Interviews: Sevendust Guitarists John Connolly and Sonny Mayo

by Brian D. Holland.

It was appropriate for Sevendust to name their fifth studio release Next, as it was a blatant statement of the band's position at the time. It'll now be known as the album that marked a new era for them, primarily because it came about just as major changes were occurring all around them. Guitarist Clint Lowery deserted the Atlanta-based metal band mid tour, citing musical differences. That issue only compounded matters, as the band had already cut ties with most of their business associates, including a sudden departure from their record label. Succumbing to that reality in the best way possible, the TVT label has released a 'Best Of' compilation, marking the end of a lucrative relationship.

All this considered, it's easily understood that the members of Sevendust (Lajon Witherspoon, vocals; John Connolly, guitar and vocals; Vinnie Hornsby, bass; Morgan Rose, drums and vocals; and newly acquired guitarist, Sonny Mayo), along with their faithful fan base, possessed more than enough confidence that they could make their own decisions and move forward, without even missing a beat, simply because of the quality of the band and its music.

Seasons, the predecessor to Next, was considered by some to be among their best, though it quickly became known as the band's stint with commercialism. These two traits often go hand in hand. However, as with many bands that go through a slight change in style, this is often to the chagrin of their old fans, even as new ones are being made. Next is more of an assortment of everything Sevendust, which should be pleasing to all of their fans. Though Witherspoon's melodic voice is still present, of course, along with the frenetic hollering of the other two (Connolly instead of Lowery), the songs frequently step back into the receptive realm of early Sevendust, yet with the addition of a couple possessing a characteristic of fervent commercialism, done tastefully, without letting down any true listeners. It's probably their most versatile record to date, which is remarkable, for the fact that they've always been known for their versatility as an alternative/groove metal band anyway.

The end of 2004 and all of 2005 was an amazing yet challenging era for Sevendust. Below is my double interview with the band's guitarists, John Connolly and Sonny Mayo.

John Connolly Interview

I'd like to start by saying congratulations, John, on the success of the latest studio release, 'Next'.

John Connolly: Thanks, Brian.

How's Sonny working out on guitar?

JC: Needless to say, it's been amazing. We've been friends with Sonny for almost ten years. We had such a rough year in 2004. The last thing we wanted to do was a big cattle call, and audition a hundred different guitar players. I didn't have the patience for that. I told Morgan that I really wanted to try and find somebody that we could literally just call up on the phone, offer him the gig and have him fly in, and that would be the end of it. There weren't too many people that fit that bill, but Sonny was definitely at the top of the list. Thank God he wasn't doing anything. The timing on it worked out perfectly.

Some things are just meant to be.

JC: Pretty much. [Laughing]

He is the second guitarist of record on 'Next'?

JC: Yeah. Just about all of it was finished. We sent him some music, CDs and stuff, and he learned all the riffs. We split everything up just as we had done when Clint was in the band. I'd be on one side and he'd be on the other, and whoever had the best B & C sections on the song, you know. Sonny would take some and I'd take some. We pretty much approached it that way. But he definitely played all his parts. Originally, I had intended on going in and playing all the guitar parts if we couldn't find another guitar player in time. We were pretty much locked, loaded, and ready to go. But it was definitely a huge help for him to come in and pick up some of the flak. It would have sounded like a lot of me going on. [Laughing]

Why did Clint decide to leave the band?

JC: He went to be with his brother, in his band. He started working with his brother in the late spring or early summer of last year. He never actually came in and sat the band down. He just did it and we found out roundabout through our management. He had a few legal issues here and there that needed to be addressed. You know, one conversation leads to another. The next thing, well, I might have been the first to find out about it, and then, of course, Morgan found out. We eventually approached him about it and asked him what the deal was. He said he was just helping his brother out. He and his brother had worked together on music for, I don't know, fifteen to eighteen years in various bands. Normally you wouldn't think it was anything that would be that big a deal, but I could tell. Corey had been trying to get Clint back in his band for years. He made no bones about it.

That's Dark New Day you're talking about?

