Samantha Maloney Says Brother Clyde ‘Feels Right’

"I would have never put me together with Billy Ray Cyrus," drummer Samantha Maloney admits to Noisecreep. Brother Clyde is Cyrus' venture into the rock world. While most people know Cyrus for his country hits and as the dad of singer Miley Cyrus, the fire for rock was always burning. In fact, Maloney says that when Cyrus got started in music, he was told he was 'too rock' for Nashville and 'too country' for Los Angeles. But how did Maloney -- a former drummer for both Hole and Mötley Crüe -- end up with the guy best known for creating the smash single 'Achy Breaky Heart'?

"What had happened was that my manager gave me a call and said, 'Billy Ray Cyrus has a new album coming out and it's all rock,'" Maloney recalls. Turns out, Maloney's manager knew that Cyrus was looking for a drummer. But there was skepticism.

Maloney thinks back, recalling a question-filled conversation she had with her manager. "Billy Ray Cyrus doing a rock album? No way. I don't know. Like I can't wrap my head around this."

Questions gave way to answers, and soon Maloney was teamed up with Cyrus. She then helped shape the rest of the band, suggesting musicians to fill the guitar and bass positions. For their background differences, Maloney says being in Brother Clyde just "feels right."

Maloney continues, "I've been around the music block before. I'm not all rock all the time. Actually, I grew up on dance music and Madonna and Michael Jackson and Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam. So when I was 12, we got cable television and I saw 'Headbanger's Ball,' and I heard 'Appetite for Destruction.' I was like, 'Whoa, what is this?' So I started listening to rock music. But then I went to a performing arts high school in New York City.

"So I was studying orchestral pieces while I was playing in a rock band. And then I was also listening to dance music. So I've kind of done more than just the rock thing. But now I'm working with Billy Ray, and he's got a country background. When you think about it, [the idea] sounds so bizarre. But it just feels so right. And I am the happiest girl right now. I'm surrounded by really talented and funny musicians, and I couldn't be happier."

Brother Clyde's self-titled debut was just released. It features some guest musicians, including Dolly Parton. The band's first single is 'Lately.'