After talking about it for ages, Maxband began when Brooklyn musicians and longtime friends Max Savage (Parquet Courts), Patrick Smith (A Beacon School), Tim Nelson and Eric Read decided it was finally time to start making music together. After enlisting mutual friend Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, Ashe, Wet) to produce and mix, their official debut release, Top Of The Stairs EP was born.

Monarch (El Paraiso Records) is a psychedelic four piece based out of San Diego, California. Since 2014 Monarch has risen the ranks of the fertile San Diego psych rock scene, Playing alongside SD alumni Earthless, Astra, Sacri Monti. Carving out their distinct combination of crafty songwriting paired with a generous dose of sonic experimentation. Recording their self-titled EP and 2016 Debut release “Two Isles” with Brian Ellis of Astra the first taste of Monarch was out via El Paraiso records. Met with widespread praise, Monarch took to touring the west coast of America, all the while writing material for their 2019 Sophomore release “Beyond The Blue Sky''. Poised with plans for expansive 2020 tours of European festivals and the West coast following the album's release were unfortunately met by the world wide pandemic. Not one’s to waste time Monarch went right back to writing for their 3rd record. This time teaming up with legendary Shags Chamberlain to record their most considered effort yet Due Summer 2023 along with a Performance at Portugal’s Sonic Blast Fest.

My friends and I started our first band sophomore year of high school, playing Ramones songs in a room above one of our parent's garage. About a year later, we drove from Harrisonburg, VA to Norfolk, VA to take my boarding school classmate Rob up on his offer of an old Tascam Portastudio and some weed. This road trip ended up having a number of terrifying detours, both geographic and psychedelic - we made it back to the garage with the Portastudio, but not the weed.  I recorded our demo and when I mixed it down and held the cassette in my hand, I knew that this was something I was going to keep doing for the rest of my life. We had created a piece of my favorite type of art, and the feeling of that power was addictive. As my friends and I grew up and kept playing music together in various styles and configurations, my love of this practice deepened while the gaps between our other responsibilities became increasingly shallow. Every time we managed to track another recording, the result was something I cherished.

While I'm not sure any of us ever labored under the illusion that making music would be a career, I was saddled with the fact that for me it was a compulsion - but the demands of life were making it harder and harder to accomplish as a traditional band. It started to become a solo endeavor. I set up my microphones, laptop and tape machines in the corner of whatever rented room, apartment or hotel I happened to be living in. If the walls were thin, I plucked and whispered, if I had the chance, I turned up, screamed and banged together whatever loud things I could find. Around this time, the music publishing website Bandcamp appeared, which gave me a place to put these things I had been making so that others, however few, might see them. Without the collective identity provided by a band, though, I wasn't sure what all this music was.

-From Moss’s site

Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Gage has occupied a few different southern spaces before setting roots in California where he launched, back in '05, one of the most unique and voice driven music publications of all time, Aquarium Drunkard. Nearing its 20th anniversary, AD hosts a trully consistent forecast for the divine, the original and above all, the creative talents of artists, musicians, film makers, authors, etc. all under one cosmic roof. Its a matrix community of folks that appreciate rich culture, incredible human talent and above all, sharing these elements with their dedicated readers. It was a real pleasure speaking to the man behind it all about his humble beginnings, how he's sharpened his wonderful taste in the arts over time and what keeps Aquarium Drunkard going strong after all the years!

Alex Homan is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and frequent musical collaborator most recently based in St. Petersburg, Florida. His collaborative projects include Delaware Dan, Plake 64 & the Hexagrams, and Heumann Homan Highway, among others. His new album “Noise Foley” release today on the great Sun Cru label and we couldn’t more happy to premier this interview along side a wonderful, intimate release from Homan.