Maximum Angel

Maximum Angel is comprised of musicians from the Philadelphia/ West Chester, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware areas. The songwriting and recording is primarily done by the core members: Scott Wardell (Guitars), James Wardell (Drums), Jason DeCaestecker, (guitars), Rico Rivera(congas), and Geoff Giordano (Guitars, Bass, Keys, Vocals). Several local talented musicians have been brought in for recording sessions and live performances, to fill in spots for keys, bass, horns, vocals, percussion, etc. They have been performing in venues in Delaware and West Chester since last year (2003). Their style is a hybrid of many styles of rock and roll, spanning genres across the board. They play original music, as well as a wide variety of covers.
In live performances, they have covered artists as varied as Steely Dan, Soundgarden, Porno For Pyros, Prince, Sonic Youth, Tortoise, Led Zeppelin and Talking Heads. They try to incorporate all kinds of style of rock and roll into their music. Straight ahead Classic rock, Alternative rock, Progressive rock, Punk, Jazz Fusion, Electronica, 70s Soft rock, and 80s pop, etc. Their goal is to fuse pop music with valid rock and roll, and we think they have succeeded.

Their songwriting technique includes subtle jazz fusion-influenced compositions mixed with the abstractions of alternative rock, carved with a pop sensibility, yet too obscure to be pop, and too catchy to be underground- street credit on both sides of the tracks, yet reverent to neither.

Their songs are tales with uncommon premises, stories that come from a strong appreciation of (and inspiration from) literature and film: meta-fiction, pop, beat, and post-beat literature, as well as the great filmmakers of our times, of all genres. Stories as far out and wild as a struggling band’s break playing a gig at the holy grail of entertainment decadence-the Playboy Mansion (The Mansion); or an erotic spontaneous tryst in a strange and seedy nightclub(Mos Isley); or as strange as a frustrated photographer torn by his obsession with a model who may or may not be a ghost, or some weird figment of his imagination (Expose For the Shadows- the title song from their demo). These are the varied themes which make Maximum Angel different and appealing to an audience that wants more than the usual fare. They are currently recording a new batch of songs to add to their demo, to make their first full-length album/demo.

Scott and James Wardell are brothers and have been playing music together all their lives. Scott and Jason DeCaestecker have known each other musically since high school (@ 1989), and have played together in several bands and have been writing songs together for many years. Geoff Giordano (Age 29) met them through mutual musician friends in high school (@1993)and has played music with them, informally, since then. All members have been playing in bands since then, either together or apart since then, and although several of them had moderate local success, these bands did not survive for one reason or another. Giordano played in a Jazz-fusion/Pop band in the later 90’s. Scott Wardell took part in a Heavy Metal/Rap project during this same time, while DeCaestecker began working on an electronic-instrumental project in Philadelphia. Later, The Wardell brothers and DeCaestecker formed a band called Bayong, which was an instrumental, experimental dub-reggae project. In 2002, after a two year stint in New York, learning about film and photography, Giordano found himself back in Delaware recording solo work with Scott Wardell at his home studio for personal projects, and playing keys in Bayong. These projects soon came to an end, and as a result, they decided to start this band, Maximum Angel (The name is borrowed from a Hunter S. Thompson euphemism for a/the leading member of the/a Hell‘s Angels Chapter).Their diverse backgrounds merged well, while their common influences helped fuel a very creative approach.