Preview
MAXIMUM RNR
Saturday, August 21
Night Gallery
Keith Maurik knows music. As the publicity rep for Epitaph Records in Canada he has had plenty of opportunities to observe and dissect the thriving and striving international world of players and labels. Driven by a desire to see others excel at what they do, Maurik (also formerly employed by Cargo Records) inevitably discovered his own musical talent and soon applied it to the industry that has treated him so well. Thus, the mighty metal-blues, ’70s-rock entity Maximum RNR was born.
"Watching bands is my hobby," says Maurik. "It gets inside you and soon you wanna do it. Maximum RNR has been together for three years now. We’ve known each other since high school. Originally we called ourselves Maximum RNB, but we changed that for two major reasons. One: a lot of booking agents and fans thought we were a soul act or a funk band. Then we’d come out with our usual barrage of sound, and they’d be like ‘What the fuck?!’ Two: we switched to a different singer after our first 25 gigs." When long-time friend Louie Durand finally agreed to sing with the band, and a second guitar-playing Keith (Keith Carman) joined drummer Mike Childs and bassist Mike Sydney, the lineup solidified.
In addition to signifying a change in their personnel, the band’s new moniker is also a tip-of-the-hat tribute to the magazine of the same name. Back in the ’80s, during his disaffected youth, Maximum RNR magazine served as a light in the proverbial dark to Maurik, who grew up in the rural Alberta town of Hinton, a far cry from big-city Toronto.
"That magazine showed me that there were people like me in the world, and not everybody was a redneck butt-fuck. Everything we do comes from the fact that we really love hardcore music. I’ve been punk since I was 14," says Maurik. "The common denominator amongst our musical tastes is heavy, loud electric guitars. When we first started, that sound wasn’t considered cool – everyone was into classic rock. Thankfully that whole genre ate itself before they could call us that. It just didn’t deliver any satisfaction. We’re a very different beast, and we hope to have a clean, commercial appeal."
Tending to commercial concerns is one of Maurik’s strong points. Representing some of the world’s most successful hardcore artists for one of the best-established and most reputable labels around has its benefits. Having watched countless hopefuls come and go, he’s gained valuable insight into how to safely steer his own band through the treacherous shallows of the music industry.
"The way we’ve chosen to go about promoting Maximum RNR comes from experience," says Maurik. "You look at a new band – they put out their first record, and it’s got all 17 of their songs and it’s 65 minutes long. Six months later no one knows who they are and they’ve got 500 CDs sitting in a bedroom. That’s not the way to do things. We’re real vinyl junkies. So we decided a series of seven-inches was the way to go. It harkens back to the days when an artist’s success was based on singles. It’s about gaining recognition. We really make sure to have a tight release schedule and put out one seven-inch per year. It keeps your name in people’s minds."
While he demurs at the thought of his band being carried by his employer’s label, Maurik projects a definite optimism when it comes to the future of Maximum RNR. The secret to their impending success, industry insider Maurik reveals, is all in the timing.
"When you look at the bands that are signed to Epitaph – Bad Religion, Hot Water Music and Hives, etc., they’re all very established and have been around long enough to pay their dues. If you really want your band to make an impact, release your material in January. After the big labels have released their huge holiday catalogues there’s a total drought and the press is dying for something to write about. Then they’re hungry for it!"
Sizing up the competition, while simultaneously baiting the media, is all in a day’s work for this budding entrepreneur. As he steps out of the office and strikes off in his own direction, Maurik’s hunger for success is consistently overridden by his appetite for destruction. Questing after the Holy Grail of rock ’n’ roll glory, the deliciously devilish Maximum RNR are bound and determined to break out of the mould and live up to their infamous name.
"The bottom line is, the trip my life is on is because I’ve always loved music and it’s always stuck with me," he says. "You’re told quite often in life that you should get a job in the pulp mill and have a stable work-a-day life. I try to prove them wrong." |
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