JC: Yes. Dark New Day was a side project at first. Basically, their deal was hinging on the fact that Clint was going to become a fulltime member of the band.

All things possible, that could potentially turn out to be a bad move on his part.

JC: Well, he's already admitting that it was. When we made the split with Clint, he left us in the middle of a tour. We actually had to get another guitar player. J3, from Tommy Lee's band, had learned the set about six months earlier, because we suspected that there might have been something going on and that Clint may leave right at the spur of the moment. Thank God J3 had actually done his homework and learned the material. Clint kind of said goodbye to a few of us and kind of didn't.

Since then we've actually spoken to him, and he does have a lot of regret. I told him, I said, "Look. That's just the way the world works. You could've left and gone on to sell ten million records, and we could still be fumblin' around trying to get a record deal." I told him that the shoe could've been on the other foot. But as it turns out, it's not. I know he thought he had his best interests in mind when he decided to go and be with his brother, but he had a lot of issues for leaving his brother in the first place. He loves his brother to death; I know that. But from a creative standpoint, they definitely clash a lot. They're both extremely headstrong. I told him that I appreciated him calling and telling me everything, but I also said that you have to live with the decisions you make.

Though truer to vintage Sevendust than 'Seasons', the latest CD, 'Next', appears to be pushing the band further into commercial success.

JC: Seasons, the last record and the last on TVT, was the one that most of our fans looked at, and said, "If there was ever a pop record for Sevendust then that was it." We worked with Butch Walker, who's known as a pop style producer. We focused a lot on melody. There are a lot of background vocals on that record. But ironically, with this record, or at least our mindset going into it, well, there was a lot of frustration. Last year [2004] we made separations from just about every business associate we've ever been involved with. We got out from a record deal and then ultimately had to replace a guitar player. To say we were a little angered by the end of the year is an understatement. Our focus was to get back to the roots of what the band was all about. The fact of the matter is, as heavy as we tried to make the record, it's still going to have that slightly commercial edge to it. It's going to have that edge just because of what Lajon brings to the band. He's a singer, and ultimately, that's really what he is. And that's how we can get away with writing such unbelievably heavy riffs with him singing over the top of it. People look at us and say, "Okay, well, I can hear that on the radio."

That's good, though. It adds diversity.

JC: It does. That's exactly what makes us Sevendust. We'll leave the screaming to Morgan and myself, and Lajon will do most of the singing. That's where his gift is. But as heavy a record as we attempt to make, we'll still be pushing the limits of what really would be acceptable. Rock radio has pretty much embraced the band since day one. They're more apt to play anything from the record. But it has to fit the format of alternative radio stations. If it's a little too heavy they'll only play it during overnights, and not during the rotations of the day. We just went in and made the record we wanted to make, and although Next still has a serious commercial appeal to it, it's definitely a lot heavier than Seasons.

Ozzfest, 1998. That was a big deal for Sevendust.

JC: Absolutely. It was a huge deal for us.

Talk about that experience.

JC: It was strange, because by the time we hit Ozzfest we had been on the road for a little over a year. With the exception of Ozzie and Tool we had toured with every band on the bill. We had just finished a Limp Bizkit tour, and they were on it that year. We had also just finished a Megadeth tour, and they were there as well. Snot, Soulfly, and Coal Chamber were on it that year. We hopped off the bus and we knew everyone. Basically, it was like a summer camp for us, because there was no getting-to-know-you period with any of these bands. It was just catching up. You know, "Haven't seen you in a few months. How're you doing?" It was one of those deals. But it was definitely a huge thing for us to be a part of. The Warp Tour as well, because we had decided to do that the next year. The Deftones kind of sold us on that one. They said, "Look, you're going to stick out like a sore thumb when you do that. You'll be in your comfort zone during Ozzfest, but Warp Tour you won't be." Both of them had huge benefits for our band, and for different reasons. Ozzfest was great, back when it was what it was. Now, it's a little different. And for a lot of reasons it has probably changed for the worse. The amount of money they're charging the second stage bands to play, who don't have much money in the first place, is just out of control. It's so sad to see the greed that has just taken over. I've talked to these bands, and they told me that it cost them $100,000 to do the tour. That's the buy on.

