Las Vegas Metal: Moshing with Mynas

Left to Right : Jeff Pritz (Lead Guitar) , Miles Lanham (Vocals) , Mauricio Silva (Drums) and Mark Bazar (Bass Guitar) .

Mynas is one of those Underground Metal gems. From Miles Lanham’s killer vocals to Jeff Pritz’s radical guitar riffs; These guys are a force to be reckoned with on both the big and small stages. Don’t believe me? Go see them at their upcoming show  (March 1^st at Eagles Aerie Hall ) with several other bands including Silence Speaks, Signs of the Swarm and Oscillation.

Mynas was not started, but rather was molded and shaped through the vicissitudes encountered over the years. Beginning as a live band that dissolved into a studio project for a time. Sheer luck and word of mouth fated the members of this radical foursome to make music together.

They are in sync with some seriously hardcore inspiration from Metallica, one of the first big metal bands to make that mark in the world of thrash and heavy metal.

“ Something about their look “back then” and how massive there shows were really pushed me into playing music. ”

~Jeff Pritz about Metallica

Other influences include bands like In Flames, Children of Bodom, At the Gates, Slipknot and individual musical contributors such as Joey Jordison , Cliff Burton, Rex Brown, Lemmy, and Geddy Lee. They hope to one day tour with with Unearth, In Flames, Gojira, Trivium, & (my other personal local fave) Vatican Falling.

Balancing their work and home lives with music has its difficulties. Everything they do  has a large impact on those involved in their lives. Limited to practicing once a week makes putting a new album together challenging. With the support of their friends and family the continue to confront and overcome this.

Like may other local bands in Vegas,  they deal with other struggles next to band/work/life balance. Going through the motions of what people refer to as paying their dues. Most shows bands are offered tend to be at oddly located venues or on weekdays, making it hard to get people out to shows. Gigs with genre clashing can be a common issue depending on the venue in addition to crowd draw.

“I feel like we are a metal band in a town that loves classic rock. The audience here is great and people in general are very nice but because there is so much of that mainstream rock sound happening it is hard to keep a metal scene going without booking the same 3 bands over and over.”

~Mauricio Silva on struggles in the local scene

Not only that, but the high standard for entertainment in Vegas make it difficult to get new blood in the music scene. Especially in a well neglected genre like Metal. People’s pallets for the abundant sub-genres/ styles of metal vary greatly making it hard to build a base audience and greater following.

Despite the difficulties these guys are determined to drive forward to create and share new music. They have a high caliber of talent and level of passion that makes it easier to endure a lot of the hardships they encounter. Playing live shows amplifies that ability, getting their blood pumping as they take the stage in front of a large crowd

“Not to be cliché, music is where I turn when the going gets tough. I grab my guitar and start on something to kind of forget what’s going on for a while. So, in a sense you could say that when things aren’t going great it motivates me to push forwards.”

~Miles Lanham on Staying Motivated 

Off the stage and outside of the studio they enjoy doing a variety of other things. Mark is a culinary enthusiast with a love of cinema coupled with grandiose musical scores. While Miles pursues his passion for audio production. Watching movies , playing video games and going to the range to fire off a few dozen rounds helps them to decompress within the chaos.

It helps to have some awesome fan interactions along the way too. 

“We played a show once downtown and as we were walking out the backdoor someone went “HOLY SHIT ITS THE MYNAS GUYS”. It was such an honest reaction, it was one of the first “fan interactions” for me and it was so honest I don’t think ill ever forget it. “ ~Mauricio Silva on fan interactions 

“We were on an elevator at warped tour and some young kid noticed us (Mark & Miles) and knew who we were and was stoked to meet us, very flattering!” 

~Mark Bazar on Fan Interactions

If you are looking for a band to follow that is truly passionate about music and appreciative of the fans, friends and family that support them;  Mynas is an obvious choice. Thanks for joining me in the pit with Mynas.

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