Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter

Catching Up With The One and Only Madame Mayhem


She's worked with some of the biggest names in music.
She's a true believer in "if things keep getting you down, it’s about getting right back up and taking it on!"
She just released her new single "BREAKING DOWN," and to top it all off, she's an all around talented bad ass woman!

Check out our interview with the one and only Madame Mayhem, right here!
Madame Mayhem

C&C: You just released your new single "BREAKING DOWN” and enlisted the help of Keith Wallen (Breaking Benjamin), and Billy Sheehan with Jason "J Bomb" Harrison on drums to create your vision. Explain a little bit more about your vision for “BREAKING DOWN” and what the process was like for it to come to life.
MM: Yes, “Breaking Down” is out now! I am very excited about it, and hope everyone has a chance to check it out! I co-wrote “Breaking Down” with Brian Vodinh (10 Years, Brave the Royals). It was the first time working with Brian and the first day meeting him actually. It was an amazing experience, he is so talented and we had great songwriting chemistry right away. Johnny K (Disturbed, 3 Doors Down, just to name a few...) produced the song and it was a great experience working with him! 
I am so thankful that Keith Wallen and Billy Sheehan were kind enough, and believe in me enough, to take time out of their schedules to help bring this song to life by playing on this track. J, who has been my drummer for a bit now, came down to Nashville with me to record the drums, which was awesome. It was really cool to have the energy of how we perform the song live, brought into the recording through the drums. 
I am really proud of the song, It's a declaration of strength no matter what difficulty someone is facing, no matter how hard it is. If things keep getting you down, it’s about getting right back up and taking it on! We are all stronger than we know, and it’s important to be reminded of that sometimes. 

C&C: You’ve toured with bands like Sevendust, Memphis May Fire and Fozzy to name a few. Which has been your favorite tour to date and why?
MM: Practically any time we get to tour is a great experience, and every tour is different. I have fond memories from every tour I have done and each one is special in it’s own way. The friends made, the shows played, the places traveled… all special.
Sevendust, both band and crew, since the first tour we did with them always treat us like family, and that meant and still means so much to me. They are amazing people and total pros. Having the opportunity to tour and perform with them is always fun and special. Some of my favorite memories on the road are from tours and shows I did with them. I’ll always be happy to get back on the road with SEVENDUST any time! 
I will also say having the opportunity to tour the UK and Europe with Fozzy was amazing. We got to share a bus with them and they were so cool to us! Billy Grey played with us and with Fozzy on that tour, and I am so thankful to him that he took on double duty. He rocks! 
Early on, we toured with Doro. It was my first bus tour. The entire band and crew were awesome. Doro is so amazing, I learned a lot from her on that run and admired how much she genuinely loves her fans, same as I do. She will do her best to communicate with as many people as possible whenever possible and that is something I always strive to do as well. 

C&C: After working with a ton of different well known musicians like Russ “Satchel” Parrish (Steel Panther), Corey Lowery (Stuck Mojo), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), and Troy McLawhorn (Evanescence) to name just a few, who has influenced you the most prior to and throughout your career?
MM: I have been very fortunate to have worked and collaborated with so many talented musicians in my career.  I appreciate them for believing in me and my music enough to do so. There are so many people and influences I would love to collaborate with in addition to the awesome artists I have been able to work with already (artists like Trent Reznor, David Draiman, and many more). I think collaboration is so important in music making.
 Billy Sheehan has been my mentor for years now and is like a big brother to me. Working with him and him being kind enough to introduce me to other amazing musicians that I can now call friends is something I am really appreciative of. His support and encouragement no matter what project I am working on is something I will always be thankful for. 

C&C: Your music has taken you to some of the world’s best-known venues. Which one will always stick out to you the most when you look back and which one are you looking forward to performing at again once venues start reopening?
MM: I’ll be honest, any opportunity I have to perform live is my favorite because performing live on stage, whether in front of thousands of people or 10 people, is my happy place. 
A very special festival we got to play was Hills of Rock in Bulgaria. My bassist, Percy Trayanov, was born in Bulgaria, so I think it made the event extra special for all of us in the band. Playing the main stage as an opener for Judas Priest, in front of so many thousands of people, feeling the amazing energy of the crowd of that festival is something I will never forget and will stay with me forever. 
I will also give a shout out to The Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan. The entire Machine Shop family are always such professionals, and every show no matter what tour we are on when we go there is packed and full of high energy, it’s always a great time! 

C&C: What have you been doing to keep busy during quarantine and what has this experience been like for you?
MM: This pandemic has been so devastating worldwide. Thank you to all of the essential workers out there for putting themselves on the line during this time! 
Living in NYC, I am still spending my time in my apartment. I have set up a small makeshift home studio and have been writing music, as well as playing some live cover songs for my Youtube page. I have been able to do some virtual festivals which have been fun too. Hopefully some great music will come out into the world after all of this from all of us musicians being home right now.
I’ve also been trying to stay active by doing at home workouts in my living room. I discovered an awesome program called Body Combat by Les Mills, a really fun workout! It also helps me forget some of my anxieties that have definitely been heightened during this time. 

C&C: Right now so many people are struggling with how to find their voice during this time and what they can do to help those facing injustice. As a public figure and a voice that is heard amongst so many people, what advice do you have and what GOOD have you seen going on in the music industry that is affecting the community in a positive way?
MM: That’s a great question that everyone is still trying to figure it out.  ALL PEOPLE DESERVE TO BE TREATED EQUALLY!.... no matter your race, religion, beliefs, economic status, etc. 
Initially I think there’s been a strong overall showing of support from the music industry through social channels and media outlets.
In regards to artists sharing their beliefs or amplifying others’ messages on their platforms, it’s important to make sure you’re positively impacting the causes you’re trying to bring justice for and not distracting from them. There’s also a great deal of misinformation being spread in the world so people should educate themselves on the issues before clicking share.
At the same time, many people turn to music as an escape during difficult times, including artists.  I also think some of the most influential music was written about or during challenging times.

C&C: Any final words for your fans and for Cupcakes & Crossbones viewers? How can fans stay up to date with you and see what you have going on next?
MM: There are a lot of ways!
*Make sure to go to www.MadameMayhem.com 
There’s also an option on the website where people can subscribe to our email list, which will give them updates, exclusive content, exclusive sales for merch, performance updates etc. (Thanks in advance for subscribing and becoming an even closer member of the Madame Mayhem Family). 
*Please LIKE and FOLLOW me on social media, and say hi! I try my best to answer as many people as I can and love communicating with my fans and fellow music lovers. 
www.Youtube.com/MadameMayhemOfficial where you can subscribe to the page. 
www.Bandsintown.com/madamemayhem where you can TRACK us for notifications of when we will be playing in your area once we can get back out on the road. 
*And of course, Please check out my new single  “Breaking Down” if you haven't already,  it's available on all digital platforms now! HERE, and if you like my music and have a Spotify account and want to FOLLOW Madame Mayhem on there, that would be much appreciated too.
Thanks to the readers for checking out this interview and please keep in touch! Rock on! Let the Mayhem continue…

Comments