Band Information
About Mai Bloomfield
Mai Bloomfield
vocals / guitar / cello
Born and raised in Santa Monica, California, Mai has been involved in the arts for as long as she can remember. Her musical training started at an early age of 10, when she began to play the cello. Playing in symphonies and chamber orchestras up through high school, she honed her skills in classical music, and traveled to Austria and Washington DC for international music festivals.
At the age of 16, Mai received her first guitar, a nylon string Ibanez that became the vehicle to merge her poetry and writing into song. With tips from friends and family, she steadily taught herself to play guitar, using what she had learned from cello and "just sort of tilting it sideways." By the time she got to college at UC Santa Cruz, she was following in her mother¹s footsteps (who sang folk music in Berkeley in the 60's) and was writing and performing her own songs in cafes.
Applying a variety of influences to her music (such as her experience living in France, her degree in Psychology and Women¹s Studies, and her inspiration from revolutionary musicians) Mai aimed to direct a socially conscious perspective into her songwriting. She strives today to write music that is honest and compelling. Music that speaks to the challenges in life, and what it takes to get through, make a difference in the world, and carve out one¹s purpose and character along the way.
After moving back home to Los Angeles, Mai joined her first band, Chrysalis, which later evolved into Raining Jane. The band opened up the exciting opportunity of singing not only as one voice, but in harmony with others. She soon invested in her first acoustic-electric guitar, a Taylor 714CE, which she plays and loves today. Over time, the cello has inched its way back into the scene. On the band's first record, Mai brought in the cello as an overdub for a couple of songs, but by the second album, it started creeping into the live set as well. The cello is now a regular feature in the band's set, adding a unique, characteristic sound to the their eclectic mix.
Over the course of the 7 years in the band, Mai split her time between music and a career in graphic design. She held on to both jobs as long as she could, until the music finally suggested she quit her day job. She now supports her music career, working as a freelance graphic designer on the side, and doing studio session work as a cellist on other projects.