Lucas Proudfoot - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Didge Marty Shang - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals Brendan Carr - Drums, Backing Vocals Graham Newman - Bass Guitar
Influences
Max Judo's taste of music varies from many different styles from Chili Peppers, Yothu Yindi, Rage Against Machine, POLICE,Ben Harper,Neil Young, Tom Jones,TIMBALAND,Micheal Franti,Doobie Brothers, Kings Of Leon,Doc Dre, Dire Straits, Mana,James Taylor,TOTO, Eagle Eye Cherry, Midnight Oil,Dave Mathews Band, Silver Chair, J J CALE, SANTANA, KOOL AND THE GANG- SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-JAMES BROWN-BOB MARLEY-PHIL COLLINS-MICHEAL JACKSON-GEORGE BENSON-PAUL SIMON-BOOTSY COLLINS-Franz Ferdinand ....just to name a few!!
The adjective ..unique' gets bandied about in far too many band bios a unique sound, a unique stage presence, a unique whatever. It sounds impressive, but is the status really justified?
Well Australia's Max Judo are unique. There, we said it.
Find us another roots, rock, soul combo fