Hello Reddit! We are the band "Mae", so ask us anything (AMA)!

Hey guys. Just wanted to say that Mae has been my favorite band for the past 10 years. I've been to your shows and even flew out to see you play your (first) final show in Norfolk in 2010. Thanks for all the great music. There used to be an acoustic version of Let it Snow on your YouTube account. It looks like it was taken down a few years ago. With the holiday season coming up would you mind re-uploading it?

I'd love to know where that "Let It Snow" video is. We should ask our very good friend Brett Brownell. He filmed that for us and was our videographer for several years. Check out www.worldwidemoment.com today and participate with us next month. The idea is genius!

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Dave - Didn't you spend some time in the studio with Stephen Christian from Anberlin? If so will any of that material ever be released?

Stephen and I are good buds and he co-wrote a track with me on Schematic's solo record. I hope I get to work with him on some Anchor & Braille stuff next year!

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This is Rob. I play keys for Mae. I'll say We're So Far Away is a least favorite of mine... Thanks for showing up on this AMA guys and gals!

I play guitar, not piano, but I tried to learn how to play We're So Far Away on piano anyway, because I like the piano in that song (spoiler: I failed). I liked the actual song at first too, but... I listened to it a lot when I first got the album and kinda got burnt out on it. But if someone released a piano only version of We're So Far Away, I'd be all over it. So I know you're kinda over it, but I loved the keys on that song.

thanks, tyler. Piano only versions of some of Mae's songs could be a cool thing. we'll think on it.

do you think it would be a good idea for Reddit to create a band called "Bae"?, its first single could be called "caught me slippin"

I applaud your wit johnnyzondo. pretty funny stuff.

What are the chances of a Mae/Copeland tour happening? :) See you guys in Philly on the Everglow tour!

Attack social media and tell the WWW that Mae & Copeland should tour together in 2015.

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I've been a fan of yours for about 6 years now. Some girl that I knew gave me a copy of your Everglow album and told me to listen to it. We were friends, but not super close. I listened to it and really enjoyed it and now I'm married to that girl.

So thanks for hooking me up with a hot wife.

As far as questions go, do you have any of your songs that you've just grown really sick and tired of that you don 't like to play them anymore?

I'd love to write some new songs so we can get tired if some of the old ones!!!

Until then, I'll second Rob's opinion and say that "We're So Far Away" is my favorite song. Thanks Rob for reminding me!

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Hi guys. You're one of my favorite bands. Can you describe your process for creating the nostalgic, soft, welcoming sound in your music? "We're So Far Away" is one of my all-time favorites.

Thanks Abe! Writing songs happens in many different ways. Some time melodies are the first thing to come. Sometimes chord progressions or riffs. Some times lyrics or concepts. Sometimes one member brings an idea or song structure to the rest and we work out our individual parts or add "verses" or "choruses" and sometimes we just jam until something surfaces. But most of the time we just take a Snoop Dogg song and change a few words and melodies. Then we record it. Hence, "We're So Far Away.

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Hi Mae, I've been a long-term fan. In fact, this is the first time i've posted on reddit in some time. But anyhow, here are some questions:

1. I found the acoustic piano centered songs from the (e)vening EP and the (a)fternoon EP to be highly suitable for studying. I've always had an admiration and appreciation for the songs with piano melodies, do you guys have plans to focus more on that in future albums?

2. The Everglow has easily been one of my favorite albums of all time. Have you guys had thoughts about redoing the album and making an acoustic version of every song? (Giving it away is by far my choice of track on the album! The song is so perfect.)

3. I apologize for my affinity for acoustic piano, but how heavy will the MGIFOS album be loaded with acoustic piano?

Thank you guys so much! :D

M29 EP will have well placed piano and other keys instruments but it will not be an acoustic piano based record - at least not as much as one would expect coming from the keyboardist for Mae. Thanks for asking ! - ROB

Is this just a brief reunion tour or are you guys going to be touring and recording on a regular basis again?

Zach here, this tour is a celebration of the 10 year anniversary of The Everglow. We have not discussed any long term ambitions at this point.

