INTRO BY TÉA VAN ACKEN
INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY
PHOTO BY SERGIO GARCIA
Find his name attached to films such as My Christmas Inn and The Client List along with his newest songs, “Closer,” “Wine & Whiskey,” Rob Mayes is paving new paths for himself and his creative career. “Closer” was recently dropped and his vast body of fans can expect his full and new EP song by song, every five weeks. Mayes is exceptionally stoked about his new EP which embodies lightheartedness, introspective emotions, and the raw expressions that will have his new songs wrapping around you like comforting arms. Not only has “Closer” earned national radio plays, but Mayes can even be seen in Kelsey Grammer’s new legal drama, Proven Innocent on FOX. Catch Mayes just about anywhere these days, displaying his passions for his audience song by song, show by show, film by film.
You recently released your new single “Closer” – can you tell us a little about the song?
“CLOSER just dropped and the response has been overwhelming! I woke up on Friday, April 5 in Vegas for the ACM radio remotes and the first notification on my phone that morning was from AWAL my distributor letting me know that CLOSER had been added to an official Spotify playlist - New Music Nashville! So much thanks to John Marks and Spotify for this add! They definitely took a chance on me on literally DAY 1, and I could not be more excited, stoked, and appreciative of their support! I wrote this song during my first trip to Nashville with my producer Kevin Leach and my writing partner Ryan Rossebo. Smith Curry plays pedal steel on the track and Jeff Braun and Ryan Rossebo did the mix and grammy-nominated Andrew Mendelson mastered. I've been so fortunate that this song, and the entire project to come - the forthcoming singles and EP - has/have been graced by some of the best guys out there.”
Where do you find most inspiration when writing music?
“From everywhere! I keep a list of potential song titles in my phone and every time something comes to me, I jot it down. Sometimes it turns into a full-blown song, other times it may just be a lyric idea. But staying open to whatever pops up is the biggest thing. And it's fun, since you never know where a bit of inspiration might come from!”
Now that “Closer” is released, you will be rolling out your full EP single by single. When did you decide to release the project like this?
“I made the decision a while back. I want to be able to consistently release music, and do hopefully do it along a timeline that's not overkill for my audience. I don't want to over-inundate and so I figured every 4-6 weeks might be a good template to base the subsequent releases on. “
What can we expect from the other songs on the EP?
“It's pretty varied! My next single is called ROAD WITH NO LINES and I'm really excited to share this one after CLOSER. It's totally different and much more classic throwback which is what we set out to write when I first sat down with J Michael Harter. It's a song about a road. Doesn't get much more country than that! I grew up listening to George Straight and Michael Peterson and Brooks & Dunn, so I love to even try to incorporate a bit of that classic sound in some of my music.”
PHOTO BY SERGIO GARCIA
Of all your songs that are currently released, which one would you say best represents you as an artist and why?
“Wow, you ask the tough questions! haha.. That's actually difficult to pin down, ya know! CLOSER is poppy and catchy and lighthearted and fun, and it makes me smile. ROAD WITH NO LINES is much more introspective and classic throwback which for me elicits a totally different feeling. Whereas I hope CLOSER wraps you up and envelops you, ROAD feels a bit more isolating and reflective, which I think is important too in music. And MY HEART IS BLEEDING which will follow, along with WINE & WHISKEY, are raw and dirtier. I dry from so many musical influences that it's tough to pin down my sound to one song, and that's what's so exciting about how I'm releasing the music that I've been making. It's varied, but it's all a part of me!”
Aside from the EP, is there anything else we can expect from you in the near future?
“Lots of singles to come over the next many months, and CLOSER has already started to get national radio play which is insanely cool. I've got a western that also stars Val Kilmer and Annalynne McCord and Jake Busey that comes out later this year. My movie MAYBE I'M FINE just won best family picture at the Golden State Film Festival. I just wrapped a thriller with Samaire Armstrong. And I have an episode of Kelsey Grammer's new legal drama PROVEN INNOCENT on FOX!”