New interview with Max Ross
Max Ross is a Sea Cliff, NY-based singer-songwriter who aims for three qualities in all of his music: smart lyrics, effective hooks, and tight musicianship. He has been a fixture in the NY music scene for nearly ten years, playing solo and as a member of such projects as Tedesco, Dijon, and the Haley Ganis Band.
In July 2015, Max released Right Foot Forward, a four-song EP of original music recorded at The Grasslands, a studio owned and operated by his friend and musical collaborator, Jordan Cohen. RFF demonstrates Max’s eclectic range of influences, including funk and R&B (“At a Loss”), 90s alt-rock (“Here’s the Truth,” “Make it Through”) and singer-songwriters such as John Mayer (“Atlas”). In these four songs, Max tackles such themes as the journey of young adulthood and the political state of affairs in the U.S. and globally. His lyrics are transparent and relatable; simple, but not simplistic.
Max is the principal songwriter on RFF and can be heard on lead vocals, guitar, and piano. He is joined by many excellent musicians: Adam Baine, Dornell Williams, Scott Firestone, Mike Tedesco, Joe Pess, Tessa Albertson, and Justin Ryan.
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
Max Ross: You guys actually reached out to me on Twitter. You asked if I’d be interested in conducting an interview, and I’m always interested in working with people who support indie musicians!
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Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Max Ross: I was born in Sea Cliff, NY, which is a tiny, very musical town on the North Shore of Long Island. Both my family and my community have always been very supportive of the arts and of my desire to make music for a living. I dabbled in music as a youth, playing trumpet, flute, and horn for a time, but it wasn’t until I picked up the guitar around age 12 that I knew I had found my passion. I’ve been writing music and performing both solo and with various bands ever since. My dream is to make a living sharing my music with the world.
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Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Max Ross: “Max Ross” is my birth name, but my current band is called “Gadfly.” The inspiration behind that name comes from Plato’s Apology, which provides an account of the trial of the philosopher Socrates. Socrates likens his constant questioning of society to a gadfly biting a horse. I like to think that there is a healthy dose of Socrates’ attitude in our lyrics. We aren’t seeking to provide escapism – we’re trying to engage society, with all of its virtues and vices, through our music.
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Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Max Ross: Online music sharing is a wonderful, potent tool, especially for indie musicians. We have a wealth of technology at our fingertips that enables us to share our music with an unprecedented audience. At the moment, our music is only available to stream for free, with the hope that if the listener enjoys what he or she is hearing, he or she will buy the tracks, thereby enabling us to continue making more music in the future.
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Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Max Ross: First and foremost, establish your brand. What is it about your music that makes it special? Second, make some quality recordings that you are happy with – this is your product, and you need to believe in it before anybody else will. Thirdly, start locally, in your own community. Maintain a professional attitude and presentation with everyone you deal with – bandmates, other bands, booking agents, et al.
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Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Max Ross: Of course! In the moment, you need to acknowledge that it happened and instantly forget about it, lest you slip into psychological quicksand. After the gig, mine those mistakes for as much constructive criticism as you can stand. Be your own harshest critic, but don’t do it in a destructive manner. Learn from your mistakes and practice, practice, practice before the next gig, and hopefully they’ll keep getting better and better.
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Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Max Ross: Aside from NY, I’ve played a few other states in the Northeastern United States. One gig that sticks out was the Millennium Music Conference in Pennsylvania. I was playing with Dijon, another NY-based band. About an hour before we left for the venue, it starts snowing. We thought the night would be a wash – that nobody was going out to hear music in a snowstorm. Surprisingly, we got to the venue, and not only was there a sizable crowd, but the crowd stayed for all of the bands’ sets that night! It was a very positive, supportive environment, and a testament to the sense of community that music can create.
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Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Max Ross: Musically, I’m inspired by other artists. To come up with fresh musical ideas, you need to be actively exploring and listening to music. I don’t really write lyrics until I have something to say about the subject matter. My favorite musicians are also poignant lyricists – Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Ani Difranco, et al. After I have a germinal idea, I would say I expand upon it, writing about 25-30% of the music, and then I go with my gut to determine what the song should be about. Once the song is around the 75% completion mark, I’ll bring it to the band to flesh it out, finish it, and arrange it. I would encourage all musicians to record any and all song ideas you come up with, whether the idea is a musical or a lyrical one. I use iPhone Voice Memos, but whatever works for you.
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Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Max Ross: Our main website, maxrossmusic.com, is still under a little bit of construction. You can find us atfacebook.com/maxthemusician. We use Bandcamp to host our music: maxrossmusic.bandcamp.com.
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Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Max Ross: There’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure, but it’s definitely worthwhile to reflect on why you like or dislike a given song.
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Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Max Ross: I would pay off all of my family’s debt, including my own. I would donate a significant portion to Community Solidarity, Inc., which is a local nonprofit that does amazing work fighting hunger and poverty. Then I would embark on a tour with my band to get our music heard by fresh audiences.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Max Ross: I’d like to learn more about the production side of the music business, but I can’t say I have any definite plans at the moment. Our current producer is Jordan Cohen, who owns and operates The Grasslands. He produced Right Foot Forward, our most recent release.
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Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Max Ross: Try everything and anything. Indie radio. Indie blogs. Network with other bands. Be smart about social media. Get your music digitally distributed. Not a big fan of pay to play, whatever the context.
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Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artist (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Max Ross: Sold out house at Madison Square Garden (because that’s my dream) with The National (because that’s a newish band that I really admire).
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Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Max Ross: At the moment, we’re gigging to promote the EP. We’ll be going back into the studio on August 24th. We’ve been asked to play the Bitter End Songwriter Sessions on September 13th, which is a great honor.
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Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Max Ross: Probably some form of public service.
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Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Max Ross: Hm…I can’t recall the actual first album that I bought. But one of the first albums that I got obsessive about was a Led Zeppelin greatest hits album. I think every rock guitarist in the world has a Zeppelin phase. Each member of the quartet pushed the envelope in terms of the craft of their instrument, and the songwriting has so much texture and color to it (“light and shade,” in their words). They were also my gateway into that whole era of music.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Max Ross: It’s definitely tough, largely because there’s no shortage of items on the music to-do list. Staying organized and keeping a schedule is key. Downtime is very, very important – it’s important to take care of yourself.
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Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2015?
Max Ross: More music, more shows, and hopefully a keyboardist joining the band. Do you know anyone?
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Please include your music embed code (SoundCloud, YouTube or ReverbNation)
maxrossmusic.bandcamp.com
