Max And The Moon

MATM is a triple threat who’s sound pleases the best of the indie, pop, and rock genres. Their catchy lyrics and up-beat instrumentals make their songs impossible to get out of your head. Watch their artistic music video at the bottom of the interview to find out what all the buzz is about. But first, take a look at my conversation with lead singer and piano player Max Couchois.



BM: Thank you so much for doing this interview with me.

Matt: Of course thanks for taking to the time to interview us. My name is Matt Couchois and im one of the lead singers and piano players in Max and the Moon.



BM: Let’s start with the basics. Could you talk a little bit about how Max and the Moon started?

Matt: MATM started as a two piece back in 2009. John and I started out doing our own originals at coffee shops and open mic nights. After about 6 months we brought in my brother on drums (dillon) and Zachariah on bass.



BM: For readers who haven’t had heard your music, how would you describe it?

Matt: I would say our sound is a pot luck of different influences with a modern take. We love to use a lot of vocal harmonies to create mood and catchy guitar or piano riffs to create melody. Some would say that we sound like Local Natives meets Passion Pit, which in itself is a HUGE compliment but we definitely take influence from both of them.



BM: Your sound is so unique and almost impossible to stick into just one genre of music. Do each of the band members add their own personal touch to the music?

Matt: Absolutely. Zachariah, bass and back up vocals, takes a lot of influence from his folk singer/song-writer background. John, lead guitar and vocals, takes a lot of influence from jazz and old mo-town. I take a lot from old pop and classic rock. Dillon, our drummer, is very much into classic rock and instrumental music like Explosions in the Sky. Together it makes for an interesting blend and creates a great song-writing process.



BM: How does the band go about coming up with songs to do?

Matt: The typical way usually stems from an idea that John or I will have. Then we’ll take it to the rhythm section and work on it as a band. Sometimes however, we’ll start our rehearsal just jamming and every now and then something will spring to life and become a song. It’s always a little different with each song.



BM: Would you say the lyrics come from personal experiences or mostly story-telling?

Matt: They definitely stem from personal experiences but end up being told as a story. One of the reasons the name Max and the Moon really stuck was because it reminded us of a children’s book and what it meant to create like a child. I think that tells a lot about how we write and how personal these songs really are to us. We take the lyrical content very seriously and only write songs that mean a lot to us.



BM: So far the band has released “The Way I See”. It has four songs that are really great. What does the band hope to accomplish with the EP?

Matt: This EP was really our big first step at making music a career. We really want to build a strong fan base here in LA/OC and start building a strong push into our next EP/LP. We really have been working hard at writing and playing well live, and also creating a big online presence with the blogs and social networks.



BM: What has the response been like so far?

Matt: Very good! People have been very receptive to this EP and have said a lot of great things about it. It’s also helped get our name out to people in places that we’ve never been and played on radio stations like KROQ and 98.7



BM: Because the band is so unique, it’s hard to imagine you guys have had a hard time standing out. But has it still been a struggle to make a name for yourself?

Matt: Of course. It’s not an easy job making a name for yourself as a band. You have to sacrifice a lot to make it work and we’re learning that more and more every day.



BM: Are there any plans to release another album?

Matt: Absolutely! We’re always writing and our philosophy is that we’ll record and release another record when the songs are there. Right now we’re still working on releasing two more music videos for this EP and a lot of more shows as well. I think you can bet next year will be time to keep your ears peeled for something new. - Majestic Lion Entertainment

From Chino Hills, CA – soulful & catchy indie rock in the same vein as Cold War Kids - The DaDaDa

A week ago, I stumbled on to Max & the Moon's song, Light House, on Bandcamp. I listened, and instantly started writing up a post for it, and also included Out of My Head (here). It wasn't even a full listen through one song, and Max & the Moon had made a huge fan out of me. Earlier today, Max & the Moon blessed us all by releasing their The Way I See EP. The EP adds on a couple extra songs to the ones previously posted on TheRecordStache. New tracks, The Way I See and The Walk, are a welcome listening experience. Max & the Moon's specialty is making robust indie pop. Sing-a-long choruses, gorgeous harmonies, insightful lyrics, and upbeat instrumentation are all found within The Way I See EP. I can guarantee that these four songs will be in heavy rotation for a long time while I wait for a full length debut.
- The Record Stache

