New West Records is proud to introduce Max Gomez, whose label debut, Rule The World,
drops January 22, 2013.
The most northern of the New Mexico pueblos, the hamlet of Taos, sits approximately
7,000 feet above sea level. It is an hour and half drive north of Santa Fe, or rather, just
remote enough to stave off the casually curious person. Fiercely independent, the town,
steeped in natural beauty, has long attracted artists and freethinkers of every stripe. It is
within this bouillabaisse of nature, art and spirituality that we encounter Max Gomez. A
young singer-songwriter in the seasoned vein of Jackson Browne and John Prine, Gomez
grew up splitting his time between the sloping mountains of Taos and, for a period, the
rolling plains of Kansas. On his family's ranch in Kansas, Gomez still lends a hand with
chores but relishes the time he can spend out on the lake practicing the art of fly-fishing.
But it is in Taos, where he was ultimately inspired to explore his art and the ethos behind it.
The son of an artisanal furniture craftsman, Gomez grew up watching his father, learning
the tools of the trade while simultaneously learning his way around the frets of his guitar.
The workmanlike quality of his songwriting carries over from his days spent in the
woodshed through an economy of words, phrase and narrative. A blues enthusiast from an
early age, the young Gomez immersed himself in the primordial Delta and traditional folk
blues of Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy and, of course, Robert Johnson. Though 1,200 miles
and decades removed from his Mississippi heroes, Gomez had his imagination to fill in the
gaps. Having honed his chops on the blues, Max turned his interest to traditional American
folk music; "I'm influenced by the old stuff," Max admits. "To me, that's the best music." As
the Harry Smith anthology gave way to contemporary masters Townes Van Zandt, Kris
Kristofferson, Guy Clark and John Hiatt, so did Gomez's songwriting. "The songs I write are
not real straightforward. You have to decode them. I like when the listener has to create
their own story, rather than be told what's happening." In short, storytelling that oscillates
between everyman poetics and enigma.
In the span of its ten songs, the Jeff Trott (Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow) produced Rule The
World traverses varying themes of heartbreak, regret, young love, desperation and,
ultimately redemption. "Run From You", the album's first single and co-written with Trott,
reveals Max's story telling skills. Gomez explains, "Sometimes I refer to this one as an antilove song. We all come across trouble and often take the wrong road even when we know
we should turn back." With his smoky voice, Gomez sings of desperation for change on
"Rule The World" and on "Never Say Never", young love is likened to a "cool kiss in the
August summer heat," as the protagonist laments its fleeting nature. While the LP's pop
instincts are evident, Rule The World is balanced by Gomez's love of roots music; see the
blues-driven "Ball And Chain."
While many young artists write songs with the mere intention of entertaining the masses,
Max's songs are filled with the raw emotion and capture the spirit of those who came before
him. In an age of ever increasing false fronts and posturing, it's rare to catch a glimpse of a
soul bared. But that is exactly what Gomez has done.
