Maximilian Eubank: News

No sense in paying for it when I can get if for free.
No sense in waiting for it when it’s ready to leave.
No sense in fighting for it unless it’s what you believe.
I filled my pocket full of coins but,
I’m not going to spend them to make my point.
I can steal what you love but,
You can’t steal that from me.

What is your path? Where are you going? May I follow?
I am a mirror interested in keeping my polished glass pristine.
Your light is comforting and it illuminates truths that were previously with shadow.

Despite my glass becoming scuffed with the soot of your flame, I will not be lost.
I suppose your ash is manufactured to keep me on my own course, or to keep me from yours.
I know stragglers can be of annoyance.

Though, isn’t it the utmost compliment to have a follower ride your footsteps?
Or is there only room for you within this directional corridor?
I see light and I follow suit, might I reflect your purpose back to you?

No path is easy alone yet a spark longs to leave The Source.
Born in a concert of bones, you must leave your nest and blaze new trails.
A match on a fire is but an echo of itself garnering no more radiance than I shall as the lonely mirror.

Likewise, a mirror that stands before another creates a series of boundless chambers;
It is a black hole – an infinite way to drab uniformity.
Creation is then a purgatorial tedium lost in the quicksand of the mind.

That is why a light shall always take solace in a pane of reflection.
Without this introspection the light cannot see the heat that fuels it’s existence.
Might the light learn from the mirror even as it lacks the requisite cognizance of rumination?

Indeed, your light will wane but my mirror remains.
Your pungent blood will leak, burn and dry.
I am not meant to guide, but to demonstrate why you, the light, must lead.

Should I lead, circles might become the quarter posts of my day.
Should a mirror take the reins, the horses would trot with no sense of course.
Candlelight brings ease to the onlookers.

So, I say, lead light. And I mirror, shall follow you.
Not to reach a destination manifested by my own refraction,
But to help you realize, you are the light and therefore must lead.

I would like to give a shout out to my friends at Des Moines Music Coalition. They are all dedicating their time and energy to make Des Moines a better place for live music. Right now they host a website for musicians, listeners, bloggers, and music enthusiasts in general to connect and find out what the Des Moines music scene is kicking up these days. They provide reviews for local acts, pictures of past concerts, general information about the music scene in Des Moines, and more. In addition to their website the DMMC also hosts music festivals such as the GDP and Little Big Fest which are opportunities for local talent to network and connect with fans.

Aside from their effort in making Des Moines a great place to see live music, the DMMC is also trying to make our city a more attractive stop for touring artists. The best example of their efforts towards such a goal would be the 80/35 festival that they have coordinated for the past two summers. They brought in acts like The Flaming Lips, The Roots, Matisyahu, Ben Harper, and if Flavor Flav wouldn’t have been sick… he would have been there too – equipped with his “cranium accessories”. A few members from DMMC were also responsible in booking the acts at Simon Estes this summer. I just goes to show that us music lovers have someone in our corner bringing in the sweet sweet music.

I have personally enjoyed a great relationship with the DMMC. They invited me to play at Little Big Fest in 2008 and 80/35 in 2009. Each experience was fantastic and even the leading up to each performance was exciting. They were dedicated to providing marketing and promotion for each band involved. I got a lot of exposure as a result and couldn’t be happier with the DMMC crew. In addition to their promotion for each festival they also reviewed each of my albums on their website which never hurts. I am an adamant believer in their cause and the service they provide to Des Moines is invaluable.

Something you might not know about the DMMC is that it is a non-profit organization and is run by its members solely out of the goodness of their hearts. Yep. Here comes the pitch. If you are interested in keeping an organization around that promotes live music and encourages national acts to come play for your benefit, donate some money to their cause. Not only are you helping musicians like me get the word out to more and more people, you are also keeping an organization alive that is dedicated to providing kick ass music for the city of Des Moines.

The bottom line is, even if you decide not to donate or purchase a membership, continue to support live music – that is, if you want to continue hearing it. Okay, okay. There will always be live music, but the more it is supported the better it will be. Imagine if the kings and nobles of Europe didn’t pay composers for exquisite works of music. There would be no Mozart or Beethoven… at least it wouldn’t have been available to the masses.

