Zach Maxwell
New York City, New York, United States
Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
This band has no press
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Like the rest of life, music shouldnt make you feel like youre just punching the clock or spinning your wheels. It should be a journey. One in which the artist weaves together his or her experiences into impeccably performed songs that not only appeal to the ear with strong hooks and addictive melodies, but also resonate deeply on an emotional level. Tunes that have the power to directly move the listener to their very core, and perhaps even serve as reassuring beacons during difficult times. Such a skill is, of course, a rare gift for any artist, and one that takes most of them decades to attain, if at all. And yet its a skill that Zach Maxwell, still only in his mid twenties, already hasin abundance.
I write songs to tell stories, about life, about humans and how interesting and unique they are, says Zach, whose powerful, soul-infused, near four-octave voice and virtuosic guitar playing make his narratives impossible to ignore. What moves people, and has always moved people, are good songs and good stories.
Eight of those exceptionally moving story-songs make up Silent Bear, Zachs newest release. Theres the fragile, acoustic Unknown Roads, a motivational reminder of the fleeting impermanence of life, and All Over This Land, an upliftingbut non-religiousgospel-toned celebration. And then theres Big Bear, a playful, image-rich romp that the songwriter created as a humorous but sincere expression of pure, unbounded joy. His sophomore effort, the collection is a striking distillation of Zachs mature and exquisitely crafted style, a sound that sets his woody, resonant baritone against a warm relief of modern folk guitar and contemporary pop rock.
I started playing piano when I was three, but I didnt become a professional singer until I was twenty-one, says Zach, who was born and raised in New York City and began playing guitar in high school. The son of a Broadway producer, he grew up in a Fellini-esque setting of flamboyant theater folk, privileged Upper East Side well-to-dos, and colorful East Village alternative typespersonalities that would do much to shape his own. He got a taste of the world beyond Gotham, however, when he attended Vermonts Middlebury College, where he majored in composition, penning a piece that was performed by the prestigious Meridian Arts Ensemble, and performing for President Bill Clinton at his graduation. While at college, he began singing in an a capella group mentored by Grammy winner Francois Clemmons
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