Will there be more dates added aside from East coast and Australia or will that be the extent of the tour? Coming to the Midwest?

There will be. Keep posted for more details as 2015 approaches.

Can't start this without saying that Mae has been the one band for me that has stuck with me for almost 10 years now. I'll never forget the beauty, suppport and inspiration your music has provided throughout all these phases of life. Thank you so much.

1) are (m)orning, (a)fternoon and (e)vening really the conclusion to mae as a band, or does it feel like the stars will align once more so you guys can get together and write something new?

2) that one place/venue you guys want to play a show at but never got a chance to?

3) songs like Two Birds, Falling In To You or the Season trilogy - were these songs always meant to be purely instrumental or are there lyrics flying around somewhere that maybe got moved to other songs?

4) maybe something more hard-hitting to wrap things up: Depending on you who ask and what you read, Mae is a band with strong religious influences. Lyrics like "Anything", if interpreted with the right mindset, could support this theory. How do you guys feel about this subject?

Again, thank you so much for creating and sharing. You guys are simply wonderful.

and one last thing: Rob, I'm so excited for "My God, it's Full of Stars". I remember trying to learn how to cut mp3s, just so I could listen to you play without any interruptions. The outro to "Sun" is probably one of my most played Mae "songs". Was it you, who provided the vocals for "Awakening" on the B-Sides?

Benzet - it is me singing on Awakening and thanks for listening to our music. Thanks for supporting us and for supporting me in my new project my god, it's full of stars. It means the world to me.

Hey Mae, first of all I just wanted to say thank you for being the musical backbone of my life for the past seven years. I discovered you guys in 2007 when I was 19 and just a year out of high school. I wasn't sure what I would be doing next like most people at that age, but one thing that always made sense was writing anything from poems to short stories, and I found I would write with so much more meaning when The Everglow was tickling my eardrums.

Last year, in April, my mother passed away. The love I had for music and writing suddenly didn't matter; the sadness in me tried to convince me that death was inevitable, so why should I even continue sharing the emotions and ideas I had? One night when I was laying in bed unable to sleep, just a couple weeks after her death, I remembered a part of your song Anything:

The pain it won't even cross my mind. There is wonder in everything. The rope gets loose and the chains unbind. And I can do anything.

That stuck with me and I kept repeating it everyday and have since, and it has gotten me through some tough days. I'm sorry I didn't really have a question, but I wanted to personally thank you all. Like the fisherman said, “We all need a little love.”

Wow, thank you for sharing that story. I'm so sorry to hear of your loss and all of the pain that came with it. We are honored to know that this music has somehow been even a small help in carrying you through it. You're right, we all do need a little love. When creating music, we can never imagine the circumstances that it will find people in and what it will mean to them when it does. That's the mystery of it all. We believe music is a vessel for holding a small piece of the human experience. It can only come to life when shared. But the circle is complete when you share your story back with us and we greatly appreciate you taking the time to let us know. - Jacob

Rob - I second my bandmates' appreciation for your story. Music is the transcendental language which reaches beyond the barriers of pain. Happy to be a part of the music that helped get you through.

Thank you kindly! We love you and are so honored to be a part of your universe in such an intimate way.

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What artists / albums are you guys listening to right now?

I've been a big Mae fan ever since I first listened to "Embers and Envelopes" on your MySpace page waaay back when! :)

Rob here, I've been listening to Delta Spirit, Elbow, some Coldplay, and reaching back to some Annie Lennox recently and definitely digging the new Arctic Monkeys although they radio is of course playing them to death. Can't beat that groove though.

What do you think of Delta Spirit's newest album?

I enjoy the production, the sound of it and the record overall. Really enjoy it.

Absent Sounds by From Indian Lakes Ixora by Copeland

Both are getting a ton of play right now. Follow me on Spotify and notice how often I listen to 80s Christian Rock!

⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️

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CBA HAGA...thanks man! It was fun hanging out on Stage It and playing with Dave unrehearsed in the moment. My equipment rig has fluctuated over the years. For the ever glow tour expect to see a Yamaha CP33, Rhodes Mark II, Microkorg and/or Moog apparatus for lead synth. of course it's all subject to change.