So, visit DMMC online. Get a membership. Support live music. Kiss a baby. Hug a tree. And get an ice cream cone once in a while. It is tite… I will see you in Des Moines for some live music shows party time yay exciting!

www.desmoinesmc.com
http://www.desmoinesmc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=687&Itemid=136

I love when I have people listening. Love love love it. If you were not there, I wouldn't have any fun playing. I also love playing cover songs. Love love love it. I love when I know a cover song that you want to hear, so I can play it for you. I do, however, only know a finite number of songs. I try to learn all of the suggestions given to me, but it is impracticable that I learn all of them.

I won't ever balk at any of the songs you want to hear even if it is Kenny Chesney, but if I don't know it, I assure you I know something you will like, so stick around anyway. Plus, I will take your suggestion to heart and I might learn it for the next show. If I don't know "your" song, though, please do not be rude – you don't punch a jukebox, do you?

Also, on that note, I am not your personal jukebox. I will gladly play a song you would like (if I know it), but I will not ONLY play the songs you suggest. I just wont do it (unless you are the only one there, but even then a dollar or two in the tip jar goes a long way).

Finally, this kind of goes without saying, but it still happens: If you enter a bar where there is about to be live music playing, don't put money into the jukebox and expect any kind of special treatment. Once the musicians begin, the jukebox is turned off. It is as simple as that. I never promote cutting off a jukebox song so I can start but once the song is over... I am going to begin. Finally, if you get in my face or the bar tender's face because the jukebox was paused, either you have been over served or you don't understand such an easy concept as live music - in either case you are an ass. Chill out or leave.

I do not direct this to the people that regularly come to my shows. You know who you are, and so do I. I know you are always polite and always appreciative. Always.

You would think that a lot of this goes without saying, but you would be surprised... especially when alcohol is involved. Also, I am not trying to promote being little angels, because I am anything but. I love an excited and animated crowd, but being respectful to the staff, the entertainment, and yourself is the most important thing.

Plus, if you ever have a suggestion for a song, you can get a hold of me via e-mail maximilian@maximilianeubank.com. I cannot promise I will learn your song, but I can promise I will take your suggestion into consideration.

So, since I’ve been playing music I have known how to play a cover song or two. Actually these days I think I could play by heart – without looking at a cheat sheet – about fifty cover songs. I believe the first song that I knew how to play was I Want to Rock n’ Roll All Night by Kiss. Wow. That was a different time. I think I probably followed that up with some Metallica, and Black Sabbath. I eventually got into the Eagles and began to play the acoustic guitar. Soon enough I tried writing my first song. My first song was called Hole in the Sky – it was terrible, but then again I was only 13. I could probably still play the chords and the first couple lines but that is about it. I bet I still have the original copy somewhere… I’ll have to check that out later.

All of my musical influences led me to where I am now, but in a sense, they dropped me off at the bus stop and I got on the bus alone. They taught me song structure, chords, and how to write a hook, but they can’t write songs for me. I had to do that on my own. They call once and a while (I play their songs) to give me some insight, inspiration or just to chat, but my songs came from my ideas and my experiences, not my favorite musicians’ ideas or experiences.

Further, if you are playing only cover songs, you need to get on the bus. I am not talking about writing lyrics – there are plenty of instrumental groups that write their own music and are phenomenal. I’m talking about hearing something in your head, not from a speaker, and playing it. I do not want to take from anyone’s craft because there are some very technically talented cover artists out there that do things that I could never do. But there are also some very talented painting re-creators. There are some great storytellers or actors. But the painting re-creator, the storyteller and the actor never created anything. They simply re-created or acted as a medium for someone else.

Once you have written a song you feel like you have created a new life. It is like a baby. It grows and progresses. It learns you and you learn it. You want to show it to your friends. You want people to like it, and when they don’t it is hard. You begin thinking they are wrong and, ‘this is my beautiful baby and it is perfect.’ You have to remind yourself that it is only a song that is as subjective as a movie or book. Half the time that is the hardest part about being a musician – understanding that your babies are not going to turn everyone on. However, sometimes you have people telling you how to change your style or your sound or that if you added a few things to a song it would be better. That is like someone who has never had a baby telling a parent how to raise a child. Although if it is a fellow musician or perhaps a music connoisseur, that knows what the hell they are talking about, then you don’t take it so hard and try their suggestions. Just as a parent would heed to another parent’s advice. That is just constructive criticism – constructive being the operative word.

