Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Mayes.
Hi Matthew, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started playing the banjo in second grade and picked up the guitar in high school. I was a high school All American basketball player, and really started playing music as an escape from the pressure of sports. I played basketball in college for the University of South Carolina and Wofford College. I graduated from Wofford in 1988 and turned down a pro offer in Ireland to pursue my music career. I started writing songs and playing out in bars in Spartanburg, SC while I was in college. I moved to Macon, Ga where other band members were finishing college at Mercer. We started playing live every weekend with my first band, The Rockafellas; mostly as a cover band playing at frat parties on the southeastern college circuit. In the summer of 1990 we decided that it was time to make the change to an all original music band, and we changed the name to Jupiter Coyote. A name which our current lead guitarist John Meyer came up with while we were roommates living in Macon. After releasing our first Jupiter Coyote album in 1991, Cemeteries & Junkyards, we kind of just hit the road full time touring for years. The band slowly started to catch fire, and by 1995 we were touring coast to coast and making a new record every other year. We built our operation much like the Grateful Dead did, centered around live shows and from the inside out. We had our own management and booking team in house, and started our own record label to release our music. It’s all still going. We release new music every 5-6 weeks on every major platform, and we still tour. We’ve been together for 35 years, played over 6000 shows, and sold millions of records, downloads, and streams. It’s been a heck of a ride.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Heck no it has not been smooth. Starting an all original rock n roll band and trying to make a living is one of the hardest things you will ever try to do. The first 10 years were brutal touring. Some years we spent over 300 days a year on the road, playing 250 plus shows a year. I think the most we ever played in one year was 273 shows in the mid 90’s.
We have survived three major paradigm shifts in the music business. From making Cds, to digital downloads, to streaming. 911 almost killed us. Our tour gate was off 40% that year and we had to cancel a 6 country, 18 show tour of Europe, which we never got back. We pulled back our touring in 2005 to raise kids and do some other things. We still played selective shows and by 2017 we started really coming back. Just when things started picking up steam again for Jupiter Coyote, Covid hit, and we went 18 months with no full band shows. Somehow we manage to survive through that as well.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have been writing and playing music professionally with a jam rock band, Jupiter Coyote, for 35 years. We are known for our song writing, and extended jams. We cover a lot of ground musically; from good ole’ southern boogie, to jam infused bluegrass, to progressive rock n roll. I have written close to 300 songs. I own our record label, MBM Entertainment, and publishing company. I invented a cool instrument unique to the JC sound called a Guijo. It’s a half Fender Strat style- half banjo electric banjo. I think the tone and sound of that instrument in the band really sets us apart from the other jam bands. I don’t think any one else really sounds like Jupiter Coyote. I had the Guijo built 34 years ago by master guitar builder Tom Dodson out of Jackson, Ga.
We have played with a lot of great bands over the years. The Allman Brothers, many times, Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews, The Neville Brothers, and all the east coast family bands like, Hootie, Edwin McCain, Allgood, Blackberry Smoke, and many, many more. I think I’m most proud of how we just never quit and that we still have all the original members, minus John Felty, who by the way, will still sit in from time to time. The band is prolific in the song writing department, and we are even better musicians now after all these years together. Coyote is a brotherhood of long time friends, musical compadres if you will, that enjoy each others company and playing music, especially live.
Full bio at www.jupitercoyote.com
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Don’t quit. If you find something you love doing, find a way and keep doing it. In our case, you cannot solely just play music anymore. You have to be broad based, well educated, and good with people. You’re gonna have to be your own booking agent, manager, record label and marketing wing. When I told my dad I was not going to play pro basketball and instead pursue a music career, I will never forget what he said to me.: “Son, do something you love doing and work your ass off at it.”
Pricing:
- No
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jupitercoyote.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealjupitercoyote?igsh=ODdidzlhNGEzZ2Fx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CybxZ9NuQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Twitter: https://x.com/jupiter_coyote?s=21&t=Fuk4lzhcjWxPFAt-srqqMQ
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jupitercoyotemusic?si=odEDb7EApkYNaQce
