Thomas Mayfield might be a fitting character for a history book on the American West, a tall tale or even a spaghetti western a la Sergio Leone —?but you won’t find him in any of these.  He is the central character in a debut concept album written by San Diego band Mayfield, which bears his name. After recently performing at the Driftwood Creative Arts magazine’s coffeehouse event in the Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) recreation room, Mayfield, featuring Ben Bartel, Matt Long, Erin Lancaster and PLNU alumni Ben Barnes and Jeremy Clifton, performed a live show at the venue Across The Street in the University Heights District. The place may not have been larger than a college dorm lounge, but it was packed. Before the four musicians went on stage, they expressed high expectations for the show. “We’re going to rock people’s faces off,” said Clifton. Although harmony vocalist Erin Lancaster was unable to put in an appearance, the band played its set, filling up the venue with a folk rock/bluegrass sound. After their eight songs were finished, the venue’s manager congratulated the band. The band’s set list consisted of original material centering on the story of Thomas Mayfield. “The story of Thomas Mayfield is one in which the character essentially comes unglued,” said Barnes. “So it’s set in the 1800s. This guy’s an ex-preacher who locks himself in a cabin to deal with the death of his wife. You find out later on that the reason she is gone is because he killed her for cheating on him with the town sheriff.” Bartel explained putting the story of Thomas Mayfield to music was a way of dealing with things in his own life. “It took a darker tone … [and] it was a strange coincidence that helped me deal with stuff,” Bartel said One song Mayfield performed that stood apart from the Thomas Mayfield story was entitled “A Song For Staying In.” It’s a love song, its about putting everything aside just to spend some time with that special person who is dear to your heart. Harris Smith, a junior media communications major at PLNU, stated his favorite song from the show was “Shotgun Philosophy.” The audience joined in with the band by singing a chorus of “Oh’s” and clapping along with the beat. “The [band’s] stage presence was comfortable, very comedic,” Smith said. “There was no sense of dullness. There was always of sense of movement within the show, and the crowd seemed to be very into it. … The intimacy that the band showed each other was very inspiring in the fact that a group of guys can come together, create great music and sound friendship.” Mayfield’s show at Across The Street was one of many that they have been putting on as a way to promote their upcoming debut album, which will be released next month by Pacific Records. Their next major performance will be at the House of Blues San Diego in November. Lauragrace Barnes, a sophomore music composition major at PLNU, expressed high hopes for the band. “I think they have the potential to be big. … They’re a fun group, their music is great, and they are good performers,” she said. To find out more about Mayfield, their upcoming CD and concert dates, follow them on Facebook, Reverb Nation, Myspace and Purevolume.