To finish and clarify the analogy, musical influences can be seen as fellow parents and their songs are their kids, not yours. No matter how much you want their song to be yours it is not, and you are babysitting when you play it. If you buy the rights to a song that is not yours, you just adopted a song. Conversely, when you create your own music those are your kids and you raise them; you are responsible for their development or lack thereof.

I do not look down upon any artist. Ever. I think anyone who is out there experiencing a creative endeavor is an enlightened human being and my heart goes out to him or her, but here is my constructive criticism:

Write music. Write stories. Draw pictures. Paint pictures. Bake a cake. Think. Create. Even if others don’t like it, it is still yours to call your own. I have so many songs that nobody likes but me – and that will never stop me from writing new ones. Also, there is no population problem with intellectual creation; you don’t have to worry about just another creation to feed☺

This is for those of you that wish to know why I write what I write or want to know what it means. Plus I'm excited about it and want to tell somebody.

Those of you that come to my shows regularly know about my song Crescendo. It is relatively new as I wrote it over the summer. It is a ballad about being trapped in one place in life. "Stand me up, rise to the rhythm, rise to the rhythm".

Ironically when I was writing it I felt "trapped" in that I didn't have a third verse, yet I needed a good cap off. As my critics have pointed out in the past, sometimes my songs just end. When I was practicing last night, I started writing the final verse. I am quite pleased with it as it provides a good ending. It is an attempt at breaking free, and I'm not talking about the cute euphemism of breaking free from the shackles that bind me. Make the slave driver go away and let me break free. I'm not talking about taking a walk, or driving really fast, or getting out of a relationship or just blowing off steam with beer and tequila. This is about an internal breaking free. This is about knowing why or how even, to lose psychological barriers to finding peace.

Either way, I hope you enjoy the new verse. Be wary of it should you come out to see me this weekend or in the future.

Here is the 3rd verse:

Sitting under a bright white moon,
Cut in half but new for June
Heavy sky holding monsoon,
About to rain all over you
Oh Lord, I hope I don’t get blown off the globe
Oh Lord, I hope I don’t get blown off the globe
So that’s the story that it tell,
Hope you hear and hope to hell,
I hope I used enough colored spells, slants, slangs, and jingle bells

When Brushfire Fairytales came out I remember jamming to that CD all summer long in 2001. I thought it was the coolest music ever, and Jack Johnson truly did inspire me to focus on the singer/song writing - as did many other artists. His rhythms may be simple, but they are true. His words are on point, but are not simple in the least. Its not mum music. It says a lot. Some people miss the point because they want to hear up beat things, which is fine, but his music does speak volumes. Some people also say his music is easy to write because it doesn't offend anyone. It’s not edgy. It’s not raw. So what? Why do you guys always want to offend someone? What is wrong with the chillaxed surfer attitude? What's wrong with a love song? Haven't you ever been in love? Pretty sure Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, and even Ozzy Osbourne wrote many love songs. Some of the best blues music out there is love oriented.

Not everyone does coke to listen to music - but if you do maybe you should smoke some weed, chill out and listen to Jack Johnson, because coke is lame. His songs weren't made so people would say, "Wow, he's amazing! Lets do a rail!" They were made because that was what he was feeling as he wrote them - they weren't manufactured, they were organic. I may seem like a hippy because I wrote that, but I'm not, and you don't have to be a hippy to realize the truth of certain music (although some music does require it).

The reason that I'm writing this however is not to praise Jack. I do love his music, but I also want to differentiate mine from his. I recently was called a Jack Johnson impersonator, and that was a complete bummer, because while I respect his music greatly I feel like I bring my own spin to the table. I'm tired of getting pigeon holed as a Jack Johnson wannabe. Just because he's an influence of mine, and I like his stuff, doesn't mean I'm trying to be him, or any of my other influences for that matter. After all I began writing music long before I ever heard his first album. Further when I did hear it I had been playing in a band for 2 years that was not even remotely close to his genre of music.

I do mention him a lot though because he's similar to my style now, and he's well known. When I tell people I sound like Bradley Nowell or Newton Faulkner or Donavon Frankenreiter or Jason Mraz or Martin Sexton (who are all amazing by the way, check them out), they say, "Who?" People who scout the underground for good music probably know these people, but many others don't. Virtually everyone has at least heard of Jack Johnson. How else am I going to let you know what genre of music I am?

