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From The Desk Of Jessica Lea Mayfield: Being Outside

Jessica Lea Mayfield joined her parents’ bluegrass band when she was eight. In her teens, she did some recording with her brother, privately releasing an album under the alias Chittlin’ in 2007. That led to recording with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and her official debut, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, which came out in 2008, when she was 19. That well-received album presented Mayfield as a moody, rootsy singer/songwriter of precocious talent, confirmed by its follow-up, 2010’s Tell Me, also produced by Auerbach. The new Make My Head Sing…(ATO) will surprise listeners who expect a third set of Americana-style folk rock. It’s a grungy power-trio album that places Mayfield’s calm voice in a squall of her electric guitar. Mayfield will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on her.

BeingOutside

Mayfield: I had to do community service in my late teens (underage drinking). The work I did was for Kent Parks And Recreation. I got to see and learn much more about the local parks and wildlife. Since the town folk here don’t really understand me (or care to), when the weather is warm enough that my fur son won’t get frostbite on his paws. You can find our little family in one of the three parks by our home. There is something mentally clarifying about being outside, and I am welcomed by my friends: the shiny metallic headed ducks floating down the Cuyahoga River. (Interesting fact: The Cuyahoga River was once one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. It has even caught on on fire several times.)