We were honored to chat with Mae vocalist and guitarist Dave Elkins this week. We touched on a number of topics including their amazing charity work and their favorite movie trilogy. You can hear Mae’s song “Night/Day” in the Feed The Beat Player above and you can follow them on Twitter. Enjoy!
Mae gets involved with a number of charities what drives you to specific causes and is there an overall reasoning to your decision?
Our band has looked for direction and purpose through everything from the songs we write, the shows we play, the tours we go on, the records we put out, and the fans we make. Overall, our plan is to use our music, our group and our name to provide hope and a chance for those who are in need. Partnering up with organizations that choose to do the same are a way that we can bridge the gap and make a difference for people in need.
You have performed in many different sized venues. What is your favorite small venue and what is your favorite large venue?
My favorite “small” venue may be Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA. The room has quite a history for bands large and small and Mae has made many memories there over the years. The Southern California fans have always been kind to us. My favorite “large” venue would probably have to be the Mall of Asia in Manila, Philippines. We were just there a few weeks ago and on our first trip to Manila, it allowed us to play in front of 15,000+ people! That is already a guaranteed memory that I will never forget.
Tell us how the Trilogy of EP’s came about.
First for Mae came the “12 Songs. 12 Months. 1 Goal. Make A Difference” campaign. We knew this would be an innovative and exciting way for us to connect with our fan base, but at the same time, we also knew that we would have to provide the music community, retail, and journalists with a hard copy of some sort. So the idea of three EP’s (more so mini-albums) satiated that desire to have physical copies, but we also felt like it was different enough of an approach that people would remain interested while allowing us to stay at the forefront of the music business for the entirety of 2009. With each EP, we are including music not released during the monthly campaigns to get our fans excited and surprised with each of the three releases.
Speaking of trilogies, are you guys more into Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings or Twilight?
Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings are tied for first. Karate Kid, Back to the Future, and Indiana Jones (not counting the bad one released last year) are all above Twilight. I doubt I’ll see those movies.
When you were kids what did you guys each want to do with your lives? When did you decide to rock out for a living?
My dad was a singer in a band when I was born and my mom used to play the piano when I was very little. i was raised in a musical home and loved music as much as I loved both sports and video games as a kid. Honestly, since my dad never “made” it and all bands that I knew of from the area never did, I assumed college would be the time for me to grow out of my musical “hobbies” and “grow up.” I basically decided to rock out for a living when my parents told me that they supported my decision to quit school and pursue Mae.
Has the Internet changed any the way your band operates when touring and promoting yourselves?
The internet has changed everything. You no longer rely on radio or MTV. You rely on Facebook and Twitter. You hope that people will listen to your music just as much as you hope and pray that they won’t leak it or share it illegally once they do listen. Bands rise and fall quickly because of world wide web. At the end of the day though, good music lives on while fads come and go.
If Mae could tour with any band living or dead who would it be?
The Beatles – simply because they are the greatest rock band that will ever be.
