Carnage in Baltimore

Anyone born in Maryland has earned the birthright of ordering crabs without seeing the rest of the menu. It's a biological necessity; something in the blood calls out for the unique flavor of Chesapeake Blue Crab on the tongue, whenever it's available.

Granted I was born in Bethesda, which is a far cry from Baltimore, Annapolis, or the Eastern Shore, but jeez. It still counts as Maryland. The Call of the Crab is still in there.

Today's feast was a classic Baltimore Backyard Bash, at the home of a good friend who has been making truckloads of fine music for thirty-something years. And more music is on the way. But that's another post. Let's get back to the crabs.

So even in these days of stressing over work (I have too much of it, Marian has not enough of it), the house (holy crap, that's another roof leak, isn't it), the dog (or is it the spawn of satan?), it's reassuring to note that there ARE still blue crabs in the world, and a cozy back yard in Baltimore in which to inhale them...as is the birthright of schmucks born in Bethesda.

It was a good day.
And yes, there is a new roof leak.
But that's another post. Let's get back to the crabs.

Absolut Maximalism!

And so it came to pass, that THEE MAXIMALISTS did gather in a small studio space in Baltimore before a teeny audience of dedicated fans and weirdos, and lo, they did make one hell of a fantastic noise.

Thee Maximalists is the brainchild of Muffins drummer Paul Sears. The music is all improvised, using something like the concept of free jazz with the instrumentation of rock, with occasional prog touches (via Jim Rezek and his magical mellotrons). The most stable root of the band is Sears and Keith Macksoud, bassist from the very fine Present. Add to this an unpredictable rotation of highly skilled musical creatures, who thus far has included Yanni Papadopoulos (guitar: Stinking Lizaveta), Dave Newhouse (saxes & keyboard: Muffins), Marshall Allen (saxes: Sun Ra Arkestra), Mark Stanley (guitar: Farquhar), Werbinox (vocals), Elliott Levin (saxes & poetry: Cecil Taylor, Marshall Allen, others), Cyndee Lee Rule (violin), Rick Iannacone (guitar: Jamaaladeen Takuma, others), and God knows what other characters are waiting in the wings... it makes a Maximalists gig something like a tiny, private supernova... a unique moment in time/space, not to be repeated.

Each has brought unique, world-class musical skill to this heady, self-indulgent stew of sound, and it comes across like an extremely fun romp in the playground for these folks. It's particularly enjoyable to witness Keith Macksoud build spontaneous rhythmic structures with Sears, considering the highly practiced precision of Present's music. Maximalists gigs must be like a freeform vacation for these folks.


But enough setup! The Baltimore performance of November 11 was a classic evening for Maximalist freaks. This time, the band was Sears/Macksoud/Newhouse/Levin/Iannacone, and the mixture was perfect. The music was much more of a free-jazz blast this time around, thanks to Elliott Levin and his massive presence with the tenor and toy saxes... Once he gets going, man, just sit the hell down and ride it out.


Dave Newhouse is always a welcome addition. When at the keyboard, he provides an airy trance structure of repeating passages and chords that echo the best Muffins moments. He complements the heavy bed of rhythm that Sears and Macksoud lay down with his own tonal patterns, letting the others fly free... But of course, Newhouse is a master on the brass as well, and his baritone is a hot sound for the Maximalists' madness.


Levin is also a gifted wordsmith in the tradition of the best jazz and beat poets; his cadence delivers from the hip, sounding spontaneous but well-phrased; confident and clever without pretention. The other musicians settled into a cautious groove and gave him a perfect space for the words. Hard to believe they never practiced this stuff beforehand.


Rick Iannacone's contribution was a guitar so heavily treated with effects and gated filters that it scarcely resembled a guitar for most of the performance. His textures layered a very strange flesh over everything... sometimes wild with coarse fur, sometimes dry and cracked as if there must be a reptile's eye in there, somewhere... Iannacone's mind must be a damned fascinating place to be. He coaxed such sounds from that guitar...

By the end of the evening, Orion Sound Studios was left standing (miraculously) and I only hope they got a decent recording of the event. There may be a Maximalist album in the works, so they say, pieced together from shows like this. Performances like this are all too rare, and the Maximalists are among the most important music being made today. There. I said it. You can quote me, Sears.

Photos and flyer design by Hawkins/IntangibleArts

Maximal, vegetable, or mineral?

And so it was, that THEE MAXIMALISTS did gather at yonder Orion Studios in Baltimore. And lo, they did raise a most unholy racket. As is their way. Aaahhh...

It was only the fourth public performance of Thee Maximalists, and this one happened to be the tenth anniversary of Orion's first Progressive Rock Showcase. The atmosphere was festive and wacky. And pregnant with sound.

For the uninitiated: THEE MAXIMALISTS consists of a rotating cast of characters, most commonly anchored by Paul Sears (of The Muffins fame), Keith Macksound (from Present), and Yanni (from Stinking Lizaveta). Recent inductees include Werbinox (vocals) and Jim Rezek (mellotron). Beyond that, anything goes. Last minute additions are to be expected. The music is entirely improvised, and tends to be joyfully crazed, taking the "free jazz" concept into "free rock" territory.

This time, Yanni couldn't make it (the Stinkies are on tour), and Werbinox wasn't present either, but the supplementary cast was fabulous. Dave Newhouse (also from The Muffins) provided keyboards & saxophones, Cyndee Lee Rule was there with electric violin, Adrian Sears provided cello, and Rezek was there with a moog and TWO mellotrons, for cryin' out loud...

It was the fullest-sounding Maximalist show yet. Dave Newhouse was a perfect addition, with his penchant for looping keyboard passages that gave the improvised madness a trance-inducing, swaying backbone. Paul Sears' drumming was powerful as usual (worthy of his brief association with Magma), and Keith's bass echoed Present's darker, growling moments but with a playful spirit that suited the evening perfectly.

At one point, Newhouse emerged with a harmonica and forced the Maximalists, perhaps kicking and screaming, into a deranged prog bluegrass stomp that sounded exquisitely well-practiced, though of course, it wasn't. It was Thee Maximalists.

Nearly two hours later, Orion lay in ruins. I staggered back to the car with the camera in hand, wondering how the hell they'd ever top this one.