Hey Dave, I was just wondering; has archie lost mind?

Also, Everglow vinyl?

Archie lost his mind when Eli threw 5 INTs on Sunday.

Everglow vinyl: working on it.

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The Everglow is one of favourite albums, like, ever, so for goodness sakes, VINYL?!

We are working on Everglow vinyl on a daily basis.

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Just saw the Mae to Bae comment and must remark that it was witty. Nice job. haha.

Hi! Can you share with us your memories of playing the Cornerstone Festival?

Rob here, there's a picture of us playing the T/N stage with a huge crowd and it being one of our first exposures to a large crowd. I remember being completely stoked playing that stage at cornerstone. I also remember MWY headlining that evening and killing it the way that they do.

They made us buy water and they took 25% of our merch income.

The crowd ruled and our show was a rush.

But I remember being turned off by the lack of hospitality. We've never been divas but I love free water in the heat of summer. It helps the soul.

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Is there any sort of new music expected to come from schematic?

My girlfriend and I love listening to Southern Girl and Hide and Seek.

Most definitely.

2015 = new Schematic.

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Thank you so much for your time today friendly people!

I have to get back to recording.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

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The (M)(A)(E) albums I feel are some of the best concept albums ever recorded, but I personally felt like (E)vening wasn't as fully produced or flowed as well as (M)orning and (A)fternoon. Was there a little bit of a rush to get (E)vening out for the farewell tour?

Zach here. That's interesting. I don't remember there being any rush to get Evening out, but that EP had a different feel for sure. Rob came back to work on that one which definitely altered how it came out (in a good way). Dave had a much larger role in engineering. We did a lot of "Bloom" in the attic of his in-laws garage.

(e)vening was rather rushed. Seasons was recorded in a dressing room in Denver. We stayed up all night on the last day of production to finish the EP. It still has moments I'm really proud of though.

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[deleted]

Expect to hear some BRAND NEW MAE MUSIC very soon. I hope you guys enjoy it and want us to keep writing new tunes together. Time will tell us all the details of the new creative collaboration.

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Do you guys ever listen to your own music? Or do you just play your music and listen to other people's?

Zach here..I love this question. For me, I rarely listen like I would listen to other bands, but every once in a while I'll revisit it. The records always have different impressions on me.

So then as a follow up, in your revisits, do you hear things and go, "Yeesh, I wish we hadn't done that." Or more positively, "Oh man, this was inspired. We rocked this track."?

Rob here - affirmative. Especially with The Everglow. This is only my opinion, of course. But we learn from the less than satisfactory results from decisions we've made.

Just wanted to say my wife and I have loved you guys throughout the past 12 years.

Will you be announcing any more cities for your upcoming tour? We'd love to see you all in Chicago again. The last time we saw you all here was pretty magical.

LATE SUMMER/EARLYSPRING 2015

THE EVERGLOW US TOUR

Your albums have always been good examples of what I like to think of as "complete" albums - albums that fit together thematically and are more than just a collection of songs. Obviously it's intentional, but would you able to shed some light on the difficulties or unique elements of going from "here's an idea for a new song" to finding it's place in the big picture of a project?

I was actually just talking to a friend about that this morning.

I've always been one to say "I wrote something new. It's gonna be the 3rd track on the next record."

My favorite records are seamless and flow beautifully. I've tried harder than the others to incorporate that into Mae's sound. For better and for worse.

In the future, I might try harder to write songs and not think about sequence or album so the song can always be served first.

I hope that if there is another Mae record, song sequence won't be as strongly considered until we write and record a ton of songs, pick our favorites, and then let a mood/vibe we hope to create be created and explored.

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What would you guys say is your favourite lyric you've written?

Jacob here, my favorite is the bridge of Reflections "where does the spiritual meet with the physical and is that the typical question, from down below and up above they look the same and Im not sure of anything. Where will love come from again?" That whole record (singularity) in many ways was about the loss of faith as we had known it and the search for answers about life and love and spirituality.

When you opened for Weezer and the Foo Fighters in 2005, did you ever interact with them personally?

