A jumble of cables, a pile of odd noise-makers, too many stringed instruments, microphones, and electronic audio devices strewn about the room. Small statues of forgotten gods, tapestries depicting mystical beasts, orange and purple illumination, relics of semi-functional 1980s technology, scraps of paper with evocative lyrical poetry, fraught with frequent misspellings and grammatical errors: this is the laboratory of Max Boost, a mad scientist akin to misunderstood visionaries like Dr. Moreau, Doc Brown and Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth. Rather than tinkering with the space-time continuum or creating human-beast hybrids, Max Boost merges the essence of traditional musical forms like rock, blues and folk with the often strange, industrial sounds and textures of a modern electronic era. Depending on the specific blend of sonic ingredients, the result can range from ethereal and dreamy to shockingly bizarre and unnatural to the naïve ear.

Click the link below to see what happened when a tragic attempt at self-cloning devolved into a mash-up of dirty synthesizers, distorted guitar riffs and misguided dad-rap….

 Level 1 Power-Up Music Video

Dr. Brian A. Maxwell, PhD, is an unassuming cell biologist/biophysicist by day, a loving husband and father, and a connoisseur of Dad jokes and fantasy novels with intermediate-level skills in BBQ-ing and skateboarding-over-the-age-of-40. While he hails from the eclectic metropolis of Columbus, Ohio he currently resides in Memphis, TN: appropriately enough, the home of the blues and birthplace of rock-n-roll. He can often be found off adventuring with his life partner/wife, Jessie, and their children in search of waterfalls, wild animals and the spiritual sanctums of various polytheistic pantheons. 

But, when the time is right, when creativity strikes and the call of The Muse once again becomes overwhelming: Dr. Maxwell adopts the mantle of “Max Boost” in order to craft sonic escapades through various emotional landscapes encountered along the trails and tributaries of life.

Brian spent much of his adult life holding down the groove on bass in several rock and folk bands while quietly honing skills in songwriting, recording and performing on several other instruments. However, none had ever quite seemed the appropriate avenue for fully expressing his unique artistic sensibilities. After amassing a sufficient repertoire of instruments, gear and inspiration and upon finding some much-needed spare time due to the onset of the global COVID19 pandemic, the alter-ego Max Boost emerged…

The first successful experiment in the Max Boost and the Power-Ups project was a concept album featuring a mix of songs initially conceived more than 15 years ago with brand new compositions. The album, "From this Place to the Other" established the genre-bending biochemistry that defines Max Boost’s work, blending elements of acoustic folk, heavy rock and electronica as it weaves the tale of a metaphorical journey across land and sea from an old place of restlessness in the materialistic world to a new realm of tolerance and acceptance. And then, as quickly as Max Boost appeared, he seemingly vanished…

Following the May 2021 debut album, the Max Boost persona was largely dormant for the following 12 months. During this time, it is believed that Dr. Maxwell was hard at work creating a new musical laboratory after purchasing a new dwelling to adequately fill the needs of his family which had increased in size by the amount of one additional tiny human.

Max Boost once again surfaced in the autumn of 2022 with an updated scheme of releasing a new song approximately once a month (allowing of course for occasional unexpected delays due to experimental design flaws or unstable ingredients). The first two singles, Level 1 Power Up and Flawed by Design, revealed a shift towards a more industrial sound, relying on a mix of hardware synthesizers and heavy guitars.

To Dr. Maxwell’s surprise, Max Boost managed to complete two different Winter Solstice holiday concoctions to round out 2022. The first, Holiday Cheer, is an ironically over-the-top epic folk ballad that moves from a haunting clawhammer banjo opening to a rollicking celebratory cheer. The second, a sinister techno mashup of Carol of the Bells and Deck the Halls, was a collaborative effort with Swedish EDM producer and DJ, Vizay.

As the Spring of 2023 dawned, Max Boost resumed his regularly scheduled appearances. The first offerings included a modernized garage-punk rocker about reservations in facing middle age “Touch of Rage” alongside unique takes on the works of others: Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road” and The Be Good Tanyas’ “Human Thing.” His scientific proposal moving forward is to accumulate musical compositions to culminate in 2 separate records to be released later this year or early 2024: the first being an effort to blend the raw emotion and gritty attitude of grunge, blues and roots rock with modern electronic music production techniques. Songs on this first record include a synth-laden North Mississippi slide blues jam about contemplating mortality, drop-D heavy riff rock, a mysterious banjo-centered trance song and a high-energy, hillbilly-rock call for trans-inclusive feminism. The second record will explore a more experimental, heavy and industrial sound and include several remixes of the work of fellow independent artists.