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Max Germer - Bass and Singing

Here’s my concise rock star history:

Age 6 months. I was born in Monrovia, Liberia. According to my folks we lived across the street from a record store with speakers out on the street. They apparently blared James Brown records all day long (to my parents' chagrin). I think hearing all that Bootsy at such an early age made me a prime candidate for the bass. Or maybe that’s why I like shiny clothes.

Age 6. Tried to learn “Rhinestone Cowboy” on my dad’s classical guitar, and failed. Age 10. Discovered Queen, Kiss and Kool And The Gang. It was a monumental year.

Age 12. Wanted to play drums, guitar, *anything* cool. Parents started me on trumpet, and got me a bass on the condition that I took lessons on both. I knew even at that tender age that chicks didn’t dig trumpet players. Or bassists.

Age 14. Most Improved Marching Band Member (Keene High School). Also Most Unlikely Freshmen To Kiss A Girl.

Age 16. Formed Visionary; a cute little metal band. We didn’t think we were cute, we thought we were SCARY and EVIL and I drew up record covers like Maiden’s, with our own version of Eddie. I still listen to those tapes and think we had... um, something.

Age 18. Joined my first cover band, Playground, which was also my first band to play a real bar gig, for real money, and not-so-real beer (in New Hampshire you could perform at a bar at any age, as long as you were entertaining). I had the Hockey Player’s mullet, and stonewashed jeans with David Lee Roth and Living Colour pins. Tried to enter Keene State College as a trumpet major and was rejected. They accepted me as a Euphonium player. The Euphonium is like a mini tuba. On the coolness scale it ranked just behind glockenspiel. I lasted (amazingly) through two years of music education before switching to design.

Age 20-21. Lots of college-era bands which had grand ambitions but never made it out of the basement (if we made it that far). Started Kitchen Accident, with Pat something or other, who wrote music in the Squeeze vein. We were actually very good (a first). Enter Philip Price, who worked with Pat at Bagel Works. We were a quartet for about a month before we kicked Philip out. I don’t remember why, but I think it had something to do with Pat’s ego. Over Christmas break I couldn’t stop listening to Philip’s tapes, so soon after I left Pat and started playing with Philip. It was a bizarre love triangle.

Age 21-29. Played almost exclusively with the Maggies.

30 to current. Joined the Stephen Kellogg band, which has been very enjoyable. Met Dennis Crommett and formed Birdless, which became the Hart Cranes, which became Spanish For Hitchhiking, which nobody can spell. Helped the Steamtrain serenade a friend with a mariachi-inspired version of You Shook Me All Night Long on a cold winter night, which I suppose helped land me the coveted spot in School For The Dead, and later, The Fawns. All these groups make me feel fuzzy inside.

Ok, so it wasn’t very concise.