Don’t stop (him) now: Max Stockin on the power of music.
Having been in the music scene for over a decade, Max Stockin is no amateur when it comes to writing, performing and creating new songs. We had the pleasure of discussing his musical journey, his top three bands of all time and his upcoming single, Love Song over a top-notch sandwich and some of the best chunky chips one could ask for.
Photo by @itsmegpayne
Max admitted he was never truly into music - in any sense - until the age of 15. After having no interest in attending gigs, following a band or an artist as a fan and an indifference to writing or playing his own music, Max watched an advert on the television with his mum and for the first time heard Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now.
Becoming immediately enamoured with the beat, lyrical genius and all-round iconic greatness, Max asked his mum what the song was before quickly setting off to his room and listening to it 15 times on a loop. Exploring further into the band's music, he buried himself into Queen for the following two years. Like many, Max envisioned himself as a future Freddie Mercury and began loosening his vocal chords, singing along with the icon, using the portafilter of his coffee machine as a microphone.
At 17 he picked up the guitar.
Photo by @itsmegpayne
“I never planned to play the guitar. I was planning on playing the piano instead,” Max says, reaching for a fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside chip. “But there was a guitar just sitting in the living room and I remembered thinking; why not start playing?”
Max then attended music college, playing and practicing all the time. His music collection also expanded. Naturally, he claimed, following Queen came The Beatles, partly because his uncle used to play their music - on the radio and guitar - but also he simply loves their energy. That era of music has stuck to him, as he revealed that his top three artists at the moment all originate from the 60s, filled with funkadelic sounds. His list included Jerry and the Pacemakers, Doc Pomus and Bob Dylan.
“I went to see the Bob Dylan biopic in cinemas and it was great! As music biopics go it did a really good job. I’d rate it 8 out of 10!” Max continued on to profess his love for Dylan’s work; “His writings are just fantastic, the way he wrote songs was just amazing. I mean just how much he wrote songs is incredible, and his viewpoints and how prolific he was. He’s just epic.”
With a love for the 60s aesthetic, Max became part of a music duo called The Fidgets. This was his first entrance and introduction to making money from music by performing at Open Mic Nights and playing at gigs to local crowds. Their favourite spot was one of their regular locations: the Tripel B in Worcester.
“We got free beer,” Max laughed, recalling the fond memories of performing as the duo there. “But also, the atmosphere there was brilliant. We played there regularly so that regularity was really nice, and also the people there were really nice. They would sit and listen to us, so we were really very much the focal point of the night, and it just made us feel really appreciated and supported.”
After almost a year of gigs and open mics, the duo decided to branch out. Max, who was working at a petrol station at the time and sorting the inserts that go into newspapers, noticed an article about busking. Interested, he continued to read, becoming more intrigued as the article noted about the busker's experience. Contacting his music partner, who quickly got on board, the duo expanded their performances.
“Busking was never really a plan for us,” Max admitted. But now, after almost a decade of busking, some of it as a solo act, Max loves it. “The people are great! There’s a few regular spots I play at, Cheltenham and Stratford Upon Avon, and it’s just great. The people there see me as street entertainment, as a musician, and it feels like they really appreciate my art. It feels like I’m a feature and that’s a really great feeling. The people at those spots are just really welcoming, it makes the performance easier- especially if the weather is bad.”
Photo by @itsmegpayne
When Max first went solo in 2019/20, creating his own music and figuring out his own style, he recorded eight songs. Looking back on them all, he confessed that although he likes them and can appreciate them for what they are, they’re not really him anymore. They were recorded in a pop-style format, with over-produced sound effects and he admitted that going forward, the way it was produced isn’t how it would be done now. When asked why it’s taken him so long to release the final song of the eight made, he divulged that he went through a period where he hit a lull.
“There was a point where I was just doing it for the money. I didn’t appreciate it and I took it for granted.” Pushing through, Max came out the other side with a new appreciation for his work, art and music. “I’ve come to really value it again so there’s definitely lots of love in all my performances and work.”
Photo by @itsmegpayne
With the newfound love injected back into his artistry, Max is especially chuffed with his new song planned to release on February 28th. He noted how there are only there chords in the song, played in a way that’s a bit of a skill on its own. When asked what the title of the song was, he joked “it’s a secret - no one can ever know” before revealing its name to be Love Song. “I’m ready to release it now and I like the song, but I’m ready to close that chapter and work towards new goals.”
These goals include recording new music that captures the way he plays in real life. “I think my busking style is quite unique and I’d really like to capture that and capitalise on that,” Max says, before taking a bite of his Tandoori chicken sandwich. “I definitely think I’m best when I play live and I want to record that, capture my music in that vein.”
Other goals are to put those new recordings out, keep on building a community on social media and do small tours, selling out venues that seat 100 people. A dream location for Max is the iconic Ronnie Scotts in London.
Continuing down the root of dreams, he disclosed without hesitation that if he could collaborate or perform with any artist, it would have to be folk-rock musician Teddy Thompson. “He’d be cool to write a song with. A duet would be even better. A tour supporting him is the ultimate dream.”
Photo by @itsmegpayne
As we neared the end of our lunch, we spoke about the process of writing music. Max affirmed that his writing process is nearly always unplanned. “Ideas come from nowhere, it’s always completely off the cuff. The first song I ever released, called Better to Burn, I remember just sitting down and playing a chord riff on the guitar out of the blue, liked it, built on it and soon enough it had become a song.” He concluded that he relies on that spontaneity; “I can’t sit down and start an idea. I can sit down and finish one, but starting it, no.”
However, he did state that from his years of experience, days of busking and lots of performing at gigs, his confidence has grown to a place where he feels assured in his skills and talent. This allows him to lean into the music, lean into the rhythm and create something beautiful.
“Music is just incredible. It truly is a healer of all problems, you know. It can make you happy, sad, grateful, content; it just has this ethereal quality that speaks to your soul. And there’s so much of it! So many different styles. It can change the world, and has, several times over. Being able to create it is something else. Music helps take people out of reality, and reality at the moment is quite bleak, quite grim. Being able to make music that takes people away from that is amazing.”
Photo by @itsmegpayne
Make sure to follow Max Stockin on Instagram, and keep an eye out for his new single, Love Song, releasing on February 28th!
In the meantime, you can check out his Spotify below: