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 Summer of 2024 saw the release of Max Boost's sophomore album, Remains to Be Seen, a gritty mix of hill country blues, heavy grunge riffs and folk music with just a touch of synthesizer licks and digital glitches to modernize the sound. The album explores the emotional landscape of identity crises and the often excruciating monotony of adult live. The album was accompanied by an EP of stripped-down, versions of songs from the first two albums. The latter is NOT available for streaming online, and is reserved for email list subscribers and customers only!

As of March 2025, Max Boost's 3rd album, On A Mission, is complete and available for pre-order. This one is a super funky adventure, full sonic expeditions through outer space, the woods, the briny depths and the ethereal plane. A forth album of heavier industrial tunes is in the works for completion in late 2025.

In between albums, Max Boost often collaborates with fellow music producers from around the world on projects like an electro-prog rock Queensryche cover, a Drum and Bass (and guitar) cover of the Highlander Theme song or a dark and brooding rendition of I Believe In A Thing Called Love. He occasionally releases holiday tunes or other random cover songs and posts mini songs and improvised jams on social media and YouTube. Follow along there for more!