Zac Mayfield (Oh, Sleeper) Interview

 If you liked my last post about Greiner & Kilmer, I think you will really enjoy what's to come over the next few weeks. I have some more really cool interviews in store for you. Some with drummers, and some with drum companies. Today I have an interview with the drummer from one of my favorite bands, Zac Mayfield of Oh, Sleeper.

(Courtesy of RJP Photography)

I saw Zac post on his facebook a while back about a new snare that was made for him by a company called Serenity Custom Drums. Being a drummer myself, of course I had to check it out. I went to his page and started clicking through the pictures and this thing was awesome! Considering this was the first time I had heard of Serenity drums, I wanted to get an outside opinion of the company and their drums, so I messaged Zac and asked if he would be interested in an interview. Being the awesome guy that he is, he said he was down to do it, so here it is. Enjoy!

Q. How did you hear about Serenity drums?

A. I had come across a few of their drums while browsing the internet. Coincidentally, one of the owners (Dan) hit me up about working with them and potentially becoming an endorsee. When I informed Dan that I was happily endorsing SJC, he offered me a snare.

Q. How was it working with Serenity?

A. Working with Serenity was amazing. Those guys have a passion for drum building that is fanatical, and it shows in the quality of their drums.

Q. What are the specs on the drum? (size, shell type, finish, etc.)

A. The drum is a 13x6 birch drum wrapped in bubinga. The "oh sleeper" verse and logo are hand burned/carved into the outer bubinga as to expose the birch. This unique design was completely conceived by Serenity. It's beautiful.

(Courtesy of Serenity Custom Drums)

Q. Do you usually use a 13 inch snare as apposed to 14, or was the intent just to change it up a bit with the 13x6?

A. I've always preferred 13 inch snares. The smaller size allows for more articulation without having to crank up the tension of the heads.

Q. What was your reaction the first time you played it?

A. Well at first I didn't want to play it. I thought it was too beautiful to hit with a stick! I was given the snare right before a show, so I was able to "field" test it. It was very snappy and responsive with just the right amount of ring. I absolutely loved it. 

Q. Would you recommend Serenity drums to someone else?

A. YES YES YES ABSOLUTELY YES. As I said earlier, their passion for drums knows no bounds. They will give 100% to make sure the drum(s) you receive are exactly what you want and flawlessly designed. 

Q. Fairly recently, you became a member of the SJC family. What made you choose SJC over all of the other custom drum companies?

A. When I joined Oh, Sleeper I was contacted by a few custom companies. One in particular was very interested, and came out to a show to film our set. Once I sent an e-mail to this company I was warmly greeted by four months of no reply. Once a reply did arrive the price was so ridiculously high I had to laugh out loud. Hardly what I expected from such a "reputable" custom company. On a whim, I filled out SJC's "automated kit builder". The one that, I thought, gives you a computer response with a quote. Instead, I had an e-mail literally 5 minutes from a guy at SJC (Geo) explaining that he was a huge fan and would do what ever it takes to get me on an SJC kit. It was a no brainer!

Q. How do you like the acrylic shells on your kit?

A. I really love acrylic. It sounds great and looks amazing. They are a lot louder than wood, so they tend to sound really awesome live.

Q. Do you have any plans for a new SJC kit in the near future?

A. I'm currently designing a full bubinga kit with SJC. I think I'll be going with two rack toms this time around. I never like to keep things the same. Changing my kit constantly helps keep me creative.  

Q. I believe Oh, Sleeper just started writing for the new album. With your guitarist James leaving the band, and bassist Nate moving to guitar, should fans expect anything different with the upcoming album?

A. Nate brings a very unique skill set and sound to Oh, Sleeper. He shreds like no one I've ever heard before, so be expecting that on the new album.

Q. Are there any plans to tour before heading into the studio?

A. Yep! We are headed to Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia this January!

Q. Thanks so much Zac! Anything else you would like to add?

A. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! Also, thanks for having me Casey!

Well, there ya go! Be sure to check out Serenity Custom Drums, and be on the look out for a new Oh, Sleeper album, as well as a new SJC kit for Zac!

If you enjoyed this interview, please subscribe! I have plenty more coming soon!

Thanks guys!