That's outrageous.

JC: Yes, it is.

It seems to me that when so many bands congregate together in one area, musicians who already know each other and basically play the same style of music, it must be one big party.

JC: Pretty much. [Laughing] You've got to make sure you get around to everybody before the tour ends, and spend enough quality party time with them. Seriously, every day was summer camp. We'd get up and get some food in us, hung over from the night before, and then it was off to the races again. You never knew what was going to happen on that tour. Golf carts everywhere, in and out of the crowd. Other than Ozzy, Tool, and Megadeth, most of the bands that were on that specific tour were just breaking through. That was right when Limp Bizkit kind of got a little speed going behind them because they'd just released Faith. Soulfy, Cold Chamber, Snot, and us, we were all on our first records and just starting out. There were a lot of brand new bands that all came around right at the same time, the class of '97, for lack of a better term. It was such a cool period. We were all new and going through it together, and we were all on the same tour together.

It sounds like it was a lot of fun.

JC: It was a lot of fun.

How'd you arrive at the name Sevendust?

JC: That's our bass player's fault. [Laughing] We didn't have a name and we couldn't think of one. Actually, I take that back. Our first ex-manager said it was all taken care of, trademarks were in place, etc. We finished the record and had a release date. Then I got a call one day that Crawlspace was taken, and that we couldn't use it. So, there we were, a band with a brand new, finished record in the mixing stages. We had tours booked, everything happening, and we didn't have a band name. We must've put five hundred various names on sheets of paper, but everything sucked. Anything that was available sucked, and anything great was obviously taken. In the south we have a pesticide called Sevin, that's used on tomato plants and the like. You can get it in a chemical form or a dust form. Vinnie happened to be walking through his garage one day and he put the Sevin and dust together. He walked in, looked at us, and said, "What about Sevendust?" We thought it had kind of a cool ring to it. Lo and behold, it was wide open. We jumped on it and secured it and the rest is history. Of course, we've got a lot of enthusiastic fans who like to attach different meanings and stuff to it. I've heard everything under the sun, you know.

Sevendust has been involved in charity work for the victims of hurricane Katrina.

JC: Yeah. We were supposed to do a short run of Europe with Staind, but for whatever reason, it fell through on their end. I guess they were having some issues with their album release. Instead, we had this month long window that was kind of wide open. We knew that we were going out on the road to start the press tour and all that good stuff. Ironically, it started right after the hurricane had hit. We figured we'd use the time to our advantage, and get out there and try to get some of these radio stations involved. We wanted to raise whatever money we could, and whatever anyone was willing to donate and contribute. I had a softball game and a bowling tournament. We had a Texas Holdem Tournament and played paintball. People bought a lane or got in on a table. It turned out to be much bigger than anyone had expected. We then parlayed that into some other charity work. We helped build two different houses for 'Homes For Our Troupes', which is an organization that builds homes for wounded war veterans. Basically it's like an extreme makeover without the full commercial route. Everything is donated, time and materials. It's pretty impressive to see four or five hundred people, all at the same time, come out of the woodwork and show up to build a house. We definitely took place in some of that. We then did a motorcycle ride for Cystic fibrosis, and we're going to try and do a couple more events as well. We realized we had an opportunity and a little down time. We needed to let as many people know about the record as possible, and simultaneously, we knew that if someone wanted to spend some money and hangout, we could then give it to someone who could use it more than we could.

What brought on the decision to leave the TVT label?

JC: I think the band made the decision a long time ago. But honestly, we really didn't leave. They fell asleep at the wheel. There was something in the contract that they had put in there, yet they had basically forgotten to pick up that option. It's one of those things you hear about all the time. The ongoing joke in the business is 'you spend half your life trying to get a record contract, and the rest trying to get out of it'. That's how we kind of felt. They just forgot to pick up the option. We were actually in a strong enough position to fight them for our catalogue, to get out from under TVT and get away from the label, because I think they had a different idea of what our band was supposed to be. They were really big on whatever was happening and what was hot at the time. We've been asked to be so many different kinds of bands over the years. It's amazing to listen to the first Sevendust record, and seven or eight years later the label comes to you and says, "Hey, maybe you should be more like The Strokes." I'm like, "I don't see any relationship between us and The Strokes whatsoever."

