“This Is Now” by Bill Finn Now Available

“This Is Now”  is the first solo release from Twin Cities musician and producer Bill Finn.  This Is Now is a collective of works written, recorded and produced by Bill Finn. This Is Now flows from track to track, hinting on themes of Life, Love and Nature.

This Is Now is streaming online for free at www.billfinnmusic.com, where listeners also have the option of purchasing it for only $5.

Finn is currently working on a project for Maximus Music titled “Fin.”  A minimalist

collective of songs also written and recorded by Bill Finn for use in television and film, Fin is set to be released on May 1st, 2010.

2010
03/30
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Maximus/Sapient Merger

Announcing the merger of Maximus Licensing & Sapient Sound & Publishing!  Sapient Sound was founded by Bill Stertz and Mike Ramirez, two critically acclaimed engineers and producers.  Sapient is also affiliated with Shock and Audio Sound Studio, a studio frequented by star drummer Micheal Bland and live-electro pioneers The Histronic.

Sapient/Maximus are currently working on projects, developing music for television series and commercials.

2010
03/10
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NEW LOVE by MIKE SWOOP

 

A flashback from the Maximus’ days in Los Angeles, former roommate & amazing producer Mike Swoop has released a very composite album now available to stream online for free!   www.mikeswoop.com  This is an amazing ambient album.

Mike Swoop is a producer who sometimes collaborates with MCs, but his debut album is far from your average rap record. New Love is a collection of smooth, quiet songs that are richly textured and pleasantly bass-heavy. The largely instrumental album fuses samples and synthesized sounds with live elements to create a lush aesthetic that manages to sound both complex and stripped-down.

Blending jazz, dub, and funk with a hip-hop mentality, the downtempo grooves recall the jazz-influenced rap output of the Native Tongues posse in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Twin Cities rappers Toki Wright, Big Quarters, Kavorkian, and Allpurpose provide the sole voices here (save for a few samples strewn throughout). For the most part, the MCs fit right in with Swoop’s well-defined sound, with Mr. Wright in particular sounding comfortable over the slowed grooves of “Let It Go.”

Song titles are sort of a moot point here, as the tracks blend together in the best way possible. (Fans of Thievery Corporation and chill music will definitely enjoy the ambience.) In the end, questioning whether New Love is “hip-hop” doesn’t really matter—the album is less a genre exercise than a mood piece, a collection of deep cuts sure to provide the necessary head bobs in times of repose. (-Jack Spencer, Twin Cities AV Club)

2010
02/25
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The Observation Point 2010

Mons Olympus was the epic rock outfit that bridged the gap between indie-prog and astronaut metal, all the time with a distinct Omar-Rodriguez flavor.  Bluntness dissolved and composers secured, MAXIMUS Music announces today a co-op with Jeff Fronce (former guitarist and  songwriter), titled “THE OBSERVATION POINT.”

Maximus Music will be releasing the yet-to-be-titled release from Fronce under the alias THE OBSERVATION POINT by late 2010 in conjunction with Shock And Audio studios in Minneapolis, and Production by Bill Finn and Paul Marshall.

After just 2 sessions with Fronce an interesting musical enterprise has been founded.  Imagine The Black Keys dirty emotional blues under the light of Dandy Warhol’s most psychedelic tracks, with the deepest modern rock edge and influence of Minus the Bear.   Adding another creative edge is Bill Finn’s producer talents and compositional work.  Throw this mix into Sapient Sound’s Shock and Audio studio, and we’re bound to have a stellar album by the end of this year!

As soon as mixes become available, we will be making them available here, and on the usual online blah blah myspace etc.

2010
02/09
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RIOT OF SPRING Festival March 18-20

 

Riot Of Spring Festival

The Histronic are proud to present The Riot Of Spring Festival in beautiful Lutsen, MN.  On Thursday March 18th-Saturday March 20th Lutsen Ski Resort will be lit with dance-bands, live-electronics, jam-tronics, as well as spectacular DJS.  This electronic-theme jam-fest is set to ignite the slopes of Lutsen, ringing in spring and giving way to the spring and summer festival season in the upper midwest.

