We're thrilled to welcome Ceiling Spirits, the cinematic instrumental project from Milwaukee-based composer and guitarist Mario Quadracci, to the Maximal Music Sync roster!  

The story of Ceiling Spirits ironically begins in a basement. For years guitarist Mario Quadracci would steal any moment he could to retreat to his cellar studio and try to coax the sound he was hearing in his head through his amplifiers. It took a while, but slowly, frustratingly slowly, something began to click. Without other musicians to lean on, Quadracci figured out how to create an ensemble of timbres using just guitar, effects and unconventional playing techniques. From the beginning his aim was to create a musical force that could be alternately ferocious and elegiac, soaring and sparse, but always decentralized in focus from its source: himself. Adopting the moniker Ceiling Spirits helped, but it was the screenings of self­-produced films at performances that completed the illusion. The films allowed for an exploration of sound’s ability to define the emotional, spatial and thematic qualities of images. The music and visuals became intricately linked. But that all changed when storied record producer, Gareth Jones, who had seen a video of a Ceiling Spirits performance on YouTube, offered to help turn the music from the live show into an album. Quadracci jumped at the chance to work with Jones. He was also curious to see if his compositions could be made to retain their emotional and thematic content removed from the films they were designed to accompany. The recording of Ceiling Spirits's self-­titled debut LP spanned two years and three countries, finishing with mastering at Abbey Road Studios in early 2018. The music does not fit neatly into the traditional categories of genre, but has hints of classical minimalism, post rock, electronic and ambient music sprinkled throughout.

Maximal Music Sync is delighted to announce the addition of multitalented composer and producer AO Tøndra to our artist roster! 

The 2018 EP Quintet is the first artist release from AO Tøndra, a.k.a. London producer Aidan O'Brie, best known (until now...) for his collaborative work with London duo IDE, as well as stunning productions for artists including FOUR ("Tell Me in the Morning"), Richard Walter ("July Bones", "Awards Night") and Tesserac (various tracks on new album Sonder).

Quintet is a collection of five perfectly crafted, cinematically pitched ambient pieces, calling to mind Jon Hopkin and Helio, at their most horizontal. Each track, wonderfully slow moving and long form, is rich with emotion and sonic brilliance, offering the listener the chance to drift to other parts of their own world.

AO Tøndra: "I’ve always enjoyed music which includes or experiments with ambient elements for a long time - Oceansiz, Trentemolle, etc. - but discovering Brian En got me interested in ‘purely’ ambient music, music which could have the same emotional impact as more traditional songs or compositions, while not necessarily following the same melodic or rhythmic rules. I originally wrote these five pieces as a Christmas gift for my girlfriend - it was never intended to be heard by a wider audience, but she suggested I release it."

We're so thrilled to announce that Maximal Music Sync will be consulting for Music Asset Management as their sync representation! 

Music Asset Management, Inc. (MAM) is a full service independent music publishing company dedicated to maximizing music assets in both domestic and international markets by providing proactive creative services and efficient worldwide administration. MAM was founded in 2006 by owner and CEO Mary Jo Mennella, one of the most well-known and respected rights administration and licensing experts in the industry. MAM’s catalog includes classic songs like The Centurions’ “Bullwinkle, Pt. II” (as heard in Pulp Fiction and How I Met Your Mother) and the hit “Hey Little Cobra” by The Rip Chords, as well as music from singer-songwriter Judith Owen, guitarist and composer Alex Sill, Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer Tena Clark, and current hip-hop/R&B publisher Arketek (home to Desmond South and Stan Greene). 

We're very happy to give a warm welcome to the newest addition to the Maximal Music Sync roster, Fairhazel!

Though only just entering his twenties, Fairhazel has already lived a frenetic life, constantly on the move since the start; from the cobbled streets of Paris, to the vastness of Cape Town, through to his current home of London, each place has helped to form his view of the world and shaped his unique and powerful music. Every city, every street and every person he has encountered had a story to tell and to retell these stories through song is what Fairhazel sets out to do.

After being accepted to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston at the start of 2016, he experienced a whole new culture and with it experiences and meetings that would inspire a new sound; a dark, rich folk music drawing lyrical and melodic influence from roots music, jazz and psychedelia, creating something raw and pure, a sound entirely of his own.

