Review Fix Exclusive: Knifey’s Max Talks ‘Ask You’ And More

Review Fix chats with Knifey’s Max, who discusses the band’s origin, goals and new single, “Ask You.”

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Max: I heard All The Small Things at a Much Music Video Dance and decided I had to pick up a guitar. It sounded huge, it was catchy, and there was an organ at the end.  Maybe I’m still chasing that Much Music Video Dance high…

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Max: I usually write from chords first.  I’ll figure out a chord progression or a riff and then develop a melody and lyrics over top.  For Ask You, it was an interesting process because I had written and recorded a whole version before going into the studio, but in pre-production we decided we wanted to rewrite the verses and the vocals in the chorus.  I couldn’t come up with anything, but eventually landed on a rough chord progression in the studio.  I decided to base the melody in the verses around the pre-chorus melody, which is the only part of this song (along with the bridge) that didn’t change dramatically. Most of the other songs on our upcoming record Sleepwalker came easier.  But in the end we’re really happy with how Ask You turned out.  

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Max: Good music – in whatever form it takes.  Musically, we draw influences from across a wide range of genres and musical styles – together the four of us listen to a ton of different music.  Lyrically, the songs on this album were also inspired by a range of stuff – from 90s action movies (spoiler for our next single), to the aircraft disaster show Mayday, to real-life moments of love and insecurity.  It’s all fair game as long as it makes us feel something.  

Review Fix: What does music mean to you?

Max: “Music to me is the air I breathe it’s the blood that pumps through my veins that keeps me alive” – Billie Joe Armstrong – Max Trinz

No, seriously, music really is a huge part of my life. Sometimes I’m at work or in a conversation and I snap back to attention and realize I don’t even know what’s going on anymore in the conversation. For a while I thought it was because I just couldn’t concentrate, but I later realized it was because in those moments I would be thinking of a specific song, or beat, or melody, or something I had written, and had just gotten absorbed by the music. 

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

Max: Someone recently described us as ‘straight shooting.’  I’m not quite sure exactly what they meant, but it feels accurate to me.  I’d definitely tell people that we have an energetic, clear, and crisp sound.  I think, as a band, we’ve always tried to get our message across without a lot of bells and whistles.  

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

Max: They are more sloppy.  

No, we absolutely love playing live.  We try to bring a raw energy and honesty to our live show, and have worked hard on improving our live show over the last year or so.  Overall, we’re pretty nice people and love interacting with our fans. So if you come see us, talk to us.  

Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?

Max: Ask You was inspired by the gratitude we should all feel for the people in our lives that support us and who make us better.  On the other hand, it’s also the insecurity that appreciation can bring when we look back at our own lives and ask if we are worthy of that love.  Basically it’s just a big thank you to my girlfriend for everything she’s done to make me a better person.  

Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2020?

Max: Well, we’ll be putting out a couple more singles and releasing our album Sleepwalker this summer.  So that’s super exciting.  Obviously, it’s a little bit of an odd situation considering that Covid-19 social distancing has basically shut down in-person live music around the world.  We’d love to be playing now to support the release, and we definitely want to be playing again as soon as it’s safe for people to come to concerts. Until then, I’m just going to keep researching this Navy UFO video story.  

Review Fix: What’s next?

Max: More music.  More shows.  More music again.  Even more shows.