It's been a good year for Nathen Maxwell. In between legs of Flogging Molly tours, he has just put the finishing touches on a long anticipated follow up to his debut solo folk album, "White Rabbit", and is playing twenty U.S. dates in support of it.
What's different about this sophomore effort, with the working title "Thrive", is that unlike his solo effort debut album, the new album is a legitimate band effort. Maxwell has found commitment and solidarity in his band mates - drummer Maxwellvision, bassist Mike Peralta, and guitar player Nat Nelson - who have all uprooted from their respective homes to be closer to Maxwell in Denver. The moves, both geographic and musical, culminated in the birth of Bunny Gang, a full-fledged rock band whose music transcends any particular genre. The folk rooted aspects of Maxwell's debut occasionally surface, but the collective mix of songs is much more diverse and high energy. The songs on Thrive represent a concept rooted in the album's title. As Maxwell puts it, "we all have the God-given right to thrive, and anything less than that is criminal." A longtime anti-war advocate, Maxwell mentions the song "We Are the Ones (We Have Been Waiting For)," as the perfect track to get listeners hooked on the new Bunny Gang grooves. At certain times, Thrive captures the political climate shaping our environment. The reggae song "Illegal Market" examines social issues like same sex marriage, immigration, and marijuana legislation, while "Uprising Underground" sounds like a high energy Occupy Movement anthem.
This is the third time Maxwell has worked on projects with producer Ryan Hewitt, who he describes as "a world class engineer with an ear for tone that is nothing short of spectacular." Thrive is due out later this year.