We're so excited to announce the addition of eclectic New York-based indie rockers Jesus on the Mainline to the Maximal Music Sync roster! 

The band's founding members and unlikely collaborators Andrew Neesley and Tim Emmerick met in a random encounter in New York and soon began writing music together, locking in a unique partnership that seems to complete each writer. With the traditional song "Jesus On The Mainline" popping up repeatedly in the mystical computer algorithm on Andrew’s feed, the band name was chosen and now permanently represents purposeful connection with the source, regardless of differences in background.

Award-winning trumpeter Andrew Neesley has a Masters in Jazz Composition, and cut his teeth composing and arranging for Afro-Cuban big bands, including the GRAMMY-nominated Bobby Sanabria Big Band. Andrew has recorded or performed with a wide range of artists including Lady Gaga, The Roots, Chris Botti, James Taylor, Christian McBride, Randy Brecker, and Ray Barreto. He has appeared in venues large and not as large, from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to The Jazz Standard and Joe’s Pub.

Tim Emmerick is a songwriter and musician originally from Buffalo, New York.  As a child he studied voice with beloved Western New York music teacher Barbara Wagner and started gigging in local bars and coffee houses at 14. Tim earned his Masters of Music in Songwriting from Bath Spa University in Bath, UK. As a songwriter he has written and recorded with artists in the US and Europe and has landed placements with major brands, including Microsoft and Converse. Tim is a mainstay on the New York indie rock scene and has toured extensively in the US, Canada, and UK, including appearances with artists at South By Southwest, North by Northeast, CMJ and Brooklyn’s Northside Festival.

Jesus On The Mainline begins with this duo, but expands to a fifteen piece group of New York’s finest young musicians. Inclusion and collaboration make the band more than hired guns – the lush sounds on their debut album, The Morning Bell, are the result of a tight connection between members of a large ensemble – bringing Neesley’s experience to the center. Yet above everything in the room are the SONGS, and this deference on the part of each member creates a tight focus throughout the album. This is not a big band rambling through the repertoire, nor is it a couple of writers who hired out the finishing touches – this is a collection of players paying meticulous homage to the power of a song – times ten. Of course, when it’s time to hit the stage, the big band cuts loose in a funky explosion of sound.

"The Morning Bell is Jesus On The Mainline’s debut full-length record and is our first opportunity to truly fly our flag as songwriters and record makers. As a band, we have been fortunate to receive great support for our live shows, and the stage has been our home. But we also love albums that stand on their own merit, and that is what we strove for with The Morning Bell. The pool of musical influences on this album is massive and includes everything from gospel traditionals to John Coltrane to the Alabama Shakes to Abbey Road. As a 15-piece band, JOTM already has a huge palette of sounds, and we’ve combined our many sounds in new ways on this record. We took deep dives into the abyss of guitar tone. We geeked out for six months straight after finding a 1960s Echoplex tape delay in the trash. We relished how much better a vintage Juno synth sounds than a software plug-in. All of these experiences made an impact on the album. Making The Morning Bell has been an awakening for us, and the process affirmed our commitment to discovery and embracing the unknown."

We're beyond ecstatic to announce that Post Precious is officially part of the Maximal Music Sync roster! The band is the new side project of off-kilter pop singer Alex Winston and MS MR’s Max Hershenow. Their longtime friendship turned into a creative collaboration when both artists found themselves moving from New York to Los Angeles. Originally writing for other artists, Winston & Hershenow realized along the way that the songs they were making should be a separate musical entity. While on hiatus from MS MR, Hershenow was excited to explore new ways of writing and releasing music outside of the major label system. Winston, coming off of her last EP, was looking for a creative outlet to explore new sonic ideas before putting out her next LP. The name Post Precious is a statement of the ethos around the project – freed from the yoke of the label system, they’ve tried to focus their joint project on what’s fulfilling and fun about making music.

Of the partnership, Winston says “It was just refreshing to be uninhibited again. There was no agenda, other than writing songs that we liked. It’s like, Oh shit, I remember this feeling.” Not only is the music a fresh new venture for the two, but the decision to self-release the project is a new frontier for the both of them. Releasing music independently, on their own label, interested the two because, according to Hershenow, “We have total control over every element of the project, which means we can play and experiment not only musically, but also with artwork, videos, and new ways of releasing music."

