Maylene and the Sons of Disaster

Maylene and the Sons of Disaster released their new album 'III' in June earlier this year and we had  the chance to talk to guitarist Chad Huff about what's been going down... 

Alright, we’ll begin with your name, your job within the band and your favourite soda?

Chad Huff, I play guitar. I don’t drink a lot of soda, but my favorite soda would have to be Jones green apple or root beer. 

Maylene and The Sons of Disaster’s new album: ‘III’ is out now. How are you feeling about its reception so far and how has the band’s sound changed/progressed since ‘II’?

We have actually had great reception from fans. We played 4 new songs on this last tour, and a lot of people sang along and went crazy. I feel the album’s sound just reflects us being a little older. A little more thought was put into the structuring of the riffs, and the melodies are a bit more refined. We all love classic rock, and country. So I think III shows our influences, and just us growing up as people and as musicians.  

You’re a band that has toured hard for a long period of time. How much has playing a lot of shows so consistently helped build the profile of your band? And do you enjoy spending long periods of time on the road, in strange places?

I think its helped a lot. Without all the tours we have done, we wouldn’t have our fans. We love being out on the road. Not many places really feel strange to us, but sometimes we will play a small city in the middle of nowhere. It can definitely be fun.  

How does the band get around, who drives the most and who’s the messiest?

We still tour in a 15 passenger van. We take shifts, so everyone drives about the same. Messiest? I think we all try to be considerate and keep our stuff organized, but I think that title kinda switches between a few people in the band. Haha.

Being that the ‘southern rock’ aspect of your music is fundamentally American, do you ever find yourselves feeling like you’re showcasing a big part of your own culture when you play shows outside of the States? And how is your music received outside of the US?

Yeah definitely. But I think that’s what we have to offer to someone who has never been to the states, or more specifically, the south. They can kinda see the culture and attitude in our music and how we are as people. Overall, id say pretty good. Ive always been into so many types of music growing up, so its cool to see our music appealing to people on the other side of the world.

On that note, when can Australians expect to see you touring Down Under again?

Hopefully soon, we haven’t set anything in stone yet. Id imagine sometime next year though. 

On stage, what’s the biggest thing that has ever gone wrong? Ever had to get out of a really tricky situation?

Nothing too bad, ive had my wireless go out. That can be stressful, switching to a cable quickly. Dallas has had mic issues plenty of times, where the mic completely goes out. Nothing too tricky yet, knock on wood. 

What are 3 of your favourite things to do when you’re not writing, recording or touring?

I love rollercoaster’s, so I go to a few theme parks when im home usually. We have some nice lakes and rivers in florida, so I love going tubing. I also go out to this huge forest like 40 miles north of here, and ride my 4 wheeler. Pretty much all that stuff, with my friends and family is what I do when im not on the road.

Ok, if you could only pick one CD to listen to for the rest of eternity, what would it be?

That’s a tough one. The Jar of flies EP by alice in chains is flawless. I might have to go with that one. I love way too many records though. 

Thanks for the chat. Can’t wait to see you guys out here, showing us how it’s done.

Thanks you! We are looking forward to getting back out there! Thanks!

Maylene and the Sons of Disaster's new album 'III' is out now via Stomp. For more info on the band head to their Myspace page.