Mike Mathis - vocals, guitar
Brian Adolfson - guitar
Ryan Johnson - bass guitar
Dave Watts - drums

It's difficult for even the most talented and deserving bands to secure a record deal, but you know you've got a bright future in front of you when a new label signs you as its first act. Such is the case with MadSide, the hot rocking quartet from Redding, California. EVO Recordings, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, brought MadSide on board as their flagship band.

MadSide -- featuring vocalist/guitarist Mike Mathis, guitarist Brian Adolfson, bass guitarist Ryan Johnson and drummer Dave Watts -- will soon unleash its self-titled debut EVO album on the world. MadSide's debut was produced by Sylvia Massy Shivy, who has worked with many of the best artists in the world, including Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the legendary Johnny Cash. The album was recorded in about a month in early 2004 at Massy's own Radio Star Studios in Weed, California.

The eleven songs on the album showcase the band's musical diversity. "Sinking In," "Never Enough" and "Enemy" rock hard while "Face It" and "Deny" are more introspective.

"We wanted every song to stand on its own, to tell a story," says Mike.

Madside formed from players in the fertile NorCal music scene. Madside recorded their demos at Sacramento's Pus Cavern studios where Deftones, Papa Roach, Oleander and Cake have recorded.

Mike and Dave had played in bands together and Mike produced Brian's previous band. MadSide met Ryan when he did sound for them at Z-Rock's "Rocks The Mountain" Mount Shasta snowboard event.

"Mike took an interest in one of my old bands and he helped us out with arrangements for a three-song demo. I'm easy to work with and I appreciated his input but the other members didn't take criticism well. Eventually, we started working together," Brian says. "We developed a guitar style together. There are hardly any leads in our songs. Instead, we concentrate on writing guitar riffs. There is no formula for our songwriting. Sometimes we all work on a song together. If there's an idea for a huge chorus or an intro we'll write around that. I've written riffs on my own and I'll get excited and play them for Mike over the phone. He's sung parts to me over the phone too. We have over-the-phone jams!" he laughs.

"The rest of us listened to a lot of heavy rock and Ryan listened to a lot of jam bands as well as funk and R&B. His playing has tightened us up. He's played bass since age five. He's a true bassist -- not a frustrated guitarist," says Brian.

"I started playing bass in a cover band. I played in bands all through school and worked in a music store for a couple of years," Ryan says. "I had quit playing bass and then by chance I got into live audio work and spent 3 1/2 years on the road with Ozzfest, the Vans Warped Tour, Guttermouth and Tim McGraw. I started working with MadSide and did the band's sound for about six months. They had heard me play out on acoustic guitar and vocals and knew I played bass too and asked me to join.

"To come back and pick up the bass again was like doing a 180-degree turn. It almost felt like it was going to be a step back but I had heard the band's music. It was magical and I knew I had to be a part of it. There's an energy that's there. I've never had this feeling with any other group."

For three years MadSide has electrified devoted fans in Northern California, including Sacramento, San Francisco, Chico and, of course, their hometown of Redding.

MadSide carefully planned on how often they played out locally.

"We've opened for bands like Adema and Slaves On Dope. We are playing several shows with Tesla in a few weeks. There is a real musical community and history in NorCal," Mike says. "We played the Jagermeister Tour up here last year. We're lucky because we have loyal fans here in Northern California."

The band had such a huge backlog of high-quality songs -- "You can never have enough tunes," says Mike -- Sylvia Massy Shivy's first task was to advise MadSide on which ones were the best.

"Redding is an area that's really into hardcore, and as a result we were writing some pretty heavy songs. We had about 25 songs ready to go. Sylvia said we could go one of two different routes. She said our heavier material was good but our more straight-ahead material was great. We had to decide what our boundaries were," Dave says. "I think our mainstream direction is actually much more natural and more comfortable for us. Sylvia told us to 'grasp on to what you are.' We know who we are as a band. She helped us make some choices. Mike and I have been playing together for some time. We have some really great songs that didn't make it on the album. We're all growing together."

"Even if we didn't have a deal we'd still be playing because we love our music, but EVO let us make the record we wanted to make," Mike says. "EVO believes in the band."

Following their June 3 show for Chico radio station Z-Rock MadSide jumped back into the studio to record several stripped down acoustic songs with Sylvia Massy Shivy. Now that they have finished recording, MadSide is eager to get back out on stage again. They kick off a series of shows with a gig with Tesla at Redding Convention Center June 21 and follow that up with a show at Sacramento's The Boardwalk on June 30. Several regional shows in Northern California are scheduled and a major tour is being mapped out.