Woodstock songwriter, musician, and producer Chris Maxwell hit the New York scene in the 1990s as a member of the band Skeleton Key. I talked to him for Chronogram last July, when I interviewed him about his work with singer Ambrosia Parsely on her most recent album. Since then, he’s been busy completing his solo debut, Arkansas Summer, which he'll celebrate with an album-release show at BSP on March 4.
The title track of Arkansas Summer would seem to allude to Maxwell’s razorback roots; before moving to Manhattan, he played in Little Rock band the Gunbunnies. Maxwell is one half the production duo the Elegant Too, which also includes drummer/DJ Phil Hernandez, and has collaborated with Parsley and her old band Shivaree, P-Diddy, They Might Be Giants, Yoko Ono, Ray Davies, John Cale, the Lox, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and others. Arkansas Summer’s classic pop hints at Big Star, the Kinks, and the Beatles and features guest appearances by Amy Helm, Larry Grenadier, Marco Benevento (who will perform in Maxwell’s band for the release event), and others.
Chris Maxwell and band will perform at BSP in Kingston on March 4 at 7:30pm. Admission is $10. For more information, call (845) 481-5158 or visit http://bspkingston.com/.
