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Kevin Max | |
|---|---|
 Max in July 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kevin Max Smith |
| Born | (1967-08-17)August 17, 1967 (age 57) |
| Origin | Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Christian rock,alternative rock |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, vocals |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Northern,ForeFront,Motion, Blind Thief Recordings |
| Website | kevinmax |
Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) is an Americansinger,songwriter, andpoet. He is best known for being a member of theChristian pop groupdc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length studio albums, including a Christmas album. From 2012 until 2014, he was the lead singer of the bandAudio Adrenaline.
Adopted as a baby to Max and Elaine Smith, Kevin Smith was raised inGrand Rapids,Michigan.[1] Kevin went to high school at Grand Rapids Baptist (nowNorthpointe Christian).[1] He went to college atLiberty University in Lynchburg Virginia.[2] Kevin Max Smith legally changed his name to "Kevin Max" in 1997 as a tribute to his adoptive father, Max Smith.[3]
While at Liberty University, he met fellowdc Talk bandmatesToby McKeehan ("tobyMac") andMichael Tait. They formed DC Talk in 1988 and went on to achieve great success in bothChristian and mainstream music, winning numerous Dove Awards and Grammys.[1] The band went on to win fourGrammy Awards and 16GMA Dove Awards. The band went on hiatus in 2000 as each member pursued their own solo careers.
Max's first solo album,Stereotype Be, released on August 28, 2001, was praised byAllmusic for "[combining] pop, rock, and world music to create a versatile and intriguing project.".[4] ArtistsAdrian Belew andTony Levin ofKing Crimson,Larry Norman and drummerMatt Chamberlain contributed to the album along with Max's collaborator Erick Cole. It became a turning point in Max's career, as the project was a foreshadowing of Max's own brand of alternative music.
WhileStereotype Be has developed a considerable cult following, it was not 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, includingBetween the Fence & the Universe and a spoken-word collaboration with Adrian Belew,Raven Songs 101, both in 2004.
In fall of 2004, Max'sword-of-mouth strategy finally began to pay off. He played the title role in the Visalia Theatre Company / Hutson-Cavale Productions revival of the classicTim Rice andAndrew Lloyd Webber musicalJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Later that year, he signed a new deal withNorthern Records and released a second full-length album,The Imposter on October 11, 2005. He released aChristmas album,Holy Night, in time for the 2005 Christmas season.
In April 2007, Infinity Music announced that Max had been signed to their label for his next project.The Blood was released on December 26, 2007.[5] 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."[5]
Max has attempted to create a name for himself apart fromDC Talk. While he does not shy away from vocally defending his faith, he has expressed a desire to create art with a universal appeal. He insists, "My music is for aChristian and aBuddhist to pick up and still enjoy, as well as for anatheist. But it is there to prod and ask questions: What is my worldview? What do I believe in, and why do I believe it?"[6]
In February 2008, Max starred in the independent filmThe Imposter.[7] In the film, Kevin plays a character named "Johnny C", a singer who becomes addicted toOxyContin and loses his family and job as a Christian music star. The movie also featuresTom Wright andTroy Baker.[8]
In 2009, Max releasedCrashing Gates through dPulse records. It was critically praised as returning to his experimental side in the rock and pop genres.[9]
In February 2011, Max formed asupergroup withBroadway singerTony Vincent and longtime collaborator David Larring. The band was tentatively named "Bad Omens". The three were writing songs when Vincent decided to drop out to pursue theater interests, leaving the new band in a state of pause. A song, "Control", can be heard on Max's SoundCloud.[10][11]
On February 27, 2012, Max releasedFiefdom of Angels-Side One, the first of two albums to coincide with the forthcoming novel series of the same name. The overall project were chosen covers of well known 80's rock songs, with one Kevin Max original and aMuse cover set to lush orchestration. Ology Magazine describes the work as "a new wave mix-tape played at full volume through the Sistine Chapel".[12]
In August 2012, Max became the new lead vocalist in a reunitedAudio Adrenaline.[13] He continued with the band until June 2014, when the band opted to take a different creative direction.[14]
Max has also contributed vocally to other artists projects includingMark Heard,Jonathan Thulin,Marc Martel,Michael McDonald,3kStatic, and many others.
In late 2014, Max released two singles, "Infinite" and "Light Me Up". On March 10, 2015 the albumBroken Temples was released.[15]
In 2015, Max released another studio album of covers of pop standardsStarry Eyes Surprise. Max releasedPlaying Games With the Shadow in 2016,Serve Somebody in 2017, and bothAWOL andRomeo Drive in 2018.
