*Song Description By Noles*
"Maybe" was the last song I recorded for the Mission Of Mercy album. The entire tune was written on April 29, 2013. The bluesy guitar riff in "Maybe" was inspired by the guitar work of Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave. Using lots of hammer ons and pull offs. After I wrote "Maybe", I had no idea what the song was about. Then a few days later, I found out my girlfriend of 5 years had cheated on me. The lyrics to "Maybe" suddenly made a lot more sense. As if I knew the infidelity was coming in my subconscious. She slept with a cook that worked at a bar where my group High Waters Band played regular gigs. So "Maybe" ended up becoming a breakup tune.
I began recording the Mission Of Mercy version of "Maybe" on April 30, 2013. There is acoustic guitar in this version starting in the 2nd pre-chorus. With several guitar overdubs in the song, "Maybe" uses an extra guitar playing harmonics in the choruses during the "whoas" to bring up the brightness and excitement to those choruses. I finished recording "Maybe" on May 8, 2013, and the entire Mission Of Mercy album was released on May 20, 2013.
After I moved to Toronto from Peterborough in September of 2013, the Plaid On Flannel band started on February 15, 2014 as a 3-piece. "Maybe" was part of the first batch of my original songs that we played. It quickly became a concert staple. But we had to transpose the key of the tune down a minor-third because the chorus was out of my vocal range in the key of A. The new key of F# transformed the guitar riff of the song. However, I still found a way to make it work in the same style as Tom Morello.
Keyboardist Jen Doyon joined Plaid On Flannel the next year on February 22, 2015. She really elevated "Maybe" with her backup vocals and use of funky clavinet. Here's a live version of us performing "Maybe" at Roundhouse Craft Beer Festival in Toronto on August 8, 2015...
youtu.be/AT4xedog6G0 We included a new studio version of "Maybe" on our Rising Above EP which we released on May 14, 2016. "Maybe" is a song I know will live on in POF's live repertoire for years to come.