News & Reviews of the Max Allen Band
The Max Allen Band – Everyone Thinks You’re WeirdReviewed by Kevin Tshiamala for Home Grown Music Seasoned musicians, the Max Allen Band, drops beautiful eargasmic thunder sending electrical impulses through the body causing involuntary movement of body and limb, known to the rest as dance. Regardless of the song, from beginning to end, you can’t help but do more than the casual head bob. The music of MAB takes us on a journey exploring the many offerings of various genres whether all in one song or the complete track list. The changes in time signatures from song to song blends well with the smooth, funky, guitar that sings in harmony with the driven tempo of the six stringed bass, while being kept in line by the crafty laid backbone beats of the drums. This accomplishment that we call great music should not be taken lightly. … |
The Max Allen Band Thinks You’re WeirdReviewed by Danielle Look for IndyMojo Every musician always says when they put out a new album that it puts their old material to shame, but listening to Everyone Thinks You’re Weird, the Max Allen Band‘s new album slated to release on May 18th, one gets the feeling that this truly is the band’s greatest work yet. “I’ve always tried to make an album that captivates you from beginning to end and I think this one has really hit the mark,” Allen told me over a cup of coffee in Broad Ripple on a Wednesday in early March. The Danville resident was in the village, as he is on most Wednesdays, to host The Mousetrap’s weekly open mic event, The Family Jam. … |
Nuvo’s Best of Indy: Max Allen BandReviewed by Scott Shoger for Nuvo If Max Allen hopes readers learn one thing from this story, it’s that he’s no longer a blues guitarist. Not that there’s anything wrong with playing the blues. It’s how he got his start, way back in his teenage years. But he finds it weird when people come up to him saying they haven’t seen him for 10 years. He’s been around, after all. Playing new stuff. Growing up. Getting married. … |
Interview: Max Allen BandReviewed by nikkit127 for IndyMojo Local trio Max Allen Band (MAB) has been honored with the title of Indy’s “Best Blues Band” for a second year in a row. But before they take the stage at this year’s quickly approaching MojoStock, they wanted to set the record straight that their sound “ain’t your grand daddy’s blues.”
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Indiana Music: Max Allen and the Hard Rock band battleReviewed by Rob Nichols for Rock Forward With six albums to his credit, blues guitarist and singer Max Allen might be in a position where he doesn’t have a need to enter events like the recent Hard Rock “Battle of the Bands” contest. Or maybe his winning the Indianapolis section of that event was due to his willingness to play for his next break. Can’t hurt, right?
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Max Allen BandReviewed by Tom Irwin for Illinois Times Fresh from their Springfield debut at last week’s SOHO Music Festival, the Max Allen Band (MAB) drops into Marly’s on June 17 for a night of funk-blues-jam-jazz-rock songs. A seasoned group on the Midwest jam-rock music scene, the trio of Max Allen (guitar, vocals), Shaan France (drums, percussion) and Dace Robie (bass) tours regularly performing an average of 100 shows a year. … |
Concert Review: Max Allen Band, Borrow Tomorrow and Lady Moon at The VogueReviewed by Eric Santana for IndyConcerts This past Friday, Max Allen Band, Borrow Tomorrow and Lady Moon performed at The Vogue in Broadripple. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, I wasn’t able to see most of Lady Moon’s performance, but what I did see from the trio was well put together.
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Max Allen Band – “Under The RadarReviewed by Kelly O’Neil The Max Allen Band could be the next generation Dave Matthews Band with its catchy, jazz-influenced melodies and hip quick lyrics. Allen’s voice though is much more appealing than Matthews’. A small nip of the group’s superb musicality is heard in the song “Under the Radar” which was previously appeared in acoustic form on the album Uphill. Bassist Dace Robie composed an excellent arrangement for a string quartet to accompany the piece. The quiet opening seamlessly morphs into an energetic relaxing groove spearheaded by percussionist Rashaan France. Allen’s fast-paced upbeat vocal delivery gives the song an island flair, similar to the vibe of a Jason Mraz tune. The use of echo effects on the already jumpy melody adds fullness to the vocals and is a compliment to Allen and Robie’s production skills. While the lyrics in the verses can be tricky to decipher as they rush by, the chorus takes it easy with the smooth layering of the harmonizing background vocals. The incoherent lyrics however hardly detract from the song since it is so musically interesting. Robie’s string quartet feature between the first and second verses is killer. It adds a depth to the piece and cleverly mimics the melody as the song progresses. The awesomeness of the strings however is overshadowed in the last chorus when Allen begins a subtle countermelody on the electric guitar that builds into the extended coda with an all-out jam session. France adds intricacy with a number of tight jazz fills and the entire ensemble rides on a wave of highly artistic aural pleasure to the vocal break at the finale. Allen and his compatriots are not stranger to the stage or formal musical training – and this professionalism is evident in “Under the Radar”. The future looks bright and ensured of good times ahead for this chill rocking power trio.
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