  

Greiner & Kilmer Custom Drums

10-15 years ago, custom drums were rare. The only time you would see a custom kit was at some big arena show where the band was putting on an over the top production. Going to a show usually meant seeing the same kits everyone was used to seeing. (Pearl, DW, Tama, Yamaha, Gretsch, and so on...) These days, custom drum companies are popping up left and right, but one that I have found a lot of interest in is Greiner & Kilmer.

Greiner & Kilmer was started in Bainbridge, PA by Kaleb Kilmer and August Burns Red's drummer Matt Greiner. 

Many custom drum companies claim their drums are hand made, and they are to an extent. Most of them order Keller shells, which any of us could purchase, and build around those. I'm not knocking that at all! Those companies are more focused on the look of the drum rather than the actual shell, and that's awesome! The cool thing about Greiner & Kilmer is that their drums are TRULY hand made. I mean, they actually go to the lumber yard and pick out the wood!

 My friend Max Fasnacht, drummer for Pennsylvania based pop-punk band Carousel Kings, just had a Greiner & Kilmer snare made so I decided I would have a chat with him and see what he thought about it, and maybe ask a few questions about the band as well.

Q. How did you hear about Greiner&Kilmer drums?

A. Every year, my hometown of Lancaster, Pa holds the LAUNCH Music Conference. It is an awesome way for all kinds of companies to advertise their products and help get their name out there. Greiner & Kilmer had a booth in the convention center and had to go check these snares out. I was really impressed from the get go. Kaleb Kilmer actually ended up letting me demo a snare that night for our show.

                              (Max with his Greiner & Kilmer snare in the works)

Q. Fans of August Burns Red are probably wondering, did you get to deal directly with Matt Greiner?

A. As of now, I have not had the pleasure. He has been very busy touring the past six months. While my snare was getting made he was in Europe with The Devil Wears Prada. My band is actually playing the annual August Burns Red Christmas show this year at the Chameleon Club so I will be meeting with him then.

Q. How was it working with Greiner&Kilmer?

A. Very easy. They guided me in the right direction and made sure I was happy with everything. I got to work closely with Kaleb and he let me actually go help with the rounding process on the drum. I actually learned a tremendous amount from him.

Q. What are the specs on the drum? (size, shell type, finish, etc.)

A. It is 14x7.5 The wood is about 5/8 thick. It is made of paudauk, maple, and purple heart...it also has mahogany and walnut inlays on the outside of the maple section.

Q. What was your reaction the first time you played it?

A. I was blown away. It sounded ten times better than I had expected. It is definitely the loudest snare I've played.

Q. Would you recommend Greiner&Kilmer drums to someone else?

A. Absolutely. One thing I think that is really awesome about this company is, they really care about what you want and they both have the knowledge on drums to know what sounds good.

Q. I believe Carousel Kings just got back from a run of shows in Canada? Tell us a little bit about that.

A. It was our first time in Canada and we had a blast. We toured with City Lights who we had previously done a full U.S. tour with. The shows are a lot different but the crowds we had were awesome...the kids that came out really enjoyed themselves. The Canadian band that we toured with (We Were Sharks) were probably some of the nicest dudes we have ever met. We actually missed thanksgiving at home this year because we were in Canada...so they bought us all thanksgiving dinners. So awesome.

Q. You guys just released your new 3 song EP "Road Warrior". Where can people pick that up, and do you guys have any plans for another full length in the near future?

A. The three song EP can be picked up at our record label's online store at cirecords.com....as well as iTunes. As far as a full length goes...we are continuously writing to record another one soon. We just released this EP to get some new stuff out there.

Q. What's on the tour agenda for the rest of the year?

A. Whatever we can get our hands on at this point. We don't plan on stopping any time soon. We like to go out touring with bands we have previously toured with so maybe our friends in Darling Parade will want to go on another run soon 

Q. Anything else you would like to add?

A. Thanks for including me in this. Thank you to anyone that has supported Carousel Kings in the past 3 years.

Unfortunately, Carousel Kings were involved in an accident with a drunk driver just a few days ago. Luckily, they are all okay and came out with just a few bangs and bruises. Not so luckily, all of their gear was ruined, including Max's new Greiner & Kilmer snare.

Please please please, if you can, help them out and pick up their music. The purpose of being in a touring band is to play shows and make the fans happy. Bands put a lot of money into their gear and these guys have been on the road non stop. Please pick up their music and help them out. 

You can pick up their music at cirecords, itunes, etc.