Transcendent, boppy, positive, and stunning, The Way I See by Max and the Moon is an impressive EP. Upon each additional listen, I find new layers. The entire album has the polish and creativity that appears in innovative films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. They show quite a range in just four songs. “Light House” is my favorite song on the EP; it’s that kind of strange you just can’t help feeling groovy with. “Out of My Head” repeats the eponymous lyric in a way that remains catchy. “The Walk” is slower and, in a metaphor of films, would be the scene where the lead is having an epiphany. “The Way I See” is a jazz finale to the album that closes it and makes me want more. Unfortunately, there isn’t any more. They give you a solid four songs and leave you wanting. It’s fantastic. Check this album out and let us know what your favorite song is. - Music In Press

Max and the Moon
The Way I See EP
http://maxandthemoon.bandcamp.com/

We apologize here at Beat Blvd for being a little late on this one -- the band's record release party was yesterday -- but it's been a distracting week on our end, including the passage of a dear friend. So if you were at last night's show you probably already know the score about the partially-Fullerton-based Max and the Moon and their sophomore release and that the opening track on the EP starts with such a note-perfect Beach Boys harmony bit that for a second we were wondering if we'd accidentally hit shuffle on iTunes.

No complaints when that's done well, of course, and in the 21st century alone there have been endless bands planting their flag there. What Max and the Moon have going is that strain of singing combined with a fair amount of other things in indie of recent years -- it's not Animal Collective's lost-in-the-sonic-fog sweeps, more the kind of jaunty kick-up-your-heels rock that actually feels a bit like the kind of thing a slew of Anglo/Anglophilic mid-90s indie-pop bands did, rough around the edges but never without a catchy chorus. (There's even a hint of the too-obscure Butterfly Child at points on "The Walk" -- and trust us, we mean that as very high praise.)

The description the band offers of themselves as also being influenced by blues and jazz is something maybe more in the spirit rather than much of the sound, admittedly -- there aren't genre mixups here so much as sweetly accomplished and sunny sounding riffs and singing. But when moments like the piano break on "Out of My Head" and the mix of sprightly guitar sparkle and drumming on the title track snaps into a vocal and percussion only moment, it's all good no matter what label you put on it. - OC Weekly

Ones To Watch: Max And The Moon

Max and The Moon cover art

As I finish my chocolate Easter bunny, I’m reminded that spring isn’t solely for fashion, weather and the beginning of festival season – but there’s almost a flowering in music. Chino Hills, CA band Max And The Moon follow suit with a harmonic diversity wherein one could be swallowed whole by the Spectoresque showcase of “Out Of My Head” or their lost-in-thought ballad, aptly named “The Walk”.

It doesn’t stay boring; instead each song in their EP “The Way I See” follows an organic progression, allowing for the tracks to each form a different narrative. Another great focal point of this album are the lush vocals provided, allowing for an even influence of beat and voice.

There’s an obvious beach-rock influence; however, rather than an easy ode to The Beach Boys, whom they’ve been compared to, I’m drawn to a more folkly comparison – like Fleet Foxes, especially in the vocal ocean scenery created in “Light House”.

I suppose where I draw the connection between spring and Max And The Moon is really in the bursting, colorful melodies. As John Velasquez, Matt Couchois and Zachary Weaver weave around one another vocally, Dillion Couchois is just as rhymically strong on the drums. He plays so as not to be overshadowed by the trio’s impressive harmonies, instead providing either an equally good musical foundation or creative percussion in an almost playful fashion. That’s not to ignore the rest of the instruments – guitar, bass and piano are each played with equally creative tenacity, allowing for a larger, kalediscopic sound.

Lyrically, I wasn’t caught immediately as the music was more attention-grabbing. It was really after my fifth listen that I found myself as entertained by lyrics – they’re of pop caliber, but it left me wanting more outside of the simple pining of “Out Of My Head” and “The Walk”. However, that’s not to ignore that the quartet has an uncanny knack for hooks, so while not lyrically strong, “The Way I See” is still a memorable cooperation between lyrics and music.

I have far too little to complain about with Max And The Moon, as I see what they currently lack as room for progress – and considering their current sound, I predict their potential will be ear-catching as well as heart-stealing. I look forward to what they will provide next. You can stream ”The Way I See” below. - Listen Before You Buy

“The Way I See” — the second EP from Max and the Moon — positions the Chino Hills trio in some fashionably melodic territory. Signer-guitarist John Velasquez, joined by brothers Matt and Dillon Couchois, heaps on harmonies, hooks and melodies that recall a more mainstream-sounding Local Natives (the title track, especially) or a less folky Milo Greene. They think bigger on the sprawling 6-minute track “The Walk,” couching its dreaminess in ambient electronics. Add some more foot soldiers to L.A.’s army of harmonizers, whose pop forays can make you shimmy and sway. - BuzzBands.LA