You ever get the feeling that you’re so fucking sick
of the bullshit life throws at you, so much so, you just wanna gouge someone's fucking
eyes out, no, nah me neither cause violence is bad, but goddam when you reach
that threshold of anger your head could simply explode, you know you’ve reached
Maximum Mad overload.
Today, whilst I’m not advocating you go to work and knock you boss’ ass
to the ground, let me introduce you to 3 angry bastards, that delivers music as
gratifying, a band that grabs you by the balls and doesn’t let go, music so
damn intoxicating and unabashedly noisy and downright awesome, you’re gonna
lose your shit too.
Formed in the summer of 2016, Maximum Mad’s refrain is to play discordant noise borne from the AmpRep era of Noise rock, taking the blueprint of genre pioneers
such as Helmet, Unsane and adding their own unique aural
footprint, that is jarring , heavy and downright filthy. Today’s we are excited to debut the frankly
ass kicking track “Active Aggressive” taken
from their forthcoming debut “Dear Enemy”
EP which will be released via Good To Die Records on September
15th, 2017 and is available to preorder here
As well as delivering killer music, I also
hooked up with front man / bassist Jayson Smith to get the lowdown on the band and what it means to be Maximum Mad.
Jayson, are you able to give us an
insight into how you started playing music, leading up to the formation of
Maximum Mad?
I started playing music in a school band at age 12,
playing alto sax. When I turned seventeen, after listening to copious amounts
of Nirvana, I
used birthday money to buy a cheap electric guitar and a practice amp. I taught
myself how to read tablature from guitar magazines and would play the songs
transcribed in the back. I started writing my own stuff after about a year.
I’ve been in a few different bands that have played
around the Portland area since 1999 or so, but hadn’t been doing much outside
of a practice space since 2012. MAXIMUM MAD formed in 2016 when Dave (MM guitarist) and I had
some song ideas worked out and we asked some friends if they were interested in
joining with us.
For folks unfamiliar with your band, are there any
bands on the scene past and present that you would use as a reference point to
describe your band, and who or what continues to inspire you and push you to
try new things?
Current Portland bands we
are really into are A
Volcano, Hair Puller, Law Boss, Stress Position, Year of the Coyote, Ssold,
Born a Lot, Rabbits, Drunk Dad, Red Fang, Gaytheist—The list goes on
and on. We are really lucky to have so many great bands here in Portland. Each
band I just listed is doing its own heavy thing, which in turn inspires us to
keep doing ours.
What can you tell us about your upcoming
record and where do you feel it sits within the context of current metal scene
The EP is called “DEAR
ENEMY” and I sort of consider it a thank/fuck you letter to certain people.
Because of them, I’ve gotten pretty good at surrounding myself with better
ones.
It was recorded live, on a cold, rainy December day
in 2016 with Stephan Hawkes at Interlace Studios in Portland, OR.
The current metal scene is gloriously all over the
place and wide open, which gives us a little room to snug into, I think.
Does anything
spring to mind when you think about the completion of “Dear Enemy” and
how is the mood in the camp at present?
Somber. Morale low. Send
food.
Just kidding. We’re
having a great time working on the next batch of songs and we love getting out
to play when we can. The band is fun for everyone right now.
What stands out as your overarching memory from the
recording sessions?
That we did it live—meaning
that we didn’t track it instrument by instrument. We all played the songs
together in a room and that was it, except for the vocals. I was worried at first, but I’m really proud
of how it all came out. I love the rushed uneasy feeling that sometimes comes
from live recording.
With
your new record in the bag, how is your schedule shaping up over the next 12
months?
-9/16, Seattle Record
Release @ Rat City Recon w/Whores.,
Old Iron, & tons more
-9/30, PDX Record Release
@ Tonic Lounge with Green
River Thrillers, NORSKA & Drunk Dad
-10/21, PDX Show @
Blackwater Bar with Fucked
& Bound and Worws
-Recording another EP in
December to be released next year on Good to Die as well.
Finally,
any last words?
Appreciate
your support. Come check out a show. Buy music. Donate to charity. Thanks for
reading this interview.
