next year look like for The Mayflies?
We will be recording a new album, and trying to book more festivals for next summer. That’s where the fun is!
How has the group changed after adjustments in instrumentation and new band members?
I’m really enjoying this new line-up! We have definitely become way less bluegrass oriented and are much more into grooves now. Funny, though, because the instruments we brought in are still instruments associated with bluegrass (fiddle and mandolin) but we are definitely playing rock and groove music. For me, this really opens up the improvisational possibilities in the music, which is what I really dig in music.
What stands out about the new album (A Thousand Small Things)
2009 Album
for you?
For me, James Robinson’s drumming really is the centerpiece. He is rolling thunder on this record. On many of the songs, he actually laid down the drum part without any vocals or guitar there to guide him through the arrangements, because I was absent from the session one day. It’s crazy…he just sang them in his head and knocked out the drum part. He’s amazing.
What is the bands’ writing process? Does the music come first?
Well, we arrange as a group, pretty organically. We all write songs, and Patrick Bloom (who co-founded the band with me) still contributes material too. So every writer has a different process. Patrick writes music first and then lays lyrics on it. I tend to write lyrics and music in tandem. Not sure about the other’s processes though.
What is it like to have non-band members writing for The Mayflies?
Well, Patrick is really kind of a band member…he co-founded the band and played with us for years, so he knows how I sing and how I play really well…his songs fit so naturally into my heart and mind because I’ve been playing songs he’s written since we met in 1992. He is to us, like Robert Hunter was to the Grateful Dead.
Are there any music scenes, other than Iowa City, that have felt like home?
Yes…Boulder was a great music scene for me. I met Patrick there, and I wrote a lot of songs there too. I played a ton of solo coffeehouse gigs back then. There were an amazing amount of great players and writers in that town. I love taking The Mayflies back there for tours…iot does feel like coming home.
What has the band been up to since the album was released?
We took a hiatus through most of the winter after it was released, so we could work in the new players. Since our banjo player quit without notice, we were kind of forced to. This summer we got back in the saddle and have been playing the best shows of our career so far. It’s very exciting for all of us.
What do you think fans may not know about you and the Mayflies?
That’s a stumper! None of us are cultists or wizards….or ex-cons….or tax evaders…..well, maybe that last one. Our drummer’s Mother is a world famous author….Marilynne Robinson. She’s a pulitzer prize winner. Other than that we’re pretty un-news worthy!
Which bands have been specifically memorable to perform with?
Cornmeal was a very fun band to play with…they tear it up. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was a treat…we got to play for 12,000 people, and they were incredibly gracious folks.
Are there any venues or bands that you aim to work with in the years to come?
Any and all!!! World domination! Seriously, my dream would be to play at The Fillmore in San Francisco with the surviving members of The Dead. Who knows what the future holds?
What is the best part about performing in The Mayflies?
These people are family to me. We all love each other and support each other and we laugh a LOT. When we play music together we can read each other so well, that we telegraph musical ideas to one another on stage…it’s very connected, and that can make you walk away from a show feeling spiritually fulfilled. That’s pretty great.
