There are some scorching '70s guitar licks on the debut CD by Milwaukee's Random Maxx, but as drummer Jim Schweitzer heartily admits, "Loud is not a word that springs to mind with this band. Nobody holds their ears and runs from the room when we play. We're melodically and lyrically oriented."
It's as good a description as any for their disc, Senseless Beauty, and for a band that falls somewhere into the chasm separating West Side rock from its East Side alternative. "We're trying to let the niche find us," Schweitzer continues, but it's hard to sell a band that's hard to peg. Their original songs often feature four-part harmonies and draw from the diverse interests of their members: Schweitzer (modern rock), bassist Matty Phillips (jazz), electric guitarist Mark Redlich (arena rock) and acoustic guitarist Bo Johnson (folk rock). Jaco Pastorius-like bass lines provide counterpoint to acoustic rock melodies. Moody originals are interspersed with such forgotten gems as Joni Mitchell's "Carey." It's an odd mix, but not entirely a random one.
"To the extent that we have a leader, it's whoever wrote the song," Schweitzer says about the quartet's four songwriters. Johnson adds: "We take a back seat to the writers. There are no big egos in this band. The songwriting has always informed what this band was going to be."
Although connecting with the right club audience has been difficult, Random Maxx has been heard on WLUM and WLZR's local shows, and were voted best new band in last year's Shepherd Express Metro Readers Poll.
"I still don't think we've decided what kind of band we want to be," Schweitzer says, laughing. Maybe that niche will come to them sooner than later.
Random Maxx perform Friday, Feb. 4 at Linnemann's.
-Dave Luhrssen
Spotlight: Not a Random Mix
