This week Scott is joined by guitarist Sonny Mayo! Sonny has worked with numerous rock and metal artists over the years; notably, Snot, Sevendust, and Ugly Kid Joe among others.
The discussion starts with talk of Rock to Recovery, a program that brings music to people going through treatment and recovery. This non-profit has helped in numerous facets of society including veterans facilities, rehabilitation facilities, and metal health facilities. In this talk, Sonny shares the benefits of this program and how it's changing lives on a daily basis through the power of music.
After that, the discussion turns to Sonny's incredible music career, starting with Snot. In this discussion, Sonny shares how he got the gig in 1995 and how the band went about writing songs for the first album that would be released in 1997. Additionally, he shares stories of the band days in the trenches and who they shared stages with.
Sonny also performed on a Vanilla Ice album produced by Ross Robinson; it's a story you must hear!
Sonny discusses how he got the news of Lynn Strait's death and his reaction to it. That dovetails into a discussion of the Strait Up tribute album.
After beating his own addiction issues, Sonny was faced with health challenges including a heart attack at the age of 45. This lead to him making changes in his life of which he discusses here.
Eventually, Sonny would leave music behind temporarily and become a vet tech. After a while he'd get a call to join Hed PE to join them on their Blackout album tour.
After his stint with Hed PE, Sonny would receive a phone call from Morgan Rose of Sevendust asking him to join the band. In this discussion, Sonny talks about his tenure with the band as well as the making of the Next album. Additionally, he shares stories from the subsequent tour.
Sonny also contributed to the next two Sevendust albums Alpha and Chapter 7: Hope and Sorrow. They guys discuss both albums in this episode. In 2008, Sonny would be replaced by original Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery. Sonny talks about the impact of this decision and how he pushed forward.
In 2011, Sonny would be tapped to produce/engineer the Ugly Kid Joe album 'Stairway to Hell' before being hired to replace guitarist Dave Fortman. In this discussion, he shares his memories of working with UKJ.