THE HISTRONIC
STEEZ
SOVEREIGN SECT
DEEP SEA SUMMIT
ESTATE
APOLLO COBRA
DJ MIKE MOILANEN
DJ WEST FOX
FRIENDS OF FRIENDS

 

Maximus Music will be featuring live projections, and aural pleasure all three nights!

2009
11/10
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New Release “THIS IS NOW” by Bill Finn

 

Madison 1

 THIS IS NOW-Releases on March 9

Twin Cities musician Bill Finn is making his presence known, and having one hell of an Autumn.  Returning to his roots this summer, he finished out the festival season touring with The Histronic (MSP’s Live-Electronica  Pioneers).

Bill Finn is an experienced electronica songwriter and live-performer, but to really understand his first solo album “This Is Now,” you need to understand his musical history.  Finn landed at McNally Smith College of Music earlier this decade and became a multi-instrumental professional musician and dignified songwriter proficient on Guitar, Bass, Piano, Mandolin, Banjo, Trombone and Percussion.

Bill Finn has worked in several local Minneapolis bands as a guitar player, bass player, writer, and is currently studying with industry professionals to further his knowledge in arranging, orchestrarating, and composing music. Groups that Bill Finn has collaborated with include Heywood, Hoofla, The Histronic, Adrianne Lenker Project, Finneticut, Soundspeak, The Finn Band and Planktonite.

Bill Finn has studied and worked with industry proofessional musicians for the majority of this decade.  To name a few; Mike Elliot, Bob Stanton, Chris Olsen, Cliff Wittstruck, Jerry Kosak, Brad Tratola, Kevin Daley, Mike Menard, Jay Fuchs, Sean Turner, Judi Donaghy, Pete Whitman, Michael Pilhofer and have spent many hours in the studio with Brian Forester, Chopper Black, Bill Stertz, Mike Rameriez, along with many others, including producing the album “Chasing Dreams” by Johann Krolls and “The Histronic” by The Histronic (A highly acclaimed release).

THIS IS NOW is written and arranged by Bill Finn, Produced by Mike Ramirez and Bill Stertz and recorded and mastered by Shock and Audio.

Visit www.billfinnmusic.com for more on Bill Finn, including blog entries and sneak peaks at upcoming releases.

2009
09/15
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Blind Dolphin’s Down-Tempo Engineering Mastery

 Waterfall

Maximus Music Welcomes Blind Dolphin

Blind Dolphin delivers Maximus Music a down-tempo project reminiscent of the best Bonobo and Amon Tobin tracks.  Geniously engineered, each song is sonically designed by Scott Sasson Zaker (Former Roster McCabe Drummer, current New Rebulution) Brandon Norling, and DJ Nimo.   The boys in Blind Dolphin have worked very hard on this upcoming album and it shows.  Blind Dolphin has been in my musical mix for weeks, and I can’t imagine it going anywhere for a while.

Focus Track:  Aqueous Metamorphosis

The name Aqueous Metamorphosis says it all.  This track (and rumoured title of the upcoming album) sets the tempo for every Blind Dolphin song.  Crystal clear soundscapes feed into fat basslines and crisp down-tempo drumbeats.  The melodic sculpture of this song asks you to sink deep into your chair, close your eyes and teleport your consciousness to sandy beaches and star-filled skies.

Focus Track:  Daydream

Although Blind Dolphin hasn’t released an album yet, I feel confident in saying that Daydream is their debut single.  The words feel-good-hit-of-the-summer cross my mind.  Daydream displays Blind Dolphin’s superior sound design, with an equal display of talent coming from each contributor.  DJ Nimo’s tables play into guitarwork that gives me chills.  This is an amazing track.

 

To hear Blind Dolphin, visit their myspace HERE.  For any inquiries, please shoot Maximus an email.

2009
07/21
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Twenty Paces Set To Release EP, Post Mortem

 

Cassini Inside 1

Cassini Part Duex?

Astronaut metaleers Twenty Paces released their epic symphonic masterpiece Cassini in 2008 with Midwest label Zero Budget Records.  Cassini was their strongest album to date, their third album, and their first complete instrumental album.  Twenty Paces was, and still is, one of the most creative and diverse metal bands in the Twin Cities. 

