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We're Not Listening
Sign Here, Here, and Here - The Max, pt. 3
Because they were such fresh faces, many of the members still teenagers, The Max didn’t really know where to start. Tour? Album? Which came first?
Despite the urge to jump headfirst into everything, they decided to go with baby steps. Teaming up with the only other band on the label at that point, Fire Motion, the radically different bands decided to release a split EP. Six songs, three from each band. The cowpunk band’s music had been cheery and experienced, seeing as how they were music veterans – but it was a debate for The Max, deciding which of their many songs to officially record and put out on an album that could’ve made or broken them.
Nowadays, they look back with embarrassment at the poor quality and rough instrumentals that riddled their first three songs, “Whoa Oh Oh,” “Get That Crap Outta Here,” and “I Didn’t Know She Was Crazy.” They seemed more punk than ska-punk, and although the lyrics were catchy, nobody was able to tell – the fuzzy guitar and loud drums drowned out the vocals, though the horn section was on-point.
Fire Motion fans bought the split just because it was Fire Motion, but they got a little more than they bargained for when they were exposed to the little ska band. It was a hit or miss – as said before, you can’t really be lukewarm towards ska. Luckily for The Max, it was enough of a hit to keep them in the game, and when 2005 rolled in, they were able to learn from their mistakes and put together a record that wouldn’t sound out of place in the late 1990s.
“Skatterbrained!” was everything you probably expect it to be. Catchy tunes, clever lyrics, and more poop jokes than anybody over the age of twelve could probably handle in one sitting. To be honest, it didn’t bring anything new to the table; it had all been done before, but The Max knocked it out of the park and did everything better.
People were praising them for bringing back something that had been gone for far too long, and the high-octane concerts they had put on while touring with other bands in nearly the same vein had given them a better reputation than the neutral one from before. They dove into marketing and came out with two music videos for probably the best songs on the album, “Do as You May, Die as You Please,” and “Nobody’s There (to Wipe Your Butt).”
They circulated every so often on small music video channels, and as CoolTube was launching into the Internet, even more people were seeing this group of ska nerds skank their way into relative stardom.
As rock was turning around that corner and becoming more centered around emotion and pain, it was always nice to see a bunch of kids try and be optimistic.
“Music is life. Live a fun one,” the mantra goes
Despite the urge to jump headfirst into everything, they decided to go with baby steps. Teaming up with the only other band on the label at that point, Fire Motion, the radically different bands decided to release a split EP. Six songs, three from each band. The cowpunk band’s music had been cheery and experienced, seeing as how they were music veterans – but it was a debate for The Max, deciding which of their many songs to officially record and put out on an album that could’ve made or broken them.
Nowadays, they look back with embarrassment at the poor quality and rough instrumentals that riddled their first three songs, “Whoa Oh Oh,” “Get That Crap Outta Here,” and “I Didn’t Know She Was Crazy.” They seemed more punk than ska-punk, and although the lyrics were catchy, nobody was able to tell – the fuzzy guitar and loud drums drowned out the vocals, though the horn section was on-point.
Fire Motion fans bought the split just because it was Fire Motion, but they got a little more than they bargained for when they were exposed to the little ska band. It was a hit or miss – as said before, you can’t really be lukewarm towards ska. Luckily for The Max, it was enough of a hit to keep them in the game, and when 2005 rolled in, they were able to learn from their mistakes and put together a record that wouldn’t sound out of place in the late 1990s.
“Skatterbrained!” was everything you probably expect it to be. Catchy tunes, clever lyrics, and more poop jokes than anybody over the age of twelve could probably handle in one sitting. To be honest, it didn’t bring anything new to the table; it had all been done before, but The Max knocked it out of the park and did everything better.
People were praising them for bringing back something that had been gone for far too long, and the high-octane concerts they had put on while touring with other bands in nearly the same vein had given them a better reputation than the neutral one from before. They dove into marketing and came out with two music videos for probably the best songs on the album, “Do as You May, Die as You Please,” and “Nobody’s There (to Wipe Your Butt).”
They circulated every so often on small music video channels, and as CoolTube was launching into the Internet, even more people were seeing this group of ska nerds skank their way into relative stardom.
As rock was turning around that corner and becoming more centered around emotion and pain, it was always nice to see a bunch of kids try and be optimistic.
“Music is life. Live a fun one,” the mantra goes
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Wanna know what The Max looks like - IN COLOR??? (That Tumblr has more to do with the story this ditty is a spinoff off, but every so often these bands get a mention.)