Their collaborative effort layers pulsing, upbeat synths beneath the soaring, sweet sounds of Winston’s voice. It is pop music at its finest, with a hint of the gravity of life that Winston has come to be known for in her lyrics. Fans of both MS MR and Winston’s solo work will be thrilled to hear the new EP in the spring of 2018.

We're excited to welcome Brick Fields to the Maximal Music Sync Roster! 

Brick Fields is an Arkansas original musical group fronted by the ambrosial voice of Rachel Fields bring you their ‘Roots’ music using a Blues, Folk and Gospel platform as with an Americana Soul feel on their new album “Blues Habit”. The Brick Fields foundation is married couple Rachel Fields and Larry Brick. Rachel was recently presented with The Arkansas Arts Council Individual Fellowship Award and is a co-founder of the power group “Divas On Fire”. She cut her musical teeth first in the Arkansas river valley, by way of her Uncle Mike "Burger" Scoggins, then in the jam band circuit touring in the late 90's east and west coast festivals opening for acts like Government Mule and later singing on a tour with JGB. Larry has spent over 40 years in the music business as a guitar player, songwriter and also as a worship leader during the California Calvary movement of the 1970’s. 

Together, Brick Fields has been called a magnet for other musicians and music lovers alike.  Ever evolving, this couple’s original music can charm venues in an intimate relaxed setting with the acoustic duo telling stories of musical roots or bring a full-on band experience that brings the house to its feet. 

Maximal Music Sync is delighted to add Seattle-based indie rockers Pickwick to our roster! 

Listen to LoveJoys, the sophomore release from Seattle, WA’s Pickwick, and you’ll hear a band that has pushed aside external pressures and expectations, overcome internal demons, and plugged directly into their own creative center. Slinky, sinewy, and articulate, the record pulses with a palpable confidence. Hypnotically intricate, just-right sonic ornamentation shimmers around a thick, undulating bed of propulsive rhythm. Submit willfully, give yourself over to Pickwick’s practiced ministrations, and you’ll find yourself exhausted and deeply satisfied, slick with a sheen of glitter and sweat.

Following the breakout success of 2013’s self-released Can’t Talk Medicine (which WXPN lauded for its “wonderfully engaging lo-fi rock and soul”) the band found themselves on national tours with Neko Case and Black Joe Lewis, performing on the main stage of the Sasquatch Music Festival, headlining the Capitol Hill Block Party, and performing alongside with the Seattle Symphony. They holed up to begin work on what was to be the follow up release, and things got complicated.

As the band was forty songs into writing a pop R&B record, they became deeply unsatisfied with the direction the music was taking. Tensions boiled over, and they lost a member in 2016. Walking away from a mountain of music, the group was able to tap into the joy of writing for themselves. “We rediscovered what we do best by not overthinking what we make, and learned to love the process of creating again” relates vocalist Galen Disston. “LoveJoys is a specific type of euphoria,” says drummer Alex Westcoat “a liberating feeling of inspiration that can only be achieved through the sacrifice of one's own ambition. It is the shedding of expectations; an uninhibited escape into a world of child-like infatuation and wonder.”

After an intense three month writing session the band – Disston, Westcoat, guitarist Michael Parker, bassist Garrett Parker, and keyboardist Cassady Lillstrom - turned to producer Erik Blood (Shabazz Palaces, Tacocat and Moondoggies) for guidance in putting the music to tape. LoveJoys was recorded at "Chemical X" and "Black Space" (February - May 2016), Blood’s studios in the basement of the old Rainier Brewery building in Seattle. It features performances from: Tendai Maraire (Shabazz Palaces), Sean T. Lane, Marquetta Miller (Breaks and Swells), Taryn Rene Dorsey, and the Black Space’s in-house horns and strings - Alina To (Passenger String Quartet) and Jeremy Shaskus (Breaks and Swells).

Written in the midst of personal and political turmoil, LoveJoys became a lyrical and sonic escape somehow, a place for the band to purge all their deepest concerns while also being relieved of them. LoveJoys embodies the relationship between inspired creativity and the use of escapism as a way of getting there. Like little fossilized explorations of his own greatest fears and anxieties, Disston’s lyrics bury themselves into the band's bright new sonic landscape, both contradicting their collective fantasy and reminding them of why they chose to construct it in the first place. 

Maximal Music Sync is thrilled to announce the addition of New York-based singer-songwriter Hayley Coupon to our roster! 