Also, for everyone that hates on singer/songwriters, just remember that if you listen to a song where the singer wrote it, you are listening to a singer/songwriter. And if you take away the distortion, the drums, the bass, the crazy wah wah peddles, and whatever the hell else is on the stage, and replace it with just one acoustic guitar the band's songs would sound vastly similar to "the shit that you can't stand." Take Chris Cornell from Soundgarden. He did a solo acoustic show in Sweden, and sounded just like he'd been a singer/songwriter for years. He sounded awesome! Chew on that.

I don't hate wah wahs and distortion, or drums and bass - in fact I think they are just as awesome as you do. I just hate people that think there is only one good style of music out there. Don't keep yourself from all of the good music, loud or soft, fast or slow, happy, sad, angry, etc. etc.

Finally, if you don't think my music has something to say, you aren't listening. If you want to know the meaning of a song, ask me. I'll tell you straight up what I was thinking when I wrote it. And if you don't like my stuff, and it doesn't mean anything to you, fine it doesn't bother me. Go listen to something else. But don't ever tell me my music is empty, because not only are you wrong, but you also have no idea what the hell you are talking about.

I don’t want to be Jack, but I do dig his style, and I am thankful my music is even remotely good enough to be comparable to his.

I get it, no smoking where food can be served, no smoking around employees, and no smoking around non-smokers. Nothing too complicated. Nothing too outrageous. It starts to get outrageous when the smoker gets treated as if they aren't contributing to the restaurant or bar's nightly bottom line. After all the smokers will again venture in and order more food or drink.

I especially appreciate this rule as a musician. Sometimes in a crowded bar the smoke can mess me up. Get in my eyes, cause me to go hoarse, etc. I am a smoker too though (quite a dichotomy), and I'm happy to go outside.

However, I don't appreciate this rule is when bouncers, door guys, or employees say that I have to smoke further away from the building or off the premises completely. What? As if the smoke is seeping in and everyone inside is getting upset. I don't like to get too far away from my beer in the first place, so standing in the parking lot makes me feel like its getting warm or the bar tender has thrown it away.

Here is an interesting story about my experiences with the smoking ban.

One night it started to torrentially down pour and my group had to flee the Iowa Cubs Game to the Bait Shop. It was a birthday party for my brother so everyone was in good spirits and we were buying a lot of alcohol (we were being good customers). The bar started to get packed and it was getting claustrophobic, and as much as I like rubbing on wet people it becomes unbearable quickly. Obviously the smokers in the bar started wondering, 'Where shall we smoke? We cant do it in here, and its raining buckets outside.' A few brave smokers went out and eventually became completely soaked, having to throw out their half ruined smoke. A few went rogue along the wall on the outside safe from the rain where no employees could see them (not a sanctioned smoking area) and did just fine.

My buddies and I went on the patio to use the umbrellas (which I assume were there to keep people from getting sun or from getting wet). By this time the patio was completely empty, being heavily rained upon, flooded about an inch, and I didn't see anyone ordering food out there. After about half our cigarette we heard a voice, "YOU CANT SMOKE ON THE PATIO!" It was the bouncer (if you wanna call him that) complete with members only jumpsuit and walkie talkie - lol what a dork. We looked up and said something like, "its raining and no one is out here, please just let us finish this." "PUT IT OUT OUR YOU'RE OUTTA HERE." I'm surprised he didn't use his AWESOME walkie talkie and call for back up on a CODE: RED.

We were drunk and didn't think he would pull such a dick move so we didn't stop. He came back out and told us we couldn't come back in, so we, without complaint, finished our cigarettes and left. Each of us had a tab inside, and each of us was a paying customer. None of us were being unruly or offending any other customers. So I take solace in knowing that the door guys wiener is uncommonly small making his thirst for power, over the newly powerless smoker, unimaginably huge.

Concrete

This song is usually known as "Cigarettes and Porn", however that is not the name of the song. The day I wrote this song I was about to enter a talent show at the University of Colorado during my freshman year. I decided I would play this song despite just writing it and not yet having it committed to memory. I ended up winning the talent show and I believe it is largely because of this song.

