Max started playing piano in grade school, but kept on that track for only 3 years. While music was in his veins, he never took up another instrument until College. Once there, he met Oleo Polyester, who played some killer guitar and that was it... he was hooked. The good girlfriend bought him a '64 Gibson Melody Maker for $75 that is still played today! Of course now there are at least 9 or 10 guitars in the stable with a new Les Paul R0 Historic being the mainstay.
First band was a Dead cover band called Uranus. Most of the members of that band are still playing today, even though that was a number of decades ago! Later bands included Technology in Totalitarian Society (The TITS), Dinner With the Relatives, Tongue and Groove, and The Greenheads. Most of the bands played danceable, up-tempo, tongue-in-cheek, original tunes that were appropriate for the 80's and early 90's.
Max has never forgotten his roots of the Allmans/Dead style of long jam grooves, while embracing diverse sounds from Dire Straits, The Cars, The Cure, Stones, Clapton, Neil Young, Jeff Beck, Garbage, etc. There is also a deep appreciation for all Jazz, and especially the 70's style of Jazz Fusion. All these influences have shaped Max's style over the years.
Max stopped playing nearly altogether in the '90's and early 00's to persue other interests. However, a reuniting in 2005 with old friend and bandmate Echo, he was inspired to once again pick up the guitar and PLAY! After revisiting some early Southern Blues as made popular by early acoustic Hot Tuna, Max has now moved into electric Chicago Blues styles.
This Blues foray has brought him in touch with the very active New England Blues community. This past Spring, Max started studying with James Montgomery's favorite guitarist, George McCann, which has helped his Blues vocabulary immensly! The latest music snippit comes from one of those sessions. Max helped form the new Gracie Blues Band, but has since moved on.
Latest news: Max is currently about to begin with a newly formed band! We will be some older Blues standards and some more recent Blues tunes, all in an up-tempo Blues style! We will definitely be adding our own flair.... Check back again soon for an update!
All "live" photos courtesy of Scott Gacek Photography.
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