Kevin Max

Infobox musical artist
Name = Kevin Max


Img_capt = Kevin Max in April 2005
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Kevin Max Smith
Born = Birth date and age|1967|8|17
Origin = Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Genre = Christian rock Alternative rock
Years_active = 1988 –Present [http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/artists/KevinMax.asp Kevin Max profile] on Jesus Freak Hideout]
Label = Northern Records ForeFront Records
Associated_acts = dc Talk

Kevin Max (born August 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist since 2001, he has recorded four full-length studio albums and two EPs.

Biography

Early years

His birth name is "Kevin Max Smith", but he legally shortened it to "Kevin Max" in 1997, as a tribute to his birth father. Kevin was himself adopted by the Smith family and grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Another reason behind changing his name might be because his adoptive brother was named Max. Kevin showed incredible vocal and musical talent early in his life and his talent grew while at Northpointe Christian High School and later at Liberty University in Lynchburg Virginia.

dc Talk

Later, at Liberty University, he met fellow dc Talk bandmates: Toby McKeehan and Michael Tait. Together they formed dc Talk and went on to achieve great success in both Christian and mainstream music. The band went on to win four Grammy Awards, 16 GMA Dove Awards, and other recognitions. However, they decided to take an extended "intermission" in 2000. fact|date=March 2008

pirituality

In recent years, Kevin Max has attempted to create a name for himself apart from dc Talk. While he does not shy away from vocally defending his Christian faith, he has expressed a desire to create art with a universal appeal. He insists, "My music is for a Christian and a Buddhist to pick up and still enjoy, as well as for an atheist. But it is there to prod and ask some questions: What's my worldview? What do I believe in, and why do I believe it?" [cite web |title=Kevin Max Ready to Release 'The Blood' This Fall |publisher="Soul Shine" magazine |date=2007-04-20 |url=http://www.soulshine.ca/news/newsarticle.php?nid=4392 |accessdate=2008-07-16]

"Stereotype Be"

The resulting solo album, "Stereotype Be", released on August 28, 2001, was praised by Allmusic for " [combining] pop, rock, and world music to create a versatile and intriguing project."fact|date=March 2008 Legendary artists Adrian Belew, Larry Norman, and Tony Levin contributed to the album.

Further projects

While "Stereotype Be" has developed a considerable cult following, it wasn't well-received in the Christian music market. Soon after its release, Max was dropped from his Christian label, Forefront Records. Undeterred, Max began to slowly build his solo career through live shows and word-of-mouth. He released independent albums via his website, including an EP entitled "Between the Fence & the Universe" and a spoken-word collaboration with Adrian Belew entitled "Raven Songs 101", both in 2004.

In fall of 2004, Max's word-of-mouth strategy finally began to pay off. He played the title role in the Visalia Theatre Company / Hutson-Cavale Productions revival of the classic Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Later that year, he signed a new deal with Northern Records and released a second full-length album, titled "The Imposter", said to "contain...a sound that recalls the passion of early U2, the soul of Jeff Buckley, and the ambiguity of Blur, on October 18, 2005. He released a Christmas album, titled "Holy Night", in time for the 2005 holiday season.

In April 2007, Infinity Music announced that Kevin Max signed onto their label for his next project. His latest album, "The Blood", was released on December 26, 2007. According to Max, "The Blood is not a classic hymns cover project or a white/homogenized version of black gospel or soul music. It's a sensitive and stylized adaption of the music that was at the root of rock and roll, blues and popular culture."cite web |url=http://www.yourmusiczone.com/go/ymz/music_artist/max_kevin |title=Kevin Max |publisher=Yourmusiczone.com |accessdate=2008-07-16]

In February 2008 Kevin Max starred in the independent film The Imposter Movie, on location in Dallas Texas. [ [http://www.theimpostermovie.com Official site for The Imposter] ] Kevin plays a character named "Johnny C", a singer who becomes addicted to Oxycontin and loses his family and job as a Christian Music Star. The movie also features Tom Wright, Troy Baker and many others.fact|date=July 2008

Poetry and writings

Max is also a poet and an author. He has published four books, three of which are poetry books: "At the Foot of Heaven" (1994), "The Detritus of Dorian Gray" (2003) and "PO.ET.RY" (2005). The other is an autobiography of sorts titled "Unfinished Work" (2001), an in-depth look at the meaning of each of his songs from "Stereotype Be". In addition, Max has a spoken-word EP album that accompanies his first poetry book "At the Foot of Heaven", released in 1995 by Starsong Productions.

