Deep Dark Demon, the seventh full-length album from blues guitarist Mark May, dropped this past July on Gulf Coast Records. To describe some artist’s music with one word is easy; to do that with Mark May’s music is impossible. May’s astonishing live shows featuring dynamic twin leads and dual harmony guitar work are the perfect complement to Mark’s smooth vocals. For over twenty years, May has made a name for himself in the Texas blues scene, perfecting his craft while performing at blues clubs, bars, and festivals. The Mark May Band has performed at numerous festivals across the country including Telluride Blues and Brews, Mississippi Valley Blues Fest, King Biscuit, Tremblant International Blues Festival, Dallas International Guitar Show, Chenango Blues Festival, and many more. May was the opening act for The Allman Brothers Band on their 1997/98 Amphitheater tour and went on to join up with ABB guitarist Dickey Betts and his band Great Southern for several tours and an album. He has also been featured in Blues Review, Guitar Player, Guitar World, Vintage Guitar, Tone Quest and other major publications.
Blues-E-News interviewed May for our “5 Qjuick Questions” series. Here’s how it went.
BEN: Exciting news in your world – your new album, Deep Dark Demon, came out this past Summer on Gulf Coast Records. Discuss some of the tracks on the disc?
MM: Yes and I’m extremely excited about the release and working with Gulf Coast Records. There’s a wide range of subject matter in the songs on Deep Dark Demon. Harvey’s Dirty Side was written about Hurricane Harvey that dumped fifty inches of rain in the Houston area, Back and My Last Ride are about growing older. On the title track, Deep Dark Demon, I dive into the troubles and struggles we all face in life. Something Good looks at how we all need a glimmer of hope in this world we live in especially when times are at their hardest. Of course, I had to throw in a couple love songs about the special lady in my life. Sweet Music explains my love for music and how special it is to all of us.
BEN: You got to work with Gulf Coast Records’ co-head honcho, Mike Zito, who produced Deep Dark Demon, so we know the ‘Texas Connection’ was in (laughs). How was that experience, and what did you two learn about each other while making the new record?
MM: Well, while Mike (Zito) did play the first solo on Deep Dark Demon, myself, along Geronimo Calderon actually produced this album. Mike is slated to produce the next one I do and I’m looking forward to it. We have completely different styles at approaching the recording process. When Mike tracks an album he likes to do it pretty fast, almost like it’s live while my process is taking my time and being more picky about stuff. His way is a little scary to me (laughs) but I’m looking forward to getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things. I guess I’ll just have to be well prepared, lol. Mike and I have done a few shows together lately and those all went really well and we also have some of the same influences so that’s definitely a plus in my book.
BEN: Your extensive resume includes a stint both recording and touring with Dickey Betts’ band Great Southern. Mr. Betts is quite the character. How about a good tale from the road during your time with Great Southern, and how it helped shape you into who you are today?
MM: Playing with Dickey was definitely a great learning experience. I was able to see how he built solos and created big parts in songs by using dynamics and volume. That’s stuff you can’t get from reading a book or watching a video. He knew what he wanted and would sometimes change the song arrangement every day for a week till we got it the way he liked it. I think Deep Dark Demon has more of that kind of approach than any of my previous recordings. We were all excited about playing with Dickey and doing shows with bands like The Charlie Daniels Band, 38 Special and The Doobie Brothers. As far as crazy tales from the road, we didn’t exactly party like rock stars but we had our moments while trying to stay professional, lol. I think Dickey’s craziest days were probably behind him but he was definitely full of surprises, like walking in and asking if me or Matt Zeiner (our keyboard player) would like to sing ‘Southbound’ because he didn’t like the way he sang it or trying to get a rise out of me by slipping in The Allman Brothers song ‘True Gravity’ on the song list when we hadn’t done it in two years, scared the crap out me (laughs)!
BEN: Of all the professions to be severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the music industry, especially touring, has probably suffered as much as anyone. How have you personally coped with this situation?
MM: I can’t do anything about it and it’s definitely not the ideal time for a new release, but I’m trying to use it to my advantage the best way that I can. I’ve been forcing myself to be more active on social media and do more live streams since that’s the way the music business is headed these days. The lack of work has been tough but I’m using the time to update my website, build a new merchandise store, work on myself by going to the park to exercise and trying to lay out a better business plan for the band.
BEN: When all is said and done and you’ve finally hung up your guitar for good (if indeed that day were to ever happen), what are you hoping to achieve in the music industry, and what would make you satisfied that all the blood, sweat and tears you put it through the years were worth it?
MM: It’s a tough life for sure but it has already been worth it. I’m grateful to be able to do what I love for a living and I’ve been lucky enough to play with some of my heroes along with tons of great players over the years. I love the fact that I was able to give my family and friends a thrill by having my own music out on the radio and playing some big shows but the most important thing was that hopefully I was able to make some people happy or help them get away from their troubles just for a few minutes with one of my songs. Even if I do hang up my guitar I’d still like to be active in the music business by producing and helping younger musicians with their music.
More on Mark May: https://www.markmay.com (and) https://www.facebook.com/markmayband.
Coast Records: www.gulfcoastrecords.net.