Having already drawn national attention for her introspective songcraft and distinctive vocal power, Hayley Coupon is poised to reveal the true scope of her talent with her highly anticipated debut album, WIRE AND ROPE. Set against a spare yet surprisingly lush backdrop provided by GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Craig Street (Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson) and a cast of studio all-stars, songs like the finely etched “All You Gave” and the first single “Curse Me” bend diverse musical genres into new forms to suit the astonishing gravitational force of Coupon’s widescreen vocals and equally potent lyrical voice.

Coupon grew up in New York City and was immersed in its “cultural pulse” right from the very start, attending opera, theatre, and concerts of all kinds with her mother from the age of three. The music inspired her to sing, loud and often, a talent nurtured during middle school to the point where Coupon knew it would be her life’s work. 

Coupon released her debut EP, REMEMBRANCE, in 2013, followed two years later by a second EP, DO THE RIGHT THING, LIKE YOU SAID YOU WOULD, prompting T: The New York Times Style Magazine to declare her the city’s “New Chanteuse To Watch.” Coupon continued to work on songs and performance, finally making a long desired “huge leap forward” via her collaboration with Craig Street.

Street took an old fashioned approach to Coupon’s artistic development, allowing her time and space to find her own route. Though she had built up a stockpile of songs, the producer asked her to start from scratch.

In 2015, Coupon went to Texas for a pair of writing and demo sessions at El Paso’s renowned Sonic Ranch. Located on 2,300 acres of pecan orchards bordering the Rio Grande and Mexico, the studio – the largest residential recording complex in the world – proved the ideal locale for her continuing creative evolution. Coupon found her songwriting voice at Sonic Ranch. Street further complemented Coupon’s songs with a remarkable array of session players, including guitarist Davíd Garza, bassist Sebastian Steinberg (k.d. lang, Dixie Chicks), keyboard player Jebin Bruni (Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann), guitarist Chris Bruce (Seal, Meshell Ndegeocello), and drummer Abe Rounds (Andrew Bird, My Brightest Diamond).

With WIRE & ROPE ready at last for its long awaited arrival, Coupon plans to herald the album with a series of live shows in New York and Los Angeles, followed by a national tour accompanied by the multi-talented Garza.

We're so excited to welcome the multi-talented, Reykjavik, Iceland-based production and songwriting team High Hat (Janus Rasmussen, of Kiasmos and Bloodgroup, and Sakaris Emil Joensen), including electro pop artist SAKARIS, to the Maximal Music Sync family! Read on to learn more about both projects. 

HIGH HAT

High Hat is a production/songwriting duo based in Reykjavik, consisting of long-time friends and collaborators Janus Rasmussen and Sakaris Emil Joensen. Originally from Iceland’s sister country Faroe Islands, the two musicians relocated to Reykjavik to expand their ventures. Janus is best known for being one half of acclaimed electronic duo Kiasmos and electro pop band Bloodgroup. In addition to his own solo project, Sakaris has been active as a producer and songwriter for more than 10 years. Since forming the High Hat collaboration, the pair has settled down in a fully equipped and treated studio by the Reykjavik harbor, working daily on writing, producing and mixing for a variety of Icelandic and international clients. The duo’s focus is mainly on electronically produced music, working on everything from fully featured vocal pop to beat-driven hip hop to ambient dance to advertisement music. The duo has worked with a range of popular artists, including Arnor Dan (from Agent Fresco), Hildur, Árstiðir, GDRN and Heidrik. In addition to this, they have also provided music for TV shows, commercials, and radio programs. The combined expertise of the two producers provides an effective and inspired workflow, delivering world class productions and mixes.

SAKARIS

SAKARIS is the main project of Faroese electro producer Sakaris Emil Joensen. Starting out in 2010 with his quirky 8-bit electro funk debut "Darling EP" and further establishing himself with the full-length 2012 album "I Have Beautiful Eyes", SAKARIS has become one of the most prominent electro artists from the remote and tiny Faroe Islands. The music ranges from tight, bright and optimistic dance music, to soaring 80s nostalgic soundscapes. The latter years have been littered with performances on various prominent festivals, such as Spot Festival, JaJaJa Festival, G! Festival, Dias Nordicos and Waves Vienna, along with press hype from Clash Music, Wired UK and The Line of Best Fit.