Personal life

In 1997, Max married Alayna Bennett. They divorced in 2003 for undisclosed reasons.fact|date=July 2008 In April 2005, he married Amanda Lynn MacDonald,cite web |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Kevin_Max_The_Imposter/21535/p1/ |title=Kevin Max: The Imposter? |work=Cross Rhythms |date=2006-05-10 |author=Mike Rimmer |accessdate=2008-07-16] but stated in an interview that earlier the two had "a secret wedding and marriage vows were spoken and we had binding agreement together in front of a spiritual leader. But we decided to go with the public ceremony a little bit later."cite web |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/kevin_max_the_imposter/21535/p2/ |title=Kevin Max: The Imposter? |page=2 |work=Cross Rhythms |date=2006-05-10 |accessdate=2008-08-22 |author=Mike Rimmer] Their daughter, London, was born on October 7, 2005. They lived in Hollywood, California, until July 2006, when Max and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada.Fact|date=July 2008 In December 2006, Max announced on his website that he and Amanda were expecting the birth of their second child (a boy) in June 2007. He was born as Wilder Liam Max at 7:00PM on June 6, 2007.Fact|date=July 2008 Kevin Max and family have moved back to Nashville where Max has secured a new recording contract. In August 2008, Kevin announced on his website that he and Amanda are expecting a third child.

Discography

olo

* "At the Foot of Heaven" (spoken word EP, Starsong, 1995)
* "Stereotype Be" (Forefront Records, 2001)
* "Between the Fence & the Universe" (EP, Northern Records, 2004)
* "The Imposter" (Northern Records, 2005)
* "Holy Night" (Northern Records, 2005)
* "The Blood" (2007)
* "Crashing Gates and Passing Keepers" (Currently in production)

Collaborations

* "The Canticle of the Plains", (musical written by Rich Mullins, 1997)
* "Raven Songs 101" (collaboration with Adrian Belew, Blind Thief Publishing, 2003)

ingles

* "Sanctuary" (2005)
* "Existence" (2001)
* "Be" (2001)

Filmography

* "Existence" (ForeFront Records, 2001)
* "Seek Live" (Northern Records, 2003)
* "Untitled" (Blind Thief Publishing, 2003)

Books

* "At the Foot of Heaven" (poetry/artwork, Starsong, 1994)
* "Unfinished Work" (autobiography, T. Nelson, 2001)
* "The Detritus of Dorian Gray" (poetry, Blind Thief Publishing, 2003)
* "PO/ET/RY" (poetry, Blind Thief Publishing, 2005)

Guest appearances

*Rich Mullins - To Tell Them:from the 1992 album "The World as Best as I Remember It, Volume Two"
*Kevin Max - Lonely Moon:from the 1994 album "Strong Hand of Love: A Tribute to Mark Heard"
*Audio Adrenaline - My World View:from the 1994 album "Don't Censor Me"
*Passafist - Louie's Solo:from the 1996 album "Never Say Dinosaur"
*Rich Mullins - If I Could Make It Work, Love's as Strong:from the 1997 album "Canticle of the Plains"
*Kevin Max - Save Me:from the 1998 album ""
*SONICFLOOd - Something About That Name:from the 1999 album "SONICFLOOd"
*Kevin Max - Help Me Rhonda:from the 2002 album ""
*tobyMac - Atmosphere: Remix:from the 2004 album "Welcome to Diverse City"
*Playdough - Sandal Sole:from the 2006 album "Don't Drink the Water"
*Manic Drive - Blue:from the 2007 album "Reset & Rewind"

ee also

*dc Talk
*Tait
*Michael Tait
*Toby McKeehan
*Northern Records

References

External links

* [http://www.kevinmaxmusic.com/v6/index.php Kevin Max]
* [http://www.myspace.com/kevin_max1767 Kevin Max MySpace site]
* [http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/article.php?article_id=93 NewReleaseTueswday.com Between The Fence And the Universe Interview]
* [http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/article.php?article_id=107 NewReleaseTuesday.com Exclusive The Blood Interview with Kevin Max]
* [http://www.wreckedfortheordinary.com/index.asp?filename=the-blood Interview with Kevin Max About "The Blood" with "Wrecked for the Ordinary"]