A Chat with Joe Maxi (04.11.24)
Sauntering through various musical genres, Joe Maxi concoct a kaleidoscopic sound traversing punk, grunge, alternative rock, psychedelic rock and more. Known for hard-hitting, upbeat, fiery melodies, an explosive, eclectic rush of chaos bursts through listeners’ speakers. In one fell swoop, Lee Reddy, Mikey Fowler, Louis White and Jamie Lydon bring the power of live performances to studio recordings and our ears. We speak with Fowler and Reddy about their single ‘Butterfly’, binge-watching, AI and more.
OSR: Extremely cliché question but how did Joe Maxi come about? What drew each of you to music?
Reddy: Me and Mikey go years back, we’ve been friends since we were teenagers. That bond is really what kicked off Joe Maxi, when we shared songs back and forth and felt like the other could really contribute and make them something great. I knew Louis through college and had played with him for some other projects. I thought he was a perfect fit, and he liked the songs too. He brought in Jamie, who brings a totally different edge coming from a metal background.
OSR: You recently released your single ‘Butterfly’. What can you tell us about it? Is there a particular theme or backstory?
Fowler: Ironically, The lyrics for ‘Butterfly’ are originally from a very stripped back love song I wrote called ‘Miracle of Mumbai’. The lyrics are about my girlfriend, her name in English translates to ‘Miracle’, hence the ‘miracle in the sky’ lyric in the song. It’s all about ‘The Chase’, me looking to ask her out. The lyrics are all about my admiration for her, how she’s moved from a foreign country thousands of miles away, but I wanted to articulate it in a comedic and unpredictable way.
OSR: What was the process of creating ‘Butterfly’ like? The good bits and bad bits about composing, production, everything really.
Reddy: Writing this was a blast. Our drummer, Louis, had to leave rehearsal for a bit so I jumped on the drums. Mikey had this ‘Butterfly’ song idea from ages ago and we jammed on that for fun. The rest of us followed his lead, and came through with this wild and spontaneous energy. Once Louis returned we ironed out the parts. That’s the genesis of the song and it was basically finished in one or two sessions.
OSR: You also recently released your EP The Game. What can you tell us about the EP?
Reddy: It’s a slice of the material we’ve been working on over the past year or so. After our first few releases, we wanted to expand the sound and scope of the band. I think this EP shows what we’re capable of in terms of its dynamics, and versatility and it’ll be a basis for where we go next.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Fowler: It’s all about expression to me, that’s how I feel about art in general. You’re just expressing an emotion and if people can relate to it then that’s great. It shouldn’t be taken too seriously though, having fun is very important to us.
OSR: We also have some random questions: what is your opinion on AI being used in the music industry? Is it a good or bad thing?
Reddy: It’s such a shame that this amazing technology is being used to replace real human expression. I think it’s a terrible thing but in the long run, there will be a higher value placed on authentic musicians, people who make music from the heart. Listeners will seek that stuff out because it’s much more rewarding. Music is the one area that AI won’t last long in, at least I hope.
OSR: If you binge-watch shows, which movie or series is your current obsession?
Fowler: Game of Thrones, very late to the party. The show I love the most is certainly Only Fools and Horses.
OSR: What do you think makes Joe Maxi unique?
Reddy: The variety of our influences. We all come from such different musical backgrounds and where those influences intersect is where the best stuff comes out. Mikey is a big personality as well, I’ve never met anyone quite like him and his energy really bleeds throughout all of the songs.
Many thanks to Lee Reddy and Mikey Fowler for speaking with us. Find out more about Joe Maxi on their Instagram and Spotify.
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