Sonny Mayo - Ep033

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.


Other topics discussed include a Pantera haircut, leaving Snot to
join Amen, guitar throwing tricks, Chris Daughtry, the Snot
reunion tour, and more!

We hope you enjoy Scott's talk with Sonny Mayo and SHARE with a
friend!