Until a week or so ago, I had no idea who The Mayan Factor was or the fact they had been making music since 2003, at least. But there’s a lot more to this than another band finding it’s way into my inbox. I learned about The Mayan Factor from a long time fan.
Hold on a sec while a grab my box of tissues, I will try to keep this brief but I need to share this story because…well, it made me cry and it’s potent and it speaks to the character of the band and its members. Considering I was jamming the song full blast while reading through the email, you could say the music was moving me to tears as well.
There is not much available online about The Mayan Factor but their impact cannot be denied. As mentioned, a long time fan reached out to me. She originally discovered them in 2003. After facing years of health-related issues leaving her unable to attend live shows like she once was able, she came back into better health only to learn the band’s lead singer had passed away. She assumed the band had stopped making music.
Our super fan was hanging out on Twitter one day and another band she loves tweeted about The Mayan Factor and a “new single”. The title of that single is Hope.
Our proactive and passionate super fan was touched and moved by Hope. She re-connected with The Mayan Factor thanks to social media. After sparking up a chat with their drummer, she expressed her gratitude and excitement for re-discovering the band and how much the new single touched her. She also shared how much she missed attending live shows and all the great shows she had missed out on due to those pesky health complications.
Without blinking, the band invited her to join them on Facetime so she could see them perform live.
…Hold on, grabbing a tissue.
So not only has The Mayan Factor been creating timeless music that touches and moves people for nearly two decades, they are genuine human beings who truly care about, and go above and beyond, for their fans.
Our super fan was hoping I could share The Mayan Factor’s music in case there are more long time fans who had no idea they were still active. I can do better than a share, how about an article? An interview…maybe?
I have been listening to Hope on repeat and it is truly a work of art (especially if you watch the video, too). The band creates experiences that transcend time, categories and labels.
Listen to Hope below or subscribe to the band’s YouTube Channel.
You can connect directly with The Mayan Factor on their official website.
In the interview spotlight below, I chat with Dan (drums) about music, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
We are from Baltimore. We don’t write music to put in a category but rather create art that takes your soul on a journey.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
It’s the love of creating art through the expressions of our hearts and soul.
How are your newer releases different than previous ones?
The new releases are different from previous one for the fact we are more seasoned musicians who have all gone through some pretty life changing experiences.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
For us, the digital music age has been way more beneficial to us then if it had not existed. Our music hit the internet years ago and went viral. We reach people from all over the world and have built up followings in parts of the world that would never have thought they would even know who we are much less be some of the greatest fans . I think much like everything in music… Artists need to be themselves and have their own voice. There are too many bands out there that try to look and sound like bands that already exist. When you do that, you are just a face in a crowded room.
What was the last song you listened to?
Last song I listened to was a song by Lake Trout called Stutter.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl all the way. Nothing will ever compare to the excitement of opening up a new vinyl and pulling an LP out of the record sleeve. Also to me , I will always prefer the sound quality. MP3’s suck. Too much compression and lose the whole organic feel of the song.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
They can all just FUCK OFF. Ripping off artists by paying them so little amount of money for songs they charge patrons to stream.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Please check us out on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Anything else before we sign off?
Yes thank you and all the people like you for all the hard work and sacrifice you do to give artist like ourselves a place to be heard and discovered. Kudos to you.
