Maxim Ludwig

On LA's east sides, you can find bands influenced by either Bruce Springsteen or the Velvet Underground as easily as finding a taco truck. But rarely do the two meet - the Boss is too earnest for acolytes of Lou Reed's druggy drones, and feedback treatments are too messy and chilly for Bruce's heartland partisans.
Drive He Said, the new quintet fronted by the alt-country refugee Maxim Ludwig, thinks such distinctions are ridiculous and LA rock fans should thank him for that. Ludwig is a charismatic singer-songwriter who had struggled to pull the right project together. But on its debut five-song e.p. "Multitudes," Drive He Said figured out that nothing evokes recession-era manly desperation like a squall from a red-lining Telecaster run through a hornets' nest of pedals.
Yet Ludwig is also smart enough to that noise is only as good as the song it serves, and Drive He Said has five really nice ones on this debut. Opener "Real Full-Time Guy" imagines the Replacements cracking some lawn-mowing beers with Neu!; "Make You Think You Love Me" parts the Cocteau Twins' reverb with an honest to goodness harmonica solo. It's artful without being arty, and emotional without a hint of pandering. If rock 'n' roll is dead, Drive He Said has a good chance of shocking it back to life as any new local act in a long time. - August Brown - LA TIMES

"If I were to highlight only one band from SXSW, this would be this one. To say that Ludwig is high energy simply doesn’t do him justice. He exudes enthusiasm with a confidence and maturity that belies his age. His songs have a familiar quality to them, a mix of Southern California country-influenced rock and classic Springsteen feel-good rock and roll. Many become smile-inducing sing-alongs, made all the better by the Santa Fe Seven’s tremendous harmonies and musicianship.

And in case you were wondering, there aren’t seven of them and they aren’t from Santa Fe." - Twangville

"If I were to highlight only one band from SXSW, this would be this one. To say that Ludwig is high energy simply doesn’t do him justice. He exudes enthusiasm with a confidence and maturity that belies his age. His songs have a familiar quality to them, a mix of Southern California country-influenced rock and classic Springsteen feel-good rock and roll. Many become smile-inducing sing-alongs, made all the better by the Santa Fe Seven’s tremendous harmonies and musicianship.

And in case you were wondering, there aren’t seven of them and they aren’t from Santa Fe." - Twangville

"There may be a certain amount of angst undercutting Maxim Ludwig’s hard-bitten anthems, but on songs like the ringing “Hudson Valley Blues” and “Big Black Train” – two tracks that in a perfect world, would ensure the band’s immortality – the unbridled energy and clear conviction are undeniable. The band’s tough yet tender sentiments inform practically every note on this noteworthy debut, coming across in ways reminiscent of the Band and Tom Petty with all their attendant issues and emotions. “Dead Ringer” and “Don’t Hold My Hand’ hint at a troubled psyche, a tenuous disposition that also affirms the darker side of remorseful ballads like “Paradise Cove” in particular, a song in which every note seems to linger only inches from an abyss. As a result, the band’s heady, deliberate approach demands to be taken seriously and suggests that Ludwig is a voice of consequence worthy of garnering serious attentionm and in fact, future anticipation as well." - No Depression

"There may be a certain amount of angst undercutting Maxim Ludwig’s hard-bitten anthems, but on songs like the ringing “Hudson Valley Blues” and “Big Black Train” – two tracks that in a perfect world, would ensure the band’s immortality – the unbridled energy and clear conviction are undeniable. The band’s tough yet tender sentiments inform practically every note on this noteworthy debut, coming across in ways reminiscent of the Band and Tom Petty with all their attendant issues and emotions. “Dead Ringer” and “Don’t Hold My Hand’ hint at a troubled psyche, a tenuous disposition that also affirms the darker side of remorseful ballads like “Paradise Cove” in particular, a song in which every note seems to linger only inches from an abyss. As a result, the band’s heady, deliberate approach demands to be taken seriously and suggests that Ludwig is a voice of consequence worthy of garnering serious attentionm and in fact, future anticipation as well." - No Depression