In early 2009, TP disbanded with members scattering across the country.  Yet, unreleased, incomplete recordings have recently been shuttled around between several producers, engineers and respected musicians across the Twin Cities.   Upon completion of a handful of tracks, I would expect a compilation of TP tracks to be released possibly on Zero Budget Records sometime late this year.

Focus Track: (She) Moans Like A Ghost

2009
07/11
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The Histronic’s New Album Preview

Highly Anticipated Release Is TBS (To Be Stellar)

Histronic Logo

I recently spent some time with West Fox from Minneapolis’ own The Histronic, Minneapolis’ pioneers of Live-Electronica, at his home studio where he gave me a fleeting glimpse of the upcoming album.  The album has been in the works since early spring 2009, and I have been anxiously awaiting a preview since the first recording session.

I originally sat down with The Histronic early in 2007, after hearing their debut album I was amazed by their creativity and the uniqueness of their now signature sound.  Their sound has changed not in evolution, but “involution.”  Bass player Gill Finn departed early this spring after recording began, and he was been replaced by bassist Larry Kawasaki, also of Minnesota’s own Wookiefoot.  The trio has also developed their live performances to an encompassing experience, involving DJ Mike Moilanen on many occasions with an infectious blend of house dance music and guitar work.  Live performances by The Histronic incorporate dozens of songs, segued by electronic jams.  Many great compositions have come from these improvisations, which feed off the crowd and the atmosphere of the room. 

The Histronic could easily compile 5 or 6 albums of songs from their complex repituire of infectious intelligent dance, and the upcoming album will surely be an incredible array of songs.

As West Fox walked me through mixes of two of my favorite songs, 1692 and Truckers Blood, I was easily reminded of Stereo Adik’s amazing drumwork.  Jambands.com’s review of The Histronic’s 2008 release stated “The foundation of the Histronic is Adik’s machine-like drumming.”   This is exactly what was going through my mind.  Stereo Adik’s drumming fills out every bass line perfectly.  He is a human metronome, and a robot of time and rhythm.  West Fox’s keys have expanded to another realm as well.  Perhaps it is the time and space away from a studio to record, or the many many musicians he has worked with and shows he has played in the last year, but it’s fresh, it’s danceable, it’s unique but it’s still the same signature Histronic that brought us an amazing album in 2008.

For more previews on The Histronic’s upcoming album, check out thier recent live shows at www.archive.org/thehistronic

www.thehistronic.com

2009
07/07
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The Goodyear Pimps THE SOUND OF ONE HEART BREAKING

Pimps

Sumpin’

We here at Maximus are pleased to announce the fine addition of The Goodyear Pimps to our amazing roster. 

Hailing from Rockford, IL, The Goodyear Pimps have an amazing history.  Previously signed to Hollywood Records (Disney),  The Pimps were featured on MI:2, Crazy Beautiful & Third Watch, and were tourmates with the unlikely candidates, “The Insane Clown Posse.”  The group released such major singles as “Sumpin,” and “Rocket Science.”  The Pimp’s music can only be categorized as high energy rock.  The signature sound is at times “up in your business” and always portrays the important element of having a good time, with titles such as “Pimp Floyd,” “Starwars and Pancakes,” and “The Many Dilemmas Of A Startled Socialite Who Has Just Witnessed Something Unusual In A Northwoods Lake.”

The Pimps broke free from Hollywood in 2000 and have independantly produced & released 4 albums that have sold more than 30,000 units, including the groups strongest release to date “The Sound Of One Heart Breaking.”  In this amazing album, produced by Ed Dulian, our good-ol’ time boys The Pimps paruse through unplugged elements of folk in ballads of life, love and loss.

You can also find The Pimps playing gigs as their alter-ego The Sons Of Many Bitches, playing hits from their crudely titled album Outlaw Gold M* F*.  The album is a double disc adventure through the baddest classic country tunes.  “The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised,” “Amos Moses,” Cocaine Blues,” “Good Hearted Women,” and “Whiskey River” are just a few of the amazing covers the Pimps deliver with their signature high energy Jive.

www.thepimps.org

 

 

2009
07/07
CATEGORY
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