MAX GABRIEL

"So how do you like your heartbreak? If you wanna stay at home and
cram it down deep into your own chest than maybe you should move on,
but if you prefer to take it out to the nearest bar that has a piano
and some good gin, get it nice and drunk and spend the rest of the
evening bawling out show tunes and Bob Dylan songs, may I introduce Max
Gabriel? He'll treat your heartbreak right, with the sense of
devastated whimsy all real romantics have (and also horns, horns are
very important). He's got one of those wonderfully malleable voices
that can sound a bit like everyone from David Byrne to Ed Harcourt,
but always mostly like himself, and he always sounds both too young
and too tired for this love stuff. And if you've never felt that way,
well, I don't envy you your life."—Ian Mathers writes for Stylus, the Village Voice, and PopMatters
"His perpetually tired voice and folk-rock roots eerily remind one of Bob Dylan; his boyishly handsome looks and proficient guitar-keyboard playing bear uncanny resemblances to those of John Mayer; his
thoughtful and intelligent, yet affirming and humorous lyrics . . . echo the works of Jeff Tweedy . . . When taken together as a whole, such familiar yet eclectic elements in Gabriel’s music coalesce to form a portrait of the artist as a young man who is refreshingly original and unquestionably talented.
Standout performances of the evening include the performance of Revolutionary at the Vestibule, a
piano-driven love ballad with an ear-catching, poppy hook in which he sings about a certain fateful
romance between a poet and a revolutionary, and the performance of Wake Up Eleanor, a poignant yet
humorous jab at rampant American consumerist culture.’—MusicUnion.com



"Any touring musician can tell you that there is something special and irreplaceable about emerging from the Holland Tunnel into the swirling carnival of Lower Manhattan. As you make that fateful right turn onto Canal Street, be sure to have Max Gabriel’s The Exile Of Saint Christopher (sonaBlast!) spinning at an agreeable volume. Witness “Wake Up Eleanor;” the hometown boy has a knack for mining whatever remaining details out of the City that have not yet been [mined] by his peers and fore bearers up on Bleeker St. The disc also features duets with Brett Dennen and Mark Geary."—American Songwriter Magazine
"This guy from Brooklyn, MAX GABRIEL, just put out THE EXILE OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER. It’s been in my pile for a couple of months, with apologies to Max. Turns out it features a few guys that I like a pretty good bit: singer/songwriters Brett Dennen and Mark Geary, and one of my all-time favorite drummers, Shawn Pelton. So, then, I figure it can’t be too bad. And it’s not." —UR CHART
"On the other hand, a far different artist is knocking at the door of attention and is nearly winning full entry. His name is Max Gabriel a young singer-songwriter who writes and performs timeless tunes written as if he were twice his age and performed with an incredible supporting cast that includes Mark Geary, Brett Dennen and Kelly McRae. Even though lyrics seem to be Max’s strong suit, his warm tenor, reminiscent of a young David Wilcox, piano playing and guitar are as equally worthy. The New Yorker’s The Exile Of Saint Christopher is released on sonaBLAST records and has just been given heavy national release thanks to the folks at Paste magazine this month." —Dogs or Whoever
A Paste Recommends artist and Starbucks-featured songwriter, Max Gabriel's music is distinguished by startling lyrics, an unconventional voice, and cinematic textures. At once literary and highly accessible, his songwriting has been compared to that of Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman, and early David Byrne.
His 2007 debut, on NY/Louisville indie sonaBLAST! Records, ‘The Exile of Saint Christopher,’ was produced by Scott Healy, whose wide-ranging performing and recording credits include Bruce Springsteen, Al Green, BB King, Jackson Browne, and Branford Marsalis. Guests on the record included Bakithi Kumalo of Paul Simon’s “Graceland,” and folk-rock sensation Brett Dennen.Collaborating again, Gabriel and Healy have just released a three-tune EP in anticipation of Gabriel’s sophomore effort (early 2011 release). Those in attendance include legendary bassist Lee Sklar (The Doors, Leonard Cohen, Crosby, Stills and Nash) and Shawn Pelton (Bruce Springsteen, Shawn Colvin).• “You,” from the EP, was recently featured nationally on Fuse’s “Live From Bonnaroo 2010."• Max has played such prestigious festivals as Brooklyn's Northside Festival ("A free-for-all celebration of New York's best independent musicians, filmmakers, and artists,' says the NY Times), CMJ, and Washingon's Strawberry Festival. He has been wait-listed for SXSW and hopes to be attending in 2011.