Just like anywhere else, I suppose, the suits come out and tell you how to do your job.

JC: Well, yeah! That's the thing. Because they can't figure out what to do with us, they'd rather us be like something else that could sell a few records, or at least at one point in time could. It was one of the most painless things we'd ever been through. The waiting was the thing that killed us more than anything because we knew the date we had to get passed. But once we got passed it, everything was null and void and we were basically free agents all over again.

TVT did a lot to help us, I'm not going to sit here and say that they were the worst on every level, because they weren't. On the first record we had total commitment from them. They did a lot of groundbreaking things. Instead of shooting a video, we bought a thirty-minute television spot, basically, a thirty-minute infomercial. We had all our endorsers in there, actually buying advertising spots for the commercials and stuff like that. Between us doing five hundred shows and our label doing things like that, we received a gold record out of it. We went from selling 300 records our first week to a gold record a year later. That's quite an achievement, especially for a band that didn't have much radio play, and had zero MTV. But somewhere between the first one and 'Seasons', they had different expectations of what we were going to become as a band. I think they really wanted us to do the full on sellout. Not to say that a band like Incubus has, but they really wanted us to go aggressive radio, and they didn't want us to be a heavy band; they wanted us to wear cardigans and look a little more hip and stylish. But at the end of the day, we are what we are. I'm not going to try and be something I'm not.

Well, some people do make it that way. But it's good to see you stick to your own guns.

JC: Sometimes the road less traveled is a lot harder. Music is the combination of twelve notes to a scale. We could sit all day writing pop songs, and we kind of did that on Seasons. It was the record that sold the least amount of all of our records. So your core fan base kind of tells you something when you actually take a step in that direction. I think it could've been a lot worse if we had taken one more step in that direction. We definitely leaned as far in that direction as we were comfortable with, but it wasn't what our fans wanted. They wanted the original Sevendust you hear on the first two records, and when your fans are talking to you, you need to listen.

You've been quoted as saying that your number one priority is to bring the most massive show possible to your fans.

JC: Absolutely. There's no question about it.

What would that entail?

JC: Basically, over the past couple of records, it entailed putting ourselves physically through several car crashes a night, primarily because we never really had any special effects, pyro, video, or any kind of crazy staging. We couldn't afford it. We had a decent light show, some gear, and we had the band. That was it. We just tried to be the most intense live band that we could possibly be. But this time, now that we're out of debt and can put some money into the show, it's going to be a lot different. Visually, people are going to see something they've never seen before. There's going to be a lot more eye candy going on and more of an interactive experience with the crowd. The sets will be a lot longer and heavier as well.

Want to talk about 'Next'?

JC: It's probably the most honest and down to earth Sevendust record. We used no outside producers, no label, nobody trying to influence how we should sound. It was a very liberating experience for us to haul ourselves into a house, pull in the Pro-tools rig, and make the record we wanted to make. We spent almost 6 months writing and recording Animosity. We turned this one around once the writing was finished. About five and a half to six weeks later the record was finished. There was nothing else to do. Even though it was more work and a lot harder, there wasn't a lot of wasted time, and we were a lot more efficient. We all looked around at each other. Vinnie, Morgan, and Lajon were grinning from ear to ear. I looked at Sonny and said, "Okay. They're diggin' it, so, next song." It was as simple as that. We didn't have to sit there and go through the pipeline of getting the okay from the marketing department, letting the radio department hear it and pick a potential single, and waiting on the producer to call his manager and his agent, just to make sure that they were cool on the amount they'd be taking and the amount of say they had in a particular song. We didn't have to deal with any of that crap.

'This Life' and 'Shadows In Red' are ballads. Were they brought about by recent experiences?