After I won, my buddies and I decided we wanted to get very drunk...and we did. After a crazy night of dodging dorm enforcers and enjoying the magic dragon I blacked out and as Dave Attell likes to put it, "time traveled" to the next morning. When I woke up I spoke with my neighbors and they said, "Do you remember naming your new song last night?" I did not remember and told them as much. They said, "You named it Concrete." Hung over and kind of disappointed with my decision, asked, "Why?" They answered, "you just kept mumbling that it was so 'solid', so you named it Concrete".

In my song Concrete I claim that cigarettes and porn don’t get me off anymore, but obviously that’s not true. If you have seen me perform you might see me play that song and then sit down to smoke a cigarette. Phases, we all have them…that was a phase when I quit smoking and watching porno. One Gregorian season of lent when I still was in awe with the majesty of Catholicism I gave both up and with very good success. It was that that inspired the lyrics but not the song.

Really though the song is about a lot more than just that. Its about the commercialization of what the norm is and how it didn’t do it for me anymore. There's a lot more out there than just the commercial comforts. Sex sells, and cigarettes make you look cool - although these days they make you look like you have a death wish. Half the time, reality TV is a lesser degree of porno, and they always have a smoke after they screw.

Censorship of nakedness and bad words is really what makes me laugh though. You can blur out your exposed crotch, but I know what is there. If its okay to only blur it out, why don’t they keep sex scenes in and just blur out the dirty titties - thank you David Cross. You can say ass but you cant say asshole, or bitch is acceptable but Hell isn't. I know they are saying "fuck". Why make them say Fooey and make them look like an asshole.

Sooner or later this gross sex stuff and evil bad language is going to be the norm. It's so obvious what they are saying or what they are doing. Its almost like this lewedness is the water over a damn and the cracks in the levee are being filled with gum.

All in all I get what they're trying to do, keeping the children safe and everything, keeping the Christians content. But I'm not going to censor what everyone already knows is there, because what would that really do?

So, those of you that don't know my past listening influences I'd like to blow your mind. As of right now I would consider my sound to be similar to Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, and Amos Lee. Those three musicians are also some of my favorite, but I haven't always enjoyed Singer/Songwriter or easy listening artists. In fact, when Dave Matthews just started getting big it took me a year to finally give in and start enjoying his music. Then as I learned the guitar Dave Matthews was one of my favorite musicians.

As I was growing up most of my favorite music was heavy metal and hard rock. My first concert was White Zombie, and I believe my second was Ozzy Osbourne. If you were to look at my CD collection (which I still mostly have) from my early teenage years you would find, Metallica, Megadeth, White Zombie, Guns n' Roses, Rage Against the Machine, Ministry, NIN, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice in Chains etc. I suppose as teenagers mature, so do their tastes, but I still love all of the above music. I love listening to White Zombie's "Black Sunshine", Metallica's "One", NIN's "Head Like a Hole", etc.

That heavy music became toned down and I began listening to Led Zeppelin, Cream, Creedence, Bob Marley, etc.

But now ten years later I also love listening to Al Green, The Big Wu, String Cheese, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Phish, Pink Floyd, Vampire Weekend, Cake, etc. I also love various rap and r&b artists such as, Mos Def, The Roots, Gift of Gab, Lyrics Born, Gnarles Barkley, Lauren Hill, Wycleff, Jurassic 5, Blackaliscious, Beastie Boys, etc.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, Metallica is a Jam Band, and Ozzy Osbourne is a Singer Songwriter and Wycleff is my homeboy.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j39ABZyzek

Fizzle….
Found once as a volcano and now as a smoldering ash.
Now found in the pits of the past.
Where was that world of whims?
Is it somewhere still?
I have seen mountains crack and trees fall.
Isn't the ground much more comfortable?
The ground is stable; the ground is safe.
But, where is that mountain now?
Safely sitting or cowardly quitting?
Rhetoric turns rhetorical…
Questions to which there is no answer.
Opinions will never cure this concern.

Is there a path?
Is there a God?
Is there a map…to happiness?
Some claim yes – opinions that serve their hungry souls.
Others no.
Pessimism? Maybe.
Practicality? Probably.

A track to happiness is fleeting, phony, and false.
An illusory promise ingrained to train, chain, and choke.
There are just roads, maps and paths; whims, smoke and glass.

One way impulses.
Traffic lights of no color, roads with no signs.
Showing us the millions of minutes, to the ends of our lines.
Where is your rhetorical spirit? Have you pushed it away?
Are you afraid you might fear it? Are you afraid it might stay?