Todd Mayo, founder of the subterranean performance space The Caverns and co-producer of the Emmy-winning PBS music series The Caverns Sessions, makes his debut as an author with the memoir CAVEMAN CHRONICLES. This book opens with Mayo in the underground music venue that represents the culmination of a life shaped by a passion for music, an entrepreneurial nature, and the risk-taking spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. As he looks back on his life, from his childhood in Memphis to his present-day roles as a husband, father, and successful music entrepreneur, Mayo reflects on the personal and professional events that have defined his journey.
A self-described gambler who’s “tolerant of risk,” Mayo traces this penchant for chance-taking to his youthful adventures. Whether sneaking sips of his mother’s Benson & Hedges cigarettes or staging elaborate breakdancing performances for passing tourists, Mayo emerges as a natural-born hustler with an appetite for adventure that propels him through pivotal life experiences. These include a hilarious stint as a telemarketer for a jelly company, a transformative year as a full-time caregiver for his grandmother, and the launch of his groundbreaking music projects. Losing his job in radio just as he becomes a father for the first time forces a reckoning with his priorities. But it’s also the impetus for his most audacious gamble yet: a plan to transform a cave into a one-of-a-kind concert venue. “This place was magic!” he recalls thinking upon first laying eyes on the cavern. “This is a music venue! One of the finest in the world! And it’s here. And they don’t even know it!”
From the start, it’s clear that music is the driving force of Mayo’s story. Coming of age in the 1970s and 80s, as Mayo navigates the challenges of adolescence—including his parents’ divorce—he immerses himself in the sounds of the era, from the Beach Boys and U2 to Prince and the Violent Femmes. These artists provide more than just a soundtrack; they offer a lifeline, a way to make sense of the world. Listening to U2’s Live: Under a Blood Red Sky, he recalls, “I didn’t know what they were trying to say. I just knew how it made me feel. Under a Blood Red Sky made me feel like I was inside of a mythic tale and that I belonged there. It dispelled my fear about the future and about life, and made me feel like I was on a quest.” When his first love breaks his heart, Todd finds solace in the Violent Femmes’ “Add It Up”: “I dedicate this to Cindy,” he declares, causing his mortified girlfriend to break up with him on the spot.
At its core, CAVEMAN CHRONICLES is an exploration of the ways that storytelling and mythmaking define our spiritual and intellectual growth, from fear to courage, hope, and love. Reflecting on his life story in terms of Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey,” Mayo observes that “caves are a place where fear gives way to courage,” into which the hero descends to “face their fears and recover some treasure that changes them forever. They emerge and bring a new gift to the world.”
CAVEMAN CHRONICLES marks an impressive debut from an unconventional voice. Those who appreciate a blend of earnest soul-searching and the rebellious spirit of rock will find much to admire in Todd Mayo’s account of how a life fueled by music and a willingness to take risks can lead to profound transformation.
~Edward Sung for IndieReader