Band Interview: Mynas

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life are pleased to bring you an interview with metal band, Mynas.

1. How did you get started as a band?

Mynas is: Miles Lanham-Guitar/Vocals Jeff Pritz-Lead Guitar Mark Bazar-Bass Mauricio Silva-Drums

Well, Mynas as it is today, started as a studio project back in the summer of 2013. There were three of us then. Mark Bazar, Dean Greenwood and myself [Miles Lanham]. We had a few ideas for songs rolling around.

These ideas were pieces we had attempted to put together in the past and were not 100% to our liking. So, the idea was to solidify the songs and put them out as a “look we finally completed an album” type of thing.

As we worked on the album that would eventually be called “Fear The Slave”, Mark and I wanted to take it a bit more serious. By this time it was December of 2014 and Dean lost interest. So, he left the project.

Shortly after we enlisted Jeff Pritz to pick up on writing guitar solos and Mike Fitzgerald of Guttural Secrete to work on drums. The album was released on September 22, 2015.

We played only two dates with that line up. One was in October and the other was in December I believe.

In January of 2016 Mike left the band for personal reasons. At this point we were still pretty stoked on the band and decided that we would give it one more shot at finding the right guy for the job. We put an ad out on Craigslist for a “Metal” drummer. After two months of searching we finally found our guy, Mauricio Silva. He came in and immediately fit. Three months later we were playing shows. We spent most of 2016 playing locally. We did one out of town date in Utah. But that was it.

In the beginning of 2017 we were still trying to figure out if we were going to just be a hobby band, or take this to the next level. By the summer, we found ourselves in Xpoz battle of the fans. That’s where we ended up winning a spot on the Vans Warped tour at the Hard Rock in Vegas. I think that was a defining moment for us as a band. We started taking things a lot more serious after that.

Unfortunately, everything was put on hold shortly after…

I was experiencing headaches on a regular basis. Upon having a C.T scan, a tumor was discovered behind my right eye. It was unknown at the time if it was malignant or benign. The only way to find out was through surgery.

Uncertain if the band would be around by 2018, we decided to take a break… The surgery was performed in December of 2017 and the pathology was results were benign.

In 2018 we put the axe to the grindstone. It was decided that we would start production on a new album as soon as I had recovered from surgery. Mynas entered the studio on March 10th and continued to work until December 23rd 2018.

We set our release date to January 25th 2019 and that finds us here. I think that’s the short version of Mynas’ history thus far.

2. How would you describe your sound?

The Mynas style consists of fast rhythmic drums with intense double bass, accompanied by melodic heavy guitars, thick roaring bass and vocals that demand the listeners attention.

3. What bands/artists would you say have influenced your style of music?

This is a bit of a hard one. Mainly because there are so many. Here’s a short list: Unearth, As I Lay dying, Wage war, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Trivium, Metallica, The Black Dahlia Murder, Basel Poledouris, Hans Zimmer… That is to name a few.

4. Has the rise of YouTube & music streaming helped or hindered you as a band?

Yeah… It’s very exciting having these tools available. We are living in a very interesting time. Everyone can put their content out for the world to interact with. It’s very helpful! Artists used to have to pound the pavement hard to get people to listen to a tape or a CD. Now it’s right in everyone’s hands.

On the same token, maybe some of the value is lost for the audience. Through social media and constant advertising it seems people have become numb to the experience of finding new music, or art in general.

Let’s face it. Artists are constantly begging for attention on social media. Mynas is guilty of it as well. We try to be mindful of badgering our audience.

5. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?

Mainly spending time with our families. Music is very demanding of our time. So the little time we do have outside of the band is spent there.

6. What are your future plans musically? Tours?

Currently our plans are to reach out regionally and grow. We enjoy playing live and want to continue to find new places to do it.

We’d like to thank Mynas for taking the time to speak with us. You can listen to their music via all major digital services. Find out more via their website, Facebook Page, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.