We did get to interact with both bands a bit and it was fun to see behind the curtain of a production that large. Dave Grohl came into our dressing room right after our set on the first night of the tour and pretended to be upset that we had interrupted his preshow nap. Everyone was warm and personable except Rivers who had his security clear the hallway between their dressing room and the stage so he wouldn't have to have human contact. - Jacob

By the way, when I was a kid, around 15 Foo Fighters was one of my very favorite bands.

Watching the Sonic Highways documentary series, Dave Grohl and the Foos have once again become one of my very favorite bands!

Also, Rivers Cuomo is a super weirdo.

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Hey guys! Thank you for doing the AMA. With pressings of D:Beautiful and Everglow in existence, and D:B-Sides confirmed, will we ever see a vinyl pressing of Singularity or Morning/Afternoon/Evening?

(m) (a) (e) for sure!

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Hi guys! Great to see you doing this. Your music has been there for me through it all, so thank you. I'm a big fan, and I've given you a bit of small time press. Can't wait to see you again on the road soon :)

Question: Futuro was always mysterious to me, and it's almost mesmerizing. What's the story behind the music? Why did you choose to use this to open a lot of your shows?

Futuro was a rehearsal jam turned into a set list staple for a while. It's a great warm up for us and our crowd. We reimagined it a few years ago. I think we should play it again soon!

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Hey guys, this is something I've wondered for all bands but tell us your experience: do you ever get bored playing the same songs over and over while on tour? I know I get bored having to do the same thing repeatedly.

Mark: We often swap songs in and out of the set list, especially on longer tours.

As a VA Beach Native and Local, I have been a huge fan of you guys since the beginning, been to countless shows and I cannot wait to see you at the NorVa next year.

My question is, what is your favorite memory about any show in the 757?

Thanks guys!

Mine (Rob here), first show as Mae at Cogans in Norfolk, VA. Sold out show and standing room only with a line at the shop. The atmosphere was electric.

DAVE ZACH JACOB ROB MARK

2 quick questions.

1) will we ever see (m)(a)(e) on Vinyl??

2) after the show during the tour with Spill Canvas like 10 years ago, I got everyone to sign my poster EXCEPT MARK!!! Can you guys make him stick around after the show in Pittsburgh at Mr. Smalls to finally sign my Everglow Poster?!

Mark: I'll sign it!

(m)(a)(e) vinyl in 2015!

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I have to say, You guys have been the most influential band for me. I grew up with the Everglow (I can beatbox the entire album), was super stoked to know that you did some recording in Drexel Studios (I went to drexel) and I am super excited to be attending your gig when you play in philly.

My question is, is it possible to play selections from (m)orning, (a)fternoon, or (e)vening? i know that the last gig i went to, the original members were present, and you guys did song selections from your previous albums, however, Im a huge fan of boomerang. With the current ensemble, would any songs from the more recent albums be played? is it even possible?

Rob here - super impressed with the beat boxing situation. I'd love to hear it and perhaps join in for remixes.

Are you fromout WEST?

No.. We are from VA Beach. Although we do love playing the west coast very much. - Jacob

Hey guys!

What is some of your favorite songs you ever recorded?

FISHERMAN I JUST NEEDED YOU TO KNOW BLOOM NIGHT/DAY NOVOCAINE THE CURE ....

"TREECLIMBERS" & "A MAJOR" might become favorites soon... 😉😉😉

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Hey Mae! First off, we love love love you! When will you be coming to the west coast?

Rob from Mae, we love you. Yes we'll be visiting the west coast mid-2015.

What are your favorite songs from destination beautiful and the everglow?

This Time Is The Last Time, Sun, Giving It Away, Goodbye, Goodnight, Mistakes We Knew We Were Making, The Ocean, Ready and Waiting to Fall

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Will you guys be heading to Dallas, Tx for the Everglow 10th Anniversay Tour?

Rob here fielding this question, the answer is Yes. Stay tuned for details.

Dave, I met you at a Rocket Summer concert in Toledo, Ohio a few years back. You said that if MAE ever went back on tour that you'd for sure come to Ohio. Are you going to follow through on that promise?

A promise is a promise.

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