JC: Absolutely. 'This Life' was actually inspired by my unborn daughter.

Congratulations on being a father, by the way.

JC: Thanks. She's seven-months-old right now. I'm going through the teething stage, so I need all the congratulations I can get. [Laughing] But 'This Life' was actually inspired by the second ultrasound. It was the first time they had the fetal monitor hooked up, and I could hear her heart beat. From that moment on, I don't know what it was, but everything clicked. I realized it was for real. It's one thing to see the strip, and have your wife tell you we're pregnant, but it's another thing to actually hear the heartbeat. You go, "Okay. That's life."

'Shadows In Red' was actually a song I had written for a completely different thing and a different project. When we got down to pre-production I was actually trying to find 'Failure'. I've got a chord machine that I've got all this music logged into. I didn't have anything labeled; I'm terrible with that. I'm flipping through songs and stopped at 'Shadows In Red'. Lajon and Morgan looked at me and said, "We want to work on that right now." I'm like, "Are you sure?" [Laughing] They said "Yeah." That was the first thing we finished that first day of pre-production. The lyrics were written about thirty minutes later. Vinnie came in and heard a song he'd never heard before that was just about finished. It turned out to be one of our favorites. We wanted it to be all acoustic, no electric instruments at all. That was Morgan's sister playing the viola in it. It was a bit of a departure for us. We'd come close, you know, with 'Angel's Son'. But you still had the full on electric section at the end. 'Skeleton Song' had electronic stuff going on in it. But 'Shadows In Red' is 100% acoustic. We figured there's probably not a whole lot more you can do, to go from a song like 'Hero', which is one of the heavier songs we've ever written, to end with 'Shadows In Red', which arguably could be one of the lighter songs we've ever done. But that has always been a side of this band.

Does today's age of terrorism and political unrest affect your music at all?

JC: Sure. Everything affects music. We're not a very political band, by the nature of what we choose to write about, but anything that goes on in today's society affects you one way or another. You might not be able to point the finger directly at it, but I think we're influenced by everything. Today's society is a lot different than it was twenty years ago. There are a lot of similarities, too, but you almost have to take some things with a grain of salt. The press and the media are extremely controlled. Americans are told what they need to be told. It's one of those things you kind of look at and say, "Well, I'm not running the newspapers and the headline news on MSNBC, but somebody is."

What's the biggest difference since Sonny took over for Clint?

JC: He's a lot more like me. The difference between Clint and myself was like night and day. We're completely different kinds of players. I'm a drummer by nature, so I usually approach the instrument as I would s drumset. Everything is very linear and rhythmic. Clint came from different influences, yet kind of the same. Where I was a Metallica fanatic, he was a Slayer fan. From the first moment I had actually played with Sonny, well, I didn't even notice it that much because I was on the other side of the room. But we took a break and went outside. Morgan and Vinnie looked at me and said that the band had never sounded tighter. They also said that we played similarly. So, coming from two completely different styles with Clint and myself, ironically enough, Sonny suits my playing style more than Clint. Everybody's in shock by just how tight the band has become.

Gear?

JC: I think I used a Strat on the record for about two seconds and all the rest were Les Pauls. [Laughing] I've got an army of Les Pauls. I've got my Epiphone signature Les Pauls and then I've got a bunch of actual old Customs. I brought in my Explorer, but I think this was the first record that it didn't make it on. It just wasn't up to snuff for whatever reason; the Les Pauls just felt right. There's something about that guitar, especially if that's what you're comfortable with. There are plenty of guitars out there that may be a superior instrument technically, but the ear is the ultimate judge when it comes right down to it. When people walk into the room, saying, "Damn, that sounded good," you kind of have to go with it. The Les Paul was probably the first guitar I had ever gotten that was a real rock and roll guitar. It's just a natural thing. Sonny comes from that point of view as well.

