Maximal Music Sync is ecstatic to welcome Seattle-based hip-hop musician and songwriter Grieves to our roster! 

When asked if he always knew he’d end up being a rapper, Benjamin Laub—better known as Grieves—can only laugh. “Oh no, not really,” he says, “I was in bands and stuff, but I grew up listening mainly to Punk stuff. It wasn’t until I got a little older that Hip-Hop really started to happen for me.” When Grieves first heard artists like Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang Clan, he remembers being drawn to their sound. “Hearing all the samples and stuff from records that I heard my dad play when I was a kid... You start to hear the connections. When I discovered people like Atmosphere, it was like hearing somebody speak their truth in a way that related to me. That’s when I first started to think about Hip-Hop as a way to really talk about what was happening in my life. Hard to believe that now, over a decade later, that’s actually what I’m still doing.”

On Running Wild, Grieves’ fifth proper full-length, the Seattle-based musician manages to balance the dueling impulses that fuel both his live shows and his previous releases: the need to cut loose and the need to vent. Grieves wants to have a good time while also keeping shit real and honest. While previous efforts like 2011’s Together/Apart and 2014’s Winter & The Wolves might have leaned heavily in the direction of darkness—taking on subjects like addiction, heartbreak, and poverty—the new record introduces some much-needed levity to the proceedings. “I remember a review of one of my records where they were like, ‘This guy sounds like he's hella intense and really shitty to hang out with.’ I'm like, ‘What the fuck?’ It's actually the opposite. I wanted this record to reflect that a little more.”

Recorded in Stockholm alongside Swedish producer Chords (aka rapper Jens Eric Resch Thomason), the fifteen tracks on Running Wild do exactly what the album title would imply. Tracks like “Gutz” and “No Sleep” are classic Grieves ruminations on anxiety and romantic bust-ups (“I think about you and say f--- you, then you come over and I f--- you” he raps on the former), but the record—which features only a handful of guests, all from Seattle—stretches out in a number of surprising directions. Tracks like “Faded” and “RX” experiment with fluttering trap beats, while songs like “What it Dew” and album-closer “5,000 Miles” offer the rich guitar tones and humming organs that one might expect on a classic soul record. It’s a kind of openness—both sonically and thematically—that Laub attributes to how and where the record was made.

“I flew from Seattle to Stockholm on basically zero sleep,” he recalls, “Suddenly I’m there, my first day, and I’m immediately stepping into the studio, which felt like walking into a whole other planet. I'm jet lagged. I'm vulnerable. I'm there, but I'm kind of not. And that's where some of the best songs came from. I didn't have the energy to fight myself on anything. Instead of retreating into my own head, I got completely out of it. Songs like “Gutz” are things that I probably never would have done—or could have done—on my own. If something felt weird to me, or uncomfortable, Chords would push me further in that direction. I needed that. Any time I was like, "Nope. I don't think I can get away with that" he’d say, "That sounds like a perfect reason to give it a try."

At a time when the notion of the “album” is often summarily ditched in favor records that are little more than a collection of previously released singles, Running Wild is very much an album, and intentionally so. “I really wanted this to be a real record,” says Laub, “I wanted it to work front to back.”

“I've been touring for over ten years at this point,” he says. “People have seen my show. They get it. They get who I am as a person and they get who I am as an artist. They get both sides of the spectrum. They get the serious and they get the light heartedness. Until now I haven't been comfortable with releasing a record that divulges that, that gives what you're getting at the live experience and what you have come to expect from the records, all in one. The whole idea is to just give people a more authentic experience of me. I’m not just the brooding emotional fuckup from that old record review, the one with no sense of humor who doesn’t sound fun to hang out with. This record is for all the fans who’ve come out to the shows, for everyone that I've worked with. For so many years I felt like, in order to have a career, I could only show this one little part of me. I don’t want to do that anymore.”

We're so excited to welcome L.A.-based pop/rocker Mikey Wax to the Maximal Music Sync Roster! 

While driving to a recording session in Los Angeles, rising pop/rock artist Mikey Wax began creating a new infectious melody in his head and immediately pulled over his car. He knew this would be the song he'd write to perform for his soon-to-be-wife the night of their wedding. Fast forward to the June wedding, the completed song, titled "Big Little Life," is immediately resonating, with the music video being featured on VEVO's 'Incoming Pop' playlist reaching millions of VEVO subscribers, and the song featured on Spotify's New Music Friday in eight countries. "Even when it changes, even when we make it, all I need is room for you. Let's build a big little life". The song describes a relationship between a couple that started out with nothing and slowly started building their life together. The music video has a very genuine way of expressing that despite not having many material things, their love is enough to keep their relationship growing.

Always inspired by those around him, Mikey's prior uplifting single "Helium" was written during a challenging time, when someone very close to him was battling cancer. Helium immediately resonated with one million Spotify streams, a feature in a large Hollister clothing ad campaign, a placement in an ABC TV promo for the ABC app, and a feature in YouTube sensation DevinSupertramp's "Best Year Ever" viral video. Wax's other single "You Lift Me Up" attained over 8 million Spotify streams and was placed in a Keeping Up With Kardashians promo commercial, as well as 50 NBA games on FOX Sports, MTV's Real World, and the NCAA March Madness on TBS. His electronic pop single "Spaceman" was featured in a worldwide Nike Swim ad campaign, while his marriage equality anthem "Love Always Wins" was featured in the promo commercial for the highly anticipated E! TV series "I Am Cait" starring Caitlyn Jenner.

Wax's songs continue to connect with fans around the globe. He has grown his social media fanbase to over one million followers, and has performed numerous tours including shows supporting Jason Mraz, Parachute, Rachel Platten, Jon McLaughlin, Matt Wertz, Ryan Cabrera, Tyler Hilton and Andy Grammer, to name a few. And when he's not playing in front of a few hundred people at a nightclub, Mikey plays intimate house concerts right in his fans own living room. He has completed dozens of exclusive house concerts, allowing his fans to connect to his music in an unforgettable way.

With the buzz continuing to grow, Mikey has been recognized by iHeart Radio as an "Artist To Watch", while KSL.com says Mikey "is one of the most promising rock/pop singer-songwriters out right now". The Billboard Heatseekers charting artist has been featured on many outlets including the Ryan Seacrest homepage, YouTube homepage where he garnered 500,000 views overnight, Huffington Post, USA Today, AOL Build, and RantLifeStyle, who says Mikey is a musician you may have "never heard of who deserves a grammy", calling him a "piano prodigy" and "social media phenomenon". You could have already caught his music in the latest United Airlines ad, So You Think You Can Dance, ABC Freeform's Switched At Birth & Pretty Litttle Liars, or on the mobile app Sing! Karaoke by Smule (where he sings along with his 275,000 app followers), but if not, be sure to catch him on tour.

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.