John Suter and Darrell McClellan of Cornfield Mafia may be a long way from the urban underground, but they certainly seem to know a thing or two about how the world works. Their straight-shooting lyrical style has kindled love from country and non-country fans alike and propelled their debut radio single ‘Best Of Times’ up the charts. John and Darrell met in 2008. They soon became friends, songwriting partners and musical collaborators and Cornfield Mafia was born. Together they have opened for acts such as Phil Vassar, John Rich, and Confederate Railroad, performing to thousands. Yet, even now, the group doesn’t shy away from more intimate gigs, reflecting a mature deeper love of the live performance arts. It’s little surprise that Cornfield Mafia was sought after and signed by Lamon Records From Nashville in August 2014. Their latest self-titled project has already spawned the hit ‘Best Of Times’ (and by ‘hit’, we mean a great song). Alexis Adams recently caught up with Cornfield Mafia to learn more about this exciting new country group and their plans to take over the ‘keys to the cornfield’.

ALEXIS: When When did you first discover your love of music?
JOHN: Since I was a child, music has always been a driving force.

ALEXIS: Your song ‘Best Of Times’ is receiving a positive listener response on radio. What was your initial reaction when you first heard your song playing on radio?
JOHN: It’s wonderful. It is always exciting for a musician to hear that their music is being heard. The best part is that your message is connecting with the listeners.

ALEXIS: What was the inspiration behind your debut radio single ‘Best Of Times’?
JOHN: ‘Best Of Times’ is just that. We get caught up in the day to day and forget what really counts. This song is a reminder that family, being grounded, and at the end of the day it’s the little things in life that make it the ‘Best Of Times’.

ALEXIS: Would you say that the mood of your other songs is in the same vein as your debut radio single?
JOHN: Yes, we took great care in selecting songs that reflect our feelings about family, finding that new girlfriend, small town living, and we hope our pride and dedication to these things are reflected in our music.

ALEXIS: How would you characterize yourself as a musician?
JOHN: When you boil it down we are a good fun loving group of guys. Yes music is our business but you’re going to have fun doing it one way or another……

ALEXIS: Did you come from a musical background? Are there other musicians in your family?
JOHN: All of us have had a very strong grounding in the arts that has enabled Cornfield Mafia to build upon.

ALEXIS: What do you find most rewarding about being a musician? What do you find most challenging?
JOHN: Being a musician in today’s world is much different than when we first started. Most musicians start as just that, a musician. But once you start your journey you realize that the success in the music industry is the end result of many hours of business meetings, plans, recordings, financial decisions and marketing, the process of getting your music heard. To me, I would say the most rewarding would be the day to day business planning and executing your plan that morphs from an idea to a reality.

ALEXIS: Who are your role models in music?
JOHN: The people I work with.

ALEXIS: Describe your best or most memorable performance.
JOHN: Over the last couple of years we have had many memorable performances. We have been blessed to have shared the stage with some of today’s leading country artists such as Randy Houser, John Michal Montgomery, and Low Cash Cowboys just to name a few. Every one of these moments we are amazed at the great people we have meet over the last few years.

ALEXIS: Do you have a music video for your hit single? If so, what can you tell us about it?
JOHN: Yes the video for “Best of Times” can be found at: http://youtu.be/inoVbtvu_Mg We really liked the concept of going through the last few decades and picking out vintage footage to highlight how we all come through hard times, but we are all still here.

ALEXIS: Thank you for your time. We will be looking forward to the release of ‘Ying Yang Thing’!

http://www.thecornfieldmafia.com


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