Section on the Mayfield Four starts halfway through this article.

March 22, 1999

Alternative bands power through debut recordings

By Bob Mackin
Contributing Writer

TENNESSEE is no place for a rock and roll band to make it big these days, according to members of Fuel.

The quartet moved from the cradle of rock and roll to get radio airplay and a record deal. Harrisburg, Penn. was chosen as the band's new base and so far it's working. Shimmer, the lead-off single from the debut Sunburn album, was the most-played song on American alternative rock radio in 1998.

"I don't know what it is about the people in (Harrisburg), but they really will support music," said Fuel guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell before a March 11 concert at the Starfish Room with the Mayfield Four.

"They will come out and see bands, hang with you and be loyal." Added singer/guitarist Brett Scallions: "It's a weird place to go and break it as a band, but if you take what's there and look at what's available, it makes a lot of sense actually."

Harrisburg is on the banks of the Susquehanna River, a few hours east of Philadelphia. Pittsburgh, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore aren't far away either.

Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie grew up in the western Tennessee town of Kenton. Scallions, meanwhile, grew up in Brownsville, 45 minutes out of Memphis.

When he was four, Scallions was taken to see Elvis Presley, but didn't stay awake through the King's revue

"I made it 'til about two or three songs and passed out and fell asleep. I remember him running out and giving the claw, I can say I actually saw him," Scallions said.

Not until high school did Scallions want to be a singer. That's when he discovered Cult frontman Ian Astbury.

"I loved his vocals," he said. "He just had a lot of power and aggression in his vocal style, some great songs there too." Power, aggression and great songs are what Bell and Scallions want Fuel to be known for. Though it's not a concept album, many of Sunburn's tracks are united by the motif of the sun.

"We've always based ourselves on energy, aggression and trying to have as much power and depth in what we do," Scallions said. "The sun is such a huge, powerful energy source, yet it's such a beautiful and delicate thing P and dangerous at the same time."

Added Bell: "The album deals with struggle, trying to overcome obstacles and answering some of life's tough questions. It comes from a feeling of desiring to be free."

Fuel is glad to be out of Tennessee, but the band's current tour mates are proud Washingtonians.

The Mayfield Four was formed three years ago in Spokane. The group is named after the elementary school where its members met. They didn't start playing together until their days at Mead High School in the east Washington city.

Singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy found his voice through hours of listening to his parents' Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye albums. "It's in my system and will never come out," Kennedy said. "I also love a lot of the Stax/Volt stuff, Otis Redding. It's like the backbone of pop music."

Kennedy says the garage rock and punk stylings of hometown heroes like the Fumes and Makers also made an impression. "Musically it's not necessarily my thing, but going to a (Makers') show was so entertaining, just so rock and roll. You never know what those guys are going to do. It's not just posing, that's the way those guys are. I remember they used to drive around in a hearse. I'm sure they probably don't like what we do, but I respect what they do."

Kennedy, guitarist Craig Johnson, bassist Marty Meisner and drummer Zia Uddin recorded their debut album Fallout with production by former Talking Head Jerry Harrison. The end result is a record that mixes the sounds of Motown and Muslim devotional music with the classic rock of Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones.

One of Kennedy's career highlights to date didn't happen in the studio or on the concert stage. At the 40th birthday of the Mayfield Four's original manager Susan Silver, Kennedy joined Chris Cornell in a song of tribute.

Cornell, the former Soundgarden singer, is Silver's husband. "We did My Funny Valentine together, him and I hung out that day and got to know each other. He's a great guy, I've got a lot of respect for him. He's a great songwriter and artist."