The Mantras, a five piece jam machine born of Greensboro, NC have been conquering crowds and melting minds all over the country progressively for over a decade. The band’s music can be described with all types of varying rock and roll terminology, but is absolutely best defined by each listener’s ear and, equally important, their experience.
Performing an entirely different set of music each night is an integral part of the band’s direction and mission as well as the ability to truly improvise in between orchestrated pieces.
Our friend and colleague Scott Grether of Velvet Productions caught up with lead guitarist Keith Allen ahead of Friday nights album release rager at the Neighborhood Theatre.
Scott: Keith, we are here to talk about the new album “Be The Light” from your band The Mantras. The Bandcamp digital release dropped on Tuesday, November 20th followed by a physical release this Friday, November 23rd at Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, NC. What excites you about this new album?
Keith: It’s hands down the best recording we’ve ever put out. We were able to take as much time as we wanted with this record. From the beginning, we said we wouldn’t set any deadlines or release dates, so we could be totally free to go as far as we could.
The biggest problem for bands when recording is it can get really expensive, really quick. You have to find a room, pay an engineer etc… and time is money. We are blessed to have a full time sound engineer who we consider our 6th member. We built our own state of the art studio in his house with the funds from a “Kickstarter/Go Fund Me” campaign.
By doing so, we’ve cut all costs for production and had endless time to get it just right. I’m most excited about putting out a recording that is as close to perfect as we could get.
Scott: I see Casey Cranford of Big Something appears twice on the the album. I have seen him sit in with The Mantras several times throughout the years. What time do you remember the most?
Keith: He is the musician who has sat in with us the most and each time is a treat. It’s hard to pick one honestly…
Scott: Seems over the last year there has been a resurgence of energy with the band. How did this affect the recording of “Be The Light” compared to other albums?
Keith: Energy is everything, especially with this band. When you hear the record you will hear a new vibe that we have been searching for, for a long time, and are just beginning to cultivate.
Scott: Mantrabash(the bands festival) has not happened since 2015, when can we expect another?
Keith: Yes… More details coming soon….
Scott: What advice do you have to up and coming bands?
Keith: Just keep playing and making music. Don’t worry about what anybody says what you should be doing or how many people come to your shows. It’s about making music and that’s it.
Scott: I have seen some pretty amazing shows at Neighborhood Theatre, of few of which were The Mantras. You’re from here and are no stranger to the room, what epic have you seen there?
Keith: Umph(Umphrey’s Mcgee) played there on a Monday night and it was the most raging Monday I’ve ever seen.
Scott: Keith, let’s say I have never seen The Mantras, and I got a ticket to the “Be The Light” album release November 23rd at Neighborhood Theatre. What should I expect?
Keith: Expect to be entertained. We aim to please and this show is something we have been anticipating for a long time so we are pulling out all the stops!
The Mantras will be playing their album release 11/23 at Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, NC and Keith will be joining Jerry’s Kids at the 5th annual Very Grateful Christmas December 22nd and 23rd in The Barrel Room at Triple C Brewing Company.
Tickets to Friday’s show at the Neighborhood Theatre can be purchase here: BUY TICKETS
Following the release of “Be The Light,” The Mantras will embark on more dates in support of the record in 2019, which will be posted via their social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and on their website www.TheMantras.com.