Max Ater is part of a new crop of musicians that’s both talented and introspective. He professed on his website to be searching for “deeper truths.” When asked about that in conversation, he boiled it down to a songwriter’s need to connect common emotions and feelings to something personal.
At 24, Max’s music career is still young. In an exciting Spring, he was signed by Detroit-based Prudential Records with plans for a 10-song album on that label.
Building on the intricate thoughts described above, there’s more to the Maine-based artist’s music than simple love ballads, “No Black, No White” explores the “great oneness” of philosopher Alan Watts, as Ater explains.
“Ready, Willing and Waiting” talks about being “too stoned to chase it,” referring to a moment in his life when, despite most of the pieces being in place, he felt there was something getting in the way of his music career, and his inspiration.
A song that will certainly be included in the album will be the one he calls his “anchor.” The very down-to-earth and aptly named “Easy” is the kind of song you think you’ve heard before, even though you may not have. When asked about that phenomenon, he chalked it up to its “memorable” qualities.
Max just completed the summer festival circuit, having performed at Bath Heritage Days in his hometown (as he has for over 5 years), as well as the Johnson Hall Waterfront Concert Series. His plan now is to return to the studio and continue working on the album.
He spoke so highly of the talent in Maine, it seemed apparent that his goal was to stay there. Have a listen for yourself to his response.
No matter where he lands physically, if he’s traveling with some of those deeper truths in his musical portfolio, it will be exciting to see where they take him.
[Author note: Max will be joining me on my radio program, E4T Radio, so stay tuned for audio from that performance]