I've got some signature Epiphones that are brand new. I've got two stock models that are right out of the box. I've got a '78 Custom and a '79 Custom. I have an '83 Studio that sounds amazing. It has been completely stripped down and repainted with a Notre Dame theme. My guitar tech, Brent Mullins, did that for me. It was beat to shit before he put the new paint job on it. I have a 12 string Epiphone Les Paul that made an appearance on a couple of songs.

Everything on the record was Randall and Marshall amps. Basically, the Randall RM100 is a three channel head. You can put different tube modules into it. The whole channel just pops right out so you can swap off the tubes, capacitors, and whatnot. You can actually sit there and mod them yourself. It's a very cool design, especially for Randall, being pretty much a solid-state amp company for years. That's pretty much how I got hooked up with Randall in the first place, not because of their tube stuff. Live I've always used tube tops and solid-state bottoms, four cabinets. I've always used that combination. And coming from a Marshall background, and then switching into some of the more solid-state stuff, Randall has always been one of the solid-state frontrunners. It was a pretty easy transition.

Randall sent a Titan and a Cyclone to the studio when we were making 'Animosity'. Ben Gross [producer] is a huge Diesel fan. He loves them. I have a love/hate relation with Diesel. I like it when certain people use them. I play through them and I sound like an idiot. They don't do what I'm used to an amp doing. I'm used to plugging into an old 100 watt Super Lead and just beating the piss out of it, and having it do what it needs to do. Diesels need to be played the same way older Boogies need to be played. But yeah, Randall sent the two to the studio. Ben had his Diesels and old Marshalls, and all of his boutique amps and stuff. I remember popping open the Randall box. He just kind of looked at me and said, "What're you gonna do with that?" I said I just wanted to listen to it, plug it in and see what it does. I actually recorded some tracks with it and then we took a break. Ben admitted later that it was the best sounding amp he'd heard that day. Everyone in the band agreed. That was pretty much how I started my relationship with Randall.

Actually, it goes back one step further than that. I got drunk with Dimebag. [Laughing] 5:30 in the morning he calls up Doug and Dave over at Randall. Two or three weeks later, they showed up to a Chicago show with gear. I kind of remembered the conversation and kind of didn't. There were some empty holes in there, 5:30 in the morning and all, you know. I'm like, "Oh, God. What'd I tell these guys I'm going to do?" But they dropped the gear off and we used it on the record. That was pretty much it.

And then they approached me about this new RM100 that they had. They sent us two of them when we were making Seasons, a rack mount and a head version for the studio. Everybody was absolutely floored by it. That's pretty much what I've been using, the Titan and the V-Max for the solid-states, and RM100s for the tube side. But I do have about five or six old Marshalls that will always end up on the records, too. I've got one, a '71 Supertremolo, that has been on every record we've ever done. The coolest thing about it is that no matter where you set the EQ you can't make it sound bad. Every producer has pointed that out. I never used the extra preamp it has for the tremolo. We actually put that tube inline so it has an extra gain stage. I have a push/pull pod on the front of the amp. Other than that, it's basically stock. We didn't have to cut anything because the extra preamp was already in there. That's one of my go-tos.

Effects are funny, a means to an end for me. I went through a stage using nothing but rack mount stuff. I used a lot of the Rocktron gear for a while. Then I gravitated toward the more studio-oriented stuff, like Lexicon and TC. For this record, everything was old floor pedals, the original Phase 90, TC Electronic's pedals, and Electro-Harmonix. We used a lot of pedals on this thing. We yanked out all the old stuff we had from our closets. We used the new Dimebag Wah (Dunlop DB01) more than any other.

I've been using Dean Markley strings since halfway through the second record. I used Earnie Balls when I was younger. I loved them but they just go away real quickly and I'm not sure why. It's something about the acid in my sweat. They just completely die out. But we've been using Dean Markley Blue Steels. I've played just about every string out there, but for me it's basically a durability thing. When out on the road, if I've got seven or eight guitars with me, it's nice to get two or three days out of some of those guitar strings. The Blue Steels do that for me. The second day is where I like them. I don't usually like my strings brand spanking new; I like them a little worn in.

Anything you'd like to add, John?

