Freshly Pressed – Maya Blue “Hey”

Burlington, Ontario’s Maya Blue have recently released their debut LP, Trouble In Mind. They kicked off the record with the new single, “Hey” – a punchy rock track with a heavy blues riff. We caught up with the band to chat about the new music,  where the band name came from, and their musical influences.

From The Strait:  Tell us about the new single “Hey”.

Maya Blue: Our New Single, Hey is our take on a blues rock song out of the late 60s/early 70s. Because of this style, we thought the song should be about a girl, much like the other great blues rock songs that came out at that time. It’s also a great way to introduce our album. “Hey” We’re Maya Blue!

From The Strait: How would you describe your first full-length album, Trouble In Mind, to brand new listeners?

Maya Blue: Trouble In Mind is a rock album through and through. You can find elements of blues rock, indie rock, and straight up rock n roll throughout the album. It is a classic rock album with a modern sound.

From The Strait: You’ve been playing around the GTA for years now – what has been your favourite venue to play? (And what in your opinion, makes a venue great?)

Maya Blue: Most of the shows we have played over the past few years have been in Hamilton. Our favourite venue in Hamilton is The Casbah. Being from Burlington, that is the best venue for us to get all our friends and family out. The sound is great, drinks are cold, and It’s always a fun time.

From The Strait: How did you come up with the band name?

Maya Blue: We were trying to think of a colour to describe our band’s sound and we landed on blue…but that wasn’t specific enough for us. We looked at one of those paint shade pages and determined that Maya Blue was the one. A lot of people wonder if it’s the name of someone we know, but it’s really a shade of blue created by the Mayans and Aztecs.

From The Strait: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences, and how have they helped to shape your sound?

Maya Blue: Each member of Maya Blue has different music influences, and I think that’s why we’re able to create our own unique sound. Our lead singer and guitarist, Nick DePaul, was influenced by rock bands like KISS and Thin Lizzy. Our drummer, Tyler Pasta, was influenced by Led Zeppelin, RHCP, and is also classically trained in percussion. Our Bassist, Derek Osborne, was influenced by bands like Rush and Metallica, but also has a lot of influence from Jazz and Soul/Funk. If you listen to each instrument, you can pick out the differences in our playing. However, this unique blend of influences shape the Maya Blue sound.

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Check out “Hey”, the new single from Maya Blue!

Follow Maya Blue on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter

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