From hearing icons like Duane Allman and Ry Cooder for the first time as a youngster in Eveleth, to playing with legendary players like Sam Bush and Leland Sklar in Nashville, Tennessee, it's been one heck of a ride for Paul "PK Mayo" Mayasich.
"People like that, you end up sitting in a chair and you're looking around the room going, 'How did I get here?'" Mayasich said.
Now based in Hill City, the longtime musician has a new retrospective album out on New Folk Records called All Before Yesterday. He recently stopped by KAXE to talk about it and to share stories from throughout his career.
Exposed to a variety of music through seven siblings and a musical family, Mayasich caught the bug early. For a time, he played in a flourishing Iron Range music scene. He mentions people like Paul Metsa, Keith Secola, Dan Boyer and the recently deceased Sharon Rowbottom as talented players at the time.
Sometime around 1986 or '87, Mayasich made the move to the Twin Cities, where his career took off.
Mayasich said early influences included elder R&B musicians like Wee Willie Walker, Big John Dickerson, Brother Jack McDuff and more. Mayasich connected with these artists at informal jams at a bar called Red's Roost.
"Those guys took me under their wing and they really kind of pointed me in the right direction, and you know, molded, if you will, this 20-21 year old kid from Northern Minnesota who ... hadn't been exposed to that music before," Mayasich said.
"And I couldn't believe these guys were just sitting in this club sitting around there playing ... you didn't get paid, but it was all you can drink," Mayasich continues, "needless to say, I didn't make it home many Sundays at that time. I was much younger and enjoying life."
The young guitarist eventually made his way into bands like the Rhythm Doctors with Jimmy "Prime Time" Smith, John Wright and Donald "Hye Pockets" Robertson. The band's song "Love For Money" is one of the earliest recordings included on All Before Yesterday.
From there, the bands and projects took off like lightning. The songs on the album demonstrate the variety of music Mayasich made over the years.
For more on the blues guitarist and singer, from past bands and stories of famous encounters to his current works and upcoming shows, listen to the full-length interview above.