In 2020, Max released spoken word albumRadio Teknika with electronic pioneers 3Kstatic and in the same summer releasedRevisiting This Planet a tribute to legendary rock artistLarry Norman. Later that year, Max announced a new indie rock band called Sad Astronauts.[16]
In 2022, Max released the albumFANTASY with co-production by Old Bear Records, Chris Hoisington. SinglesPure Imagination and David Bowie'sAs The World Falls Down were also released.
A Kickstarter campaign was successful in supporting the new albumWinter Woods to be released before December 25, 2022.
In a statement made on his Facebook page, Max announced that he would be creating an album with Father John Misty Bassist, Eli Thomson in the spring of 2023. Elijah Thomson was also featured on Max's album The Imposter.
In 1997, Max married Alayna Bennett. They divorced in 2003. In April 2005, he married Amanda Lynn MacDonald,[17] but stated in an interview that earlier the two had "a secretwedding 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."[18] They have four children. In August 2010, Max and family moved back toGrand Rapids,Michigan. In 2016, Kevin Max bought a farm an hour southwest of Nashville in Centerville, Tennessee, and called it "Blind Thief Farm and Studio".[19] In 2018, the Max family moved to the Westhaven community in Franklin, Tennessee. The Max family frequently tours the states in a Winnebago/Mercedes RV titledBilbo Waggons.
Max became vocal on social media about his politics and spiritual deconstruction in 2019 and 2020 during the pandemic. On the song "Shock Ra" from his 2020 albumRadio Teknika, he proclaims himself a "gothic, hippie, inclusive, Jesus freak wanting peace", alongside other political commentary on the album.[20] Politically, Max has identified as ananarchist[21][22] and expressed support for a number ofleft-wing causes.[23] By 2021, he specifically identified as an "exvangelical", though he rejected claims that he was no longer a Christian and said that he followed "the Universal Christ".[24][25][26]
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ [27] | US Heat [28] | ||
| 2001 | Stereotype Be
| 12 | 20 |
| 2005 | The Imposter
| — | — |
Holy Night
| — | — | |
| 2007 | The Blood
| — | — |
| 2010 | Cotes d'Armor (True Rebels)
| — | — |
| 2015 | Broken Temples[29][non-primary source needed]
| 32 | 22 |
Starry Eyes Surprise
| — | — | |
| 2016 | Playing Games With The Shadow
| — | — |
| 2017 | Serve Somebody
| — | — |
| 2018 | AWOL
| — | — |
Romeo Drive
| — | — | |
| 2020 | Radio Teknika
| — | — |
Compilation albums
| Year | Single | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Be" | Stereotype Be | |
| "Existence" | |||
| "You" | |||
| 2005 | "Seek" | Between the Fence & the Universe | |
| "Sanctuary" | The Imposter | ||
| 2006 | "Confessional Booth" | ||
| 2007 | "Run on for a Long Time"(featuringChris Sligh) | The Blood | |
| "The Cross"(featuringdc Talk) | |||
| 2009 | "Traveler" | Cotes d'Armor (True Rebels) | |
| 2010 | "On Yer Bike!" | ||
| "Unholy Triad" | |||
| "Exorcist" | non-album single | ||
| 2011 | "Take a Bow" | Fiefdom of Angels: Side One | |
| 2012 | "Kings & Queens" | Kings & Queens (Audio Adrenaline) | |
| 2013 | "Believer" | ||
| "King of the Comebacks" | |||
| 2014 | "He Moves You Move" | ||
| "Infinite"(featuringRachael Lampa) | Broken Temples | ||
| "Light Me Up" | |||
| "Cave of a Million Songs" | Praise and Arrows(soundtrack) | ||
| 2015 | "Clear" | Broken Temples | |
| 2016 | "Girl with the Tiger Eyes" | Playing Games with the Shadow | |
| 2017 | "Let the Day Begin" | Serve Somebody | |
| "Plans" | non-album single | ||
| 2018 | "Moonracer" | AWOL | |
| 2019 | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" |(withMichael Tait) | non-album single | |
| 2021 | "A Pearl To Hide" | non-album single | |
| 2022 | "As The World Falls Down' | "Pure Imagination" | "Coventry Carol" |
Music videos
Film
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
