We were lucky to catch up with Max Meeder recently and have shared our conversation below.

Max, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Hey thanks for having me!

When I was in my first semester of college, I remember being really bummed out because I had a hard time finding bands to play with. It was really frustrating finding a potential group, just for it to fall apart because of scheduling. Because of this though, one of my good friends told me I should just start recording my own music by myself. This way, I have all the creative control, and the only person’s schedule I have to rely on is my own. I had some experience messing around with GarageBand on my iPhone, but that was about it. So, I downloaded GarageBand on my computer and started seriously trying to learn how to produce music. Forcing myself to learn a new skill really changed all aspects of my artistic path. I was writing music as I produced it, I thought of my guitar playing as a piece of a song rather than all I do, I explored new genres that interested me as a producer rather than a guitarist, I listened to music and heard things I would’ve never picked up on before. It seriously changed so much of how I thought about the art I was creating. This pushed me to be constantly trying new things so that I could always push my art in new directions that I wouldn’t of even thought of before.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a music artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. I first got into music from a summer camp I went to when I was 7. It was a rock music themed camp, and while I could’t play instruments at the time I was obsessed with Guitar Hero, which we would play during break times at the camp. My mom then later suggested I try the real thing. So, taking her advice I started playing guitar when I was 8.

My first performance was through School Of Rock when I was 9, and that inspired me to start my own band. I’ve been in bands ever since then, constantly improving my guitar playing and picking up bass and drums along the way. When I was in college I learned how to produce and record music, which would completely alter my goals as an artist. Now, instead of just playing in bands. I could create and record music for myself and other artists.

When I started music, I was really drawn in by the classic rock acts of the past. While I have some of the same inspirations that started my music journey (Led Zeppelin and the Beatles especially) I’ve branched into more left field and experimental stuff. Anything from Kate Bush to Death Grips gives me a ton of inspiration to go and create my own off the wall music. An artist like Prince especially inspires me because while he was a huge pop star, he also did a lot of really weird and interesting stuff no one had heard before (or honestly since).

I also get a lot of inspiration from other art forms. While movies and video games are some of my other favorite art forms, photography, paintings, and poetry also are huge points of inspiration. I’ve even tried to dive into experimental photography and videos when I’m creating album covers or music videos. I think drawing from as many places as possible is really important.

Today I’m focused on creating amazing songs through producing for myself and other artists, while also playing in bands like Poppy Roscoe. When I work with other artists, I try to keep the energy as fun and creative as possible. There is really no right or wrong way to make music. In fact I encourage artists to think of their weirdest ideas so they can add something completely different to their sound. Do you want to put a piano through a fuzz pedal, throw on some delays, and layer it 5 times to sound massive? That’s the kind of thing I love doing. Trying something totally left field and having it work really well in a track is not only so rewarding, it’s what will separate you from other artists. Creating a unique and signature art style is something I always try to foster with people I work with and even myself.

The freedom I’ve given myself through my art is honestly what I’m most proud of. When I first started playing music, I really boxed myself in. While that was good for learning my instrument, it got really tiring as I got older. Now, I really let myself try anything. While I have a sound that I think is unique to me, I’m always finding ways to add or to reinvent that same sound. When you listen through my work over the years, I think you can hear me constantly trying new and weird ideas. That is something I’m really proud of. I’ve given myself the ability to be as creative as possible which makes my music more unique and more personal to me.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the hardest things for me to unlearn is that better equipment will make your art better. This is something I used to think about a lot when I was about 15 to when I started college.

There’s kind of a cult like mentality around really expensive vintage gear among music people. It’s so prevalent that I think it’s easy to catch yourself in that mindset. I used to think that if I just had a vintage Les Paul (which is about $500,000 dollars so there’s no way I would ever afford that) and a nice vintage amp I would get the perfect sound. A perfect sound to a lot of people, means a better player.

This is so far from the truth, which is something I had to learn by trial and error. I think I started realizing this with music plugins. I thought the more expensive plugins would be way better, until I saw some really experienced engineers using stock plugins to make an amazing mix. After that I really started to appreciate the free plugins that came with my recording program. While expensive stuff might make it easier to get good sounds, you can get that with what is available to you for free.

This couldn’t be more true for guitar playing. These days I buy used inexpensive guitars that if I wanted to, I could modify it to make it sound better. I use a lot of inexpensive pedals that sound as good or even better then expensive vintage ones. A lot of the most expensive gear is just hype, and you can get those tones really easily with what you have.

Gear is not the end all be all for any art form. Use an iPhone for photo editing, use Sharpies to draw, use iMovie to edit your videos, anything can be an artistic tool if you let yourself be creative with it.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

There are two things that really drive me as an artist.

One is the constant goal to improve my art. For me personally, there’s always something I can improve, or an idea I can try, that will make my art better. This never ending journey of reinvention and refining my craft is a major driver in my music and art goals. If you set your personal standards insanely high, there’s always something new to strive for.

The other thing that drives me is giving people the inspiration to also be creative. The most important thing my heroes did was inspire me and give me creative ideas. It’s such an amazing feeling when you find something that inspires you to pick up a new art form, or try something new with your chosen art. I really want people to try making music, or try filming, or painting etc. If I can be a piece of inspiration for someone to be creative, I’ll feel absolutely amazing. I would be continuing the tradition of artists inspiring other artists, and that’s really powerful to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maxmeeder.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/max.meeder/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/max.meeder.96/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwell-meeder-0a958020a/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3GoozsDPwfTOEw7Zn1OwnQ
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5xaFDRxyImKgVQ7ZfAINaB?si=xHxlOdueSqCHniMOm8mumw Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@max.meeder

Image Credits
Dahlia Grizzard, Dena Meeder, Eye Of Newt Productions, Max Meeder