One of the Best of South Jersey
For the second consecutive year, Max the Dork was voted "One of the Best Live Local Bands of South Jersey" by readers of the Courier Post. The full Best of South Jersey list will be published May 6.
"One of the Best" means we were not the top live local band but we were in the top 3. So once again, we'd like to thank all our fans for voting for us and naming us One of the Best. Without all of you, we'd just be "Max who?" (-:
Bret.MtD
Post your commentLabels: band, best, courier, dork, jersey, live, local, max, post, south
posted by Bret 12:48 PM
Lineup Change
You may notice a different person holding the bass in our band photo, and under the Band Members section. That's Mo. She's our new bass player.
I don't want to go into too much detail about why we have a new bass player but I'll give the basic facts. Justin, who had been with the band for four years, has moved to Michigan. We lost a good bass player, one who has been an integral part of the band and part of the identity of the band for a long time, longer than any band member other than yours truly. But he had to do what he had to do. We wish him well.
I've worked with Maureen (Mo) on a couple studio projects when I was a recording engineer at Lake Studios. Her band, Her Majesty's Secret Service, came and recorded during the summer of 2005. I was impressed with her bass style, but I was even more impressed with her vocal ability. Cross Pat Benatar's power with Debbie Harry's timbre, and you've got Mo. Later, when Brazilian band Kings Will Never Mind came in and needed a female for backing vocals, she was the first and only person I called. They were not at all disappointed with the final result.
I've kept in touch with Mo over the years, and so when Justin left the band and we needed a replacement, once again she was at the top of a very short list of potential replacements. She was excited at the prospect of playing with the Dork, and so we gave her a few songs to learn and had her come in for an audition. She had a great positive energy the first time she came in, and a willingness to work that certainly impressed the hell out of me. Plus, in addition to the four songs I gave her to learn, she also learned three others that night, including bass-heavy songs like "Unemployment Blues."
We took our next rehearsal into Philly, to Columbus Rehearsal Studio on Delaware Ave. This was the first time Frank and Mo got together, and considering they're the rhythm section, I'd say they gelled pretty well. We pretty much made it official that night, that Mo was our new bass player. Especially when she started singing backup on "AtmosFear" and "Nocturnal Emissions." Look for a lot more vocal participation from our new bass player. She's gonna blow you away.
So that's the story. It's sad to see Justin go but we've got way too much going on to let the Dork die now. Besides, as long as I'm a member, the Dork will never pass. On the horizon, we've got a pressing of 100 CDs for "Making War for Fun and Profit" coming, plus we've re-pressed some old favorites, the "Duets" EP and "Crapital Punishment." We'll be honing our next project, "Cunning Linguist," this winter and spring and playing a few live shows, and then towards the end of Summer we should be in the studio recording album #5. (That's Cunning Linguist in case you weren't paying attention). Plus, I'm currently going through old live recordings to put together a bootleg-style live album, tentatively titled "More Live Than Live Stuff That Is Live." I'm pulling material from about a dozen shows over the years, with a few different lineups, including from 2002 when MtD was still a solo act.
So there's a lot going on. Now you know why we had to get a new bass player, so stop asking. And welcome Mo, you're gonna be seeing a lot more of her in the future. And you'll be better off for it. (-:
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posted by Bret 6:36 AM
Oh What A Night! The Boiler Room
Last night was, to say the least, an adventure. We were booked to play the Boiler Room, a new venue in Kensington that we've heard good things about, with our good friends from Something In the Water. We were really looking forward to this show, and we (Erin and I in one car, Justin and Geo in another) left my house about quarter-to-seven in high spirits.
Well. Then we hit a shitload of traffic at the Ben Franklin Bridge toll. Justin fell two cars behind me at the tool booth, and we slowed up while merging into bridge traffic (which went the span) and I caught a glimpse as Justin's car was swallowed up behind me. I figured, no problem, when I get to the 5th St. exit, I'll pull over and hit my flashers, Justin will see me and pull off and we'll be fine.
The next thing I know, we're almost over the bridge and here comes Justin on my left side. He tried to merge in behind me but the car behind me squeezed him out. Now he had no where to go, so he ended up in front of me. Now, I had the directions, and Justin doesn't know Philadelphia from Cairo. So here I am pulling off the 5th St. exit, and there goes Justin onto the Vine St. Expressway. I'm like, well, let's just say, the inside of my car was as blue as the outside. We tried calling Geo's phone but she was out of minutes. So we ended up calling Frank, who was already at the Boiler Room with Something in the Water. I explained the situation to him and he was like, oh shit. No shit oh shit. We talked for a bit and decided that worst comes to worse, we'll do a White Stripes version of MtD.
