Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster | Music In Their Veins
riginal Vox man for Underoath, Dallas Taylor, had way too much southern blood poundin’ through his veins to continue making music that didn’t have any cowbell, banjo, or at the very least, a southern riff. Enter stage right Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. The story of the infamous criminal Ma Baker and her sons set the scene perfectly for the three albums that Maylene would produce and perform to this day. It is the progressive, southern sound of Maylene and the Sons of Disaster that’s keeping metal fans on their toes, always anticipating the next record release, and their latest June 2009 release was sure to not disappoint us. While touring in support of III, Dallas Taylor took a couple minutes to answer a few questions regarding Maylene’s story and sound.
Everyone has a story behind the creation of their band, but yours is particularly interesting being so many years after Underoath and such a different style than Underoath was. What is the story behind this southern metal project about an outlaw and her sons?
Dallas Taylor: I think I always wanted to be in a band like Maylene, and after Underoath I had the perfect opportunity to start the band. The story is based off of a lady named Ma Baker and her sons. Her and her youngest son were gunned down near my hometown in Ocala, Fl. She thought she was doing the work of God, and kind of got what was coming to her. You only live once so how you treat others affects you in the long run. A kind of divine justice.
This story has been very well accepted in the scene through your fierce live shows, do you feel that you have enough material for a IV or possible even a V, or is it too early to tell?
DT: Well we really don’t know how long we will keep with the story. We just write the music we love, and if the story seems fit to continue on then we will keep it going, but if not we will for sure still continue writing music, but we will continue it on until it seems time to stop with the story side of the band.
her sons.”
Do you feel like all of the songs that you write need to follow closely to the tale of Ma Baker? Or are there certain guidelines you give yourself?
DT: No, not at all. We write mainly about situations in our own lives which ends up translating to the story of Maylene and her sons. We really do not follow the story of Ma Baker super close; it was just a story that inspired us.
Growing up in Ocala, Florida, was it a stretch for you to start writing music with a southern flare?
DT: (Laughing) I guess you have never been to Ocala, Florida. It is a very rural town and was given the name “Horse Capital of America” and I grew up 20 miles outside of it. I lived on a dirt road until I was around 10. I had horses, and was pretty much on a farm for most of my youth. So if you want southern, where I grew up is about as southern as it gets.
Now on your third release, you have gone through a few member changes, has that affected or changed Maylene at all?
DT: Yeah I feel it has made us a better band overall, and has given us a lot of new aspects on writing material. It has been such a blessing having the new guys in the band.
Is there an ultimate goal or message that you want listeners to grasp when listening to Maylene and the Sons of Disaster?
DT: Yeah, just know we are normal guys that play the music we love. We want to be a band that people can relate to, to feel apart of. God Bless and thanks to everyone that supports our band.
The new Maylene and the Sons of Disaster album is online and in stores now, so be sure to get yourself a copy.
