Review Fix Exclusive: Max Lockwood Talks Self-Titled Album and More

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Max Lockwood, who discusses the release of his upcoming self-titled album, as well as his creative process and goals for the future.

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Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Max Lockwood: I started playing the cello when I was 10 years old, moved on to upright bass from there, and taught myself guitar, bass guitar, piano and other instruments along the way. I started writing songs when I was 13 and haven’t stopped. Music and songwriting became a touchstone and an emotional and creative outlet that really saved my life and gave me a sense of purpose as a young person. I started going to see a lot of live music and playing professionally in my teenage years, and always hope to give other people that feeling I get when I see a great show or am really touched by a song.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Lockwood: I try to imbue as many aspects of life as possible with a creative spirit, so that even when I’m not writing very actively, I’m still creating. So at different times my creativity may be focused on songwriting, finishing a recording project, studying tai chi, crafting a live show, working on a video, or maybe just having a unique interaction with the clerk at the grocery store.

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Lockwood: I’m continually inspired by the other musicians and creative people around me who I’m lucky enough to call colleagues and friends. Seeing all the great work they’re putting forth keeps me going.

Review Fix: What makes “Tried Love” a special track?

Lockwood: Tried Love is special because of all the collaborative energy that made it what it is. An older friend of mine named Ester gifted me a lap dulcimer, which inspired the writing of the song–sometimes a new instrument is hiding songs you wouldn’t have found without getting it in your hands–and then in the studio, Julian Allen took the song in a wonderful direction I didn’t expect with his drum part; Lindsay Lou and Sam Cooper brought the vocals out more beautifully than I could’ve hoped; Brandon Smith and Eric O’Daly added the special sauce with violin and tabla; and then May Erlewine helped me re-structure the chords in the verses to bring out the emotion that the lyrics were really asking for. With a little help from my friends, essentially.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Lockwood: Singer-songwriter, alternative folk and rock.

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Lockwood: The experience of a live show is different than listening to a record, so I try and honor that and see myself as much as an entertainer as a songwriter when onstage. So while still putting the songs first, we try to liven things up and put on an energetic, engaging show for everyone in attendance. The audience is the reason we do what we do.

Review Fix: What makes Michigan music special?

Lockwood: The collaborative spirit in Michigan music is something truly special and unique. It’s a very supportive atmosphere, but also the high caliber of work that people are putting out encourages everyone else to grow and expand and push their creativity to new realms and new heights, making this a really powerful and energetic time for music in this state.

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2019?

Lockwood: I’ve got a great band that features members of my band Big Dudee Roo and another great Michigan act called The Appleseed Collective, so I’m excited to play a lot of shows, get the music out to people, and see where we can take this. I’ll also be playing a lot with The Insiders, my Tom Petty tribute band, and with other acts as well, particularly my friend and songwriting hero May Erlewine.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Lockwood: Get the album out and into people’s ears, get on the road with the band and see where we can take it!

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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