So we got to 5th and Susquehanna. The directions tell us to turn right on Dauphin St. and then turn right onto 4th and we're there. But when I turn onto Dauphin, there's a big fucking PARK right in the middle of the road. I can't GET to 4th St. from Dauphin. So now I'm REALLY like FUCK!!! Poor Erin had to suffer the barrage of obscenities. Sorry, hon. Anyway, after circling the block several times, we FINALLY got to where we needed to be, on the East side of 4th St. on Susquehanna, and then there were signs telling where to turn for the Boiler Room.
When we pulled up we saw Frank standing there with Heroin Bob and Lauren and HB's girlfriend (sorry, I forgot your name). Frank and I talked about the situation for a while. We both knew there was no way Justin was going to make it to the show. I was doubtful Justin would even make it home. I just figured we'd pick him up in Harrisburg or something.
So. But here we were, two members of a three-piece band. Hey, what the fuck, right? It's punk rock! So we went up and did the best we could with two pieces. I cut out my guitar solos, and turned the bass up on the guitar amp and played off the neck pickup all night. Frank had an awesome two-minute solo during "We're Not A Jam Band." And instead of playing "AtmosFear" which has a lot of guitar solo and really NEEDS the bass, we played "Lockstep." Good times. The crowd was awesome, although I think we took them by surprise with "Foreplay." They didn't seem to understand that "SUCK MY DICK, BITCH!" was the entire song. Well, they know now (-:
So, afterward we packed up and went home. Erin wasn't feeling well so unfortunately we couldn't stay for the other bands. Sorry guys, maybe next time. But near home we got a call from Geo. She and Justin had JUST gotten home. Wow. Color me impressed.
So to recap, Justin got lost, we got lost, we found the place, we did a two-piece set, and almost beat Justin home. Good times. Last night was definitely one for the books. Well hell, Max the Dork has performed with just guitar, as a three-piece, with just guitar and bass, with just bass and drums...We'd never done just guitar and drums before. Until last night. So now we've done it all. Be happy for us. (-:
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posted by Bret 12:22 PM
Max the Dork featured in ImpulseImpulse Magazine article on Max the Dork
I got mis-quoted on a few things. For example, I said that I grew up on Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, not Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Yes, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a funny movie. But not a big punk influence.
Other than that, it's a fairly good article about the band. I'm definitely pleased.
posted by Bret 12:27 PM
Max the Dork Live in Pitman!Only our second ever show in Pitman since the closing of the Orient Espresso in 2002, and our first since last August. This time we're playing at the Bus Stop Music Cafe right in downtown Pitman, across from the NJ Transit bus stop on Broadway. Admission is $7, and guess what? IT'S ALL AGES!!! We're also playing with former Pitman band Slobbergun (now based in Philadelphia) and just added, Genitals Chicken of Sewell! It's gonna be a hoot and a half!
$7
All Ages
8-11 PM
posted by Bret 1:27 PM
Some new VIDEOS! WHAT!
That's right, fuckers, new videos posted on our Videos page from some recent concerts that YOU may have been at! And if you weren't, that's cool too, you get the whole concert experience! Go check them out now! They are:
From The Arena, April 21st:
The Rocky Intro/Eyes Naked
Foreplay/Cunnilingus With A Razor
From The Arena, April 7th:
The James Bond Intro/Secret Agent Man
Fudge, Packer?
And coming soon, everyone's new favorite song, Duality, from our May 13th show at The Spot in NE Philly.
Keep yer eyes peeled!
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posted by Bret 12:45 PM
Updated Bios (FINALLY!)
Yeah, I've been lax in my dual duty (heh, DOOTIE) as bandmember and webmaster, and I haven't updated our Bios page in a long time. Well, it's updated. New band pic, new info on our new drummer, and some updated information on our veteran members. Check it out today. Just don't click on the fire.
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posted by Bret 11:18 PM
New songs posted
People have been BEGGING us to get a recording of Duality up, so this weekend we did a rough recording of it and today it's up on our Myspace page. Also up is our much-requested cover of Kodachrome. Enjoy!
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posted by Bret 7:07 PM