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Spotlight on Zach Maxwell: Exploding into Pop

Born and raised in the heart of New York City, Zach Maxwell got his musical start early. Piano player from age 3, son of a Broadway producer, Zach grew up in a Fellini-esque setting of flamboyant theater folk, privileged Upper East Side well-to-dos, and colorful East Village alternative types — personalities that would do much to shape his own as he frequented his father’s rehearsals and fell in love with music and performing.

Zach received his B.A. in Music Composition at Middlebury College in Vermont, developing his early songwriting style of classical, jazz, roots and gospel. This sound is clearly heard on his first EP “On The Day I Leave The Battlefield” produced by acclaimed drummer Steven Wolf (Annie Lennox, Rufus Wainwright) and his second and third efforts, the acoustic EP “Silent Bear” and his self titled EP, both produced by Alex Bilowitz (Zach Deputy, Jose James).

Recently however, Zach was discovered by executive producer Doug Grama, co-founder and former owner of D&D Studios, the “original home to hip hop” and home to the start of many of today’s hip hop superstars like Jay-Z, DJ Premier, Nas, and the Notorious B.I.G.

With the help of Mr. Grama and veteran producer Tony Collucio (Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga) Zach has redefined his approach and has transformed his music into the electrifying style that it is today.

Currently finishing up his newest studio endeavor, fusing colossal beats, powerhouse vocals and crack-like hooks, prepare for Zach Maxwell to explode into the pop music world in 2012.

Zach has also recently teamed up with up and coming DJ Jon Paige of “The Paige Project” who is currently opening up for international superstar DJ Avicii in top arenas across the east coast. Last week Paige opened for Avicii at the Webster Bank Arena in Connecticut and debuted Zach’s new single there, Sounds of Sirens:

And what about his live performance? Zach says, “Tom Jackson changed the entire way I think about music by teaching me to take my ego out of the equation.” Recalling a rehearsal with Tom, Zach recounts, “we were working on a song I had written. I had added a very jazzy chord into the hook of the song right before the turnaround… It was a ‘musicians trick’ sort of thing, a reharmonization of the melody which to my ears was slick and cool, almost to show off to other musicians that I know how to do that sort of thing. Tom immediately jumped on it and asked me to change it.”

Tom explained to Zach how audiences are ignorant, and how a chord like that, though interesting to the 1% of musicians in the audience, would throw off the ears of the rest of the 99% of people listening. Zach realized it was a small moment, but it pointed to a much bigger issue. “My decision to write that chord into my music was more about my ego than it was about serving the music and making it relatable to others. In other words, I was getting in my own way of reaching a broader audience and moving them emotionally.”

Now Zach realizes his performance is about moving people and connecting to them. His goal now is to build a bridge between himself and his audience to serve them on a deeper emotional level.

“Seeing the results of Tom’s genius in my live shows by being able to feel this palpable connection with the audience not only forever changed the way I relate to live performance, but also changed my whole approach to songwriting. I started to think about where I could create these ‘moments’ in my recorded music as well, and how those moments could be elaborated on in a live setting.” Zach says his songwriting goals changed from solely focusing on how to ‘write something cool’ to a more audience connection based focus.

Changing his thinking in these ways has caused a major shift in everything about Zach’s music. As he tells it, “This shift has not only helped transform my live setting, but also has helped completely change the whole sound and vibe of my music as well!” And for that, he thanks Tom!

You can follow Zach at his website or on his Facebook page – he’d love to connect with you!

Tom Jackson

Tom is uniquely talented and skilled at transforming an artist's live show into a magical experience for the audience; helping artists at every level create a live show that is engaging and memorable, teaching them to exceed their audiences' expectations and to create fans for life. Tom has taught indie and major artists of every genre. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Le Crae, Home Free, The Tenors, Shawn Mendes, The Band Perry, Francesca Battistelli, Jars of Clay, & many more. Tom also teaches at colleges, conferences and events worldwide.

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