Not Black Maxed Out Yet!

I made it out to see Black Max at Otherlands for their show February 27th. I would have gone anyway, but the short (and I mean short!) film they did to promote the show sent me over the edge…I just had to be there.

And per the usual, they did deliver. Frontman (and sinister-looking top-hat wearer) Keenan Sloan takes this making music business very seriously and puts a percentage far greater than 100 into this Black Max thing, and his drive very obviously rubs off on his bandmates who give equally to the cause. The chemistry of this group is potent.

Yes, I’m gushing a bit here.

And IF indeed you have not seen Black Max, you may also not be aware of the powerhouse vocalist that is Annie Freres. Just do yourself a favor and be at their next show, okay? In the meantime, meander over to http://www.blackmaxband.com and acquaint yourself.

Playing with them that night was Tiffany Harmon (no stranger to this blog, is she?) whose song “The Curse” is the only song I know of to include toy piano and kazoo…and Nashville pop-rockers The Usual. Yes, a rock band at Otherlands. Not just that, a rock band at Otherlands who dared to cover both The Beatles AND Sir Mix-A-Lot. Let the head-scratching commence.

Hey, speaking of Tiffany…you might be interested to know that she’s recruited the guys in Other Stories to back her from time to time. For now, they’re booking as “Tiffany Harmon & Other Stories” so keep your eyes peeled for that as well.

Other Stories: Photographic Evidence

Summing Up the Recent…

Busy times, friends, busy times.

Along with performing my own shows – for the record, you absolutely must catch Black Max live – I’ve been a veritable man about town post-holiday.

Last Friday night I attended the relaunch party for LiveFromMemphis.com, which has become almost an institution round town in its spreading of the gospel of this crazy, disjointed musical landscape. I met a couple of really cool folks – finally met Nancy Apple! – and enjoyed what I saw of the newest incarnation of the site. What I do with this humble blog is nothing compared to the phenomenal work of Christopher Reyes and crew, so please acquaint yourself with their work today.

Oh, and I got to have a look at some of the cover art for the upcoming Original Cyndi cd…it’s gonna make you wanna dig that Commodore 64 back out and party like it’s 1983.

Two amazing acts that I’ve caught during open mic night at Republic Coffee that you really must check out – the intimately mellow Other Stories (their MySpace) and Michelle Bush (and here’s her MySpace). Video of the latter forthcoming…and in a somewhat-related bit of news, Davy Ray Bennett (the man with the hat and the song about the Fireball) is playing the P&H tomorrow night, so get your happy ass off the couch and support the man.