JC: I'd just like to say that we'll be touring a lot. Next year [2006] will be a very busy year for Sevendust.

Sonny Mayo Interview

Suddenly you find yourself a member of Sevendust. How's that working out, Sonny?

Sonny Mayo: It's working out great, Brian. I'm exactly where I want to be with my career and my life. It was really surprising. I've been with a few bands, and I've put some records out. I've had an enjoyable career. But before I got the call from Morgan, I hadn't been in a band for going on about a year. I left Snot in '98, and then I was in a band called Amen for almost five years. Then I played in a band called Hed PE, Hed Planet Earth. I was with them for a while just as a touring guitarist. I was kind of taking care of my life, trying to get something together. I started writing music with this funky keyboard player in Santa Monica named Ashby. I got a call to audition for Nine Inch Nails back in November. I went and did it and nailed it. Everything was cool, but I never got a call back. So I was kind of at the point where I really didn't know what I was going to do with my music career. And then, out of nowhere, Morgan called on January 19th, and said, "Hey, I really don't know what you're doing, but I hope it's nothing. We're off TVT Records and we want you to join the band. We're going to record a new album ourselves and shop for a new deal." I said, "I'm ready, dude. Count me in."

From what John had told me, 'Next' was almost done when you had entered the band. He gave you the material, you learned it and took it from there.

SM: That's pretty much it, yeah. I got the call from Morgan. A couple of days later, after talking with management I kind of worked out what was going to happen. I spoke with John; he sent me a CD of the songs, and I just started working on them. Two of the tunings I had never played in before, so I had to learn them. We use three or four different tunings on 'Next'. One is a Drop B. It's an open B tuning; then you take the low E which is the B and drop it down another half step, so it's an A#. I can't really describe the way the chords are strummed, but it becomes a 5-string chord. The A string is muted, which is actually F#. You use full chords on the other five strings. That's for songs like 'Enemy' and 'Trust, and on the new record for songs like 'Desertion' and 'This Life'. They're in that A# tuning. Then there's another tuning for songs like 'Pieces' and 'Hero', and older songs like 'Face To Face'. It's the same Drop B tuning, but instead you take the high E and tune it down to a B, and you take the second string and tune it up to A. So when you're playing those four or five string chords in the key of B you get a more orchestral, or jingly sound, on the higher strings. You really get those full chord sounds. Another tuning is Drop B again, but instead, dropping the second string down to an F# and doing these trippy chords. We use that in 'Shadows In Red'.

That must call for quite a few extra guitars on the road.

SM: Oh, you know it, man! [Laughing] I'm blessed working with Washburn because these guys are so great over there. I need those strong guitars that can handle the road, and can also handle the tunings. David, over at Washburn, has been bending over backwards for me.

Has your playing style altered since becoming a member of Sevendust?

SM: Absolutely. It's a trip, because I've worked with a ton of different guitar players. I've learned something from each one of them. You know, different approaches to the guitar. With John, playing the old stuff and the new stuff, his approach isn't traditional, like a traditional guitar player's picking styles and so on. It's really been a wonderful experience because it isn't something I'd naturally do on my own. I was really able to watch him and view how he approaches it. He has a style of his own that's very percussive and syncopated because of his background. I've definitely elevated as a guitar player, and continue to as a result of being in this band. It's really cool.

Where are you from?

SM: I grew up in Virginia. I was born in DC and raised in Virginia. I moved to California in 1995 to join Snot. I stayed, and I'm not in any hurry to relocate anytime soon.

What music do you get into, other than your own?

SM: Man, I listen to all kinds of good stuff. One of my favorite singer-songwriters is Jeff Buckley. I listen to guys like Ben Harper, and then I get into The Haunted, Meshuggah, and Refused. Clutch is probably my favorite band. As a musician and artist you want to listen to a lot of different things. It depends on the mood. I like hardcore hip-hop, going back to Public Enemy, Ghetto Boys, N.W.A, and stuff like that.

Talk about your style of playing. How'd it develop?

SM: I started out playing viola as a child, around fifth and sixth grade. Then I played saxophone for about three years after, alto sax.