"…his live sets do so many different things right that it’s easy to
imagine him crossing over into all sorts of fan bases — Dwight Yoakam
alt-folk types, catharsis-craving Conor Oberst fans and maybe even some
adventurous dads who think “Nebraska” is still the best Springsteen
album.And the songs are very good indeed; the slow-burn ballads (“To Be
With Sweet Marie”) prove he’s spent time with Willie, and the bangers like
“Big Black Train” have all the swagger of the E Street Band, if that E
Street were in 1970s Laurel Canyon and gently tweaked hippies drove it
riding in stolen Cadillacs."
-August Brown - The Los Angeles Times

"…his live sets do so many different things right that it’s easy to
imagine him crossing over into all sorts of fan bases — Dwight Yoakam
alt-folk types, catharsis-craving Conor Oberst fans and maybe even some
adventurous dads who think “Nebraska” is still the best Springsteen
album.And the songs are very good indeed; the slow-burn ballads (“To Be
With Sweet Marie”) prove he’s spent time with Willie, and the bangers like
“Big Black Train” have all the swagger of the E Street Band, if that E
Street were in 1970s Laurel Canyon and gently tweaked hippies drove it
riding in stolen Cadillacs."
-August Brown - The Los Angeles Times

"deeply schooled in the art of Americana music stalwarts such as Bob
Dylan, the Band, Gram Parsons-era Byrds/Flying Burrito Brothers and the
twangiest leanings of the Rolling Stones.it’s hard not to believe that this
period in Ludwig’s career will one day be regarded with the kind of respect
invoked by those who caught the Buffalo Springfield’s early gigs at the
Whisky."
-Randy Lewis - The Los Angeles Times

"…delighted to discover Maxim Ludwig and the Santa Fe Seven, a seriously
kickin’ L.A. outfit that excels at bluesy, heartbroken Lost Highway
country-rock of the Ryan Adams and Ryan Bingham variety. Ludwig’s slow
ones, like the one in which he’s “saved by the weather” and “can’t live
without you, mama,” had a touch of the Black Crowes and the Black Keys to
‘em. His faster ones, meanwhile, have the bite of “Copperhead Road”-era
Steve Earle."
-Bob Weber - Orange County Register

"…delighted to discover Maxim Ludwig and the Santa Fe Seven, a seriously
kickin’ L.A. outfit that excels at bluesy, heartbroken Lost Highway
country-rock of the Ryan Adams and Ryan Bingham variety. Ludwig’s slow
ones, like the one in which he’s “saved by the weather” and “can’t live
without you, mama,” had a touch of the Black Crowes and the Black Keys to
‘em. His faster ones, meanwhile, have the bite of “Copperhead Road”-era
Steve Earle."
-Bob Weber - Orange County Register

“Maxim Ludwig was raw and rockin’, a nice little live band and fun to look
at.”
-Jeanne Murrin Wilkinson - No Depression

“Favorite Bands [at ACL 2010]: Broken Bells, Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe
Seven, the Kicks, Local Natives, Beach House”
-Margaret Moser - The Austin Chronicle

“Favorite Bands [at ACL 2010]: Broken Bells, Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe
Seven, the Kicks, Local Natives, Beach House”
-Margaret Moser - The Austin Chronicle

"Ludwig's voice ranges from a Heartbreaker-esque Ryan Adams ("Born Too
Blue") to a mid-'70s Bowie ("Big Black Train") and a rootsy, honey-thick
Some Girls-era Rolling Stones ("Paradise Cove"). His spectrum is so broad
that every song makes you feel as though you've heard it before yet can't
quite put your finger on when. What am I listening to, you wonder: rock,
folk, Americana, plugged-in emo? This is a good thing. Though Maxim and the
boys are familiar enough to make your ears comfy right away, you won't be
bored for a second."
- Celia Beresford - Phoenix New Times

"Ludwig's voice ranges from a Heartbreaker-esque Ryan Adams ("Born Too
Blue") to a mid-'70s Bowie ("Big Black Train") and a rootsy, honey-thick
Some Girls-era Rolling Stones ("Paradise Cove"). His spectrum is so broad
that every song makes you feel as though you've heard it before yet can't
quite put your finger on when. What am I listening to, you wonder: rock,
folk, Americana, plugged-in emo? This is a good thing. Though Maxim and the
boys are familiar enough to make your ears comfy right away, you won't be
bored for a second."
- Celia Beresford - Phoenix New Times