You have a background in music theory?

SM: Yeah. But not so much on guitar. Once I got to the guitar, you know how it is, when we're kids. [Laughing] My buddies and me, we were all into music and stuff. It was like, "Hey, we're gonna form a band." We were going to put the tennis rackets down and actually play our instruments. Okay let's do this, you know. I'm gonna be the guitar player; you'll be the bass player. Whatever was needed, I said I'd do that. So I was a drummer for one band, a bass player for another. Finally I decided to be the guitar player because I was absolutely blown away by James Hetfield and the Hetfield style of rhythm and attack. I was heavily influenced by thrash metal, like a lot of the Bay area bands, Testament, Exodus, and New York's Anthrax. And I was a real Slayer and Megadeth fan, and heavily influenced by those bands, and of course Metallica. So, that's what I excelled in, and really went forward in, the James Hetfield right-hand rhythmic machine. I've always loved Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, Hendrix, and stuff like that, too, but as far as where I came from, it was the James Hetfield school of rhythm. What makes it interesting is that John is a former drummer, and he's a schooled drummer. So we have similar attack.

Did you know Dime?

SM: I did. As a matter of fact, my Pantera story starts when I was in a thrash band called Silence in northern Virginia. We opened for Pantera during the 'Cowboys From Hell' tour. We opened for them at this place called The Bayou in DC. It's now a mall or some shit. We played a cover of 'Domination'. And we played it at sound check without even realizing they were watching. We were hoping they were, but we didn't know that they were up in the balcony watching, all four of them. When we finished they were all yelling and screaming. And then the next time they came to town, which was right before the release of 'Vulgar Display Of Power', they shaved my head onstage.

Really?

SM: Yeah. Dime brought me onstage. Actually, I'm on the 'Vulgar' video.

Okay. I remember seeing that now.

SM: Yeah. I think I'm the second or third head shaved on the video. When the stage lights are real red, that's me getting my head shaved. Dime was a major influence, and obviously still is, in all walks of metal.

Want to talk about your gear?

SM: Absolutely. Traditionally, I'm a Les Paul man. I like LP Customs and Standards, anything from 71 to the mid 80s. As a result of the price of your basic Les Paul Custom, I only have a couple. [Laughing] What I've come to with Sevendust is a deal with Washburn. We're working on my actual Sonny Mayo Custom model right now. I have the first one. It's the [Jeff] Pilson model, and very similar to the Les Paul, with the single cutaway. I have Seymour Duncan Customs in it. It's a silverburst with white binding. It's actually based on the 1972 Les Paul Custom Silverburst. So it's a real classic kind of style.

I've got a deal with Randall as well. I used to use Mesa. I like the Triple Rectifiers from the 90s. I'm not into the ones they're making now. I can't get a good tone out of the new ones. So I'm into Washburn and Randall.

As far as effects, I'm pretty standard. I have a wah peddle, a Phase-90, and a chorus. It's pretty much dry after that. I use either the Dean Markley Blue Steels or the traditional Dean Markley strings. John and I use the same strings, maybe even the same gauge, 15 - 60.

Custom gauges?

SM: Yeah, because of the crazy tunings.

The Randall, is that the RM100 with the interchangeable tube modules, same as John's?

SM: Absolutely. I use three or four different mods. I'd be hard pressed to tell you exactly what they are, because I can't exactly remember. Both John and I slave it with a V-Max for power, which is also a Randall. Then our soundman splits it, so we'll get a stereo image with delay. That way the sound spreads out across the whole stage.

Is there anything you'd like to add before we close, Sonny?

SM: The fans have been amazing. They welcomed me into the band like I was already a member of the family. Basically, I was, as far as friendship. But they've treated me as a long lost brother. People walk up to me, look me in the eye, and say, "Sonny, welcome to Sevendust." It's a cool experience. I don't know why, but things do work out. They fall into place. One thing I can say to people is, if you're a musician and you're trying to do it, and trying to get it together, and hitting your head against the wall when things seem like they're falling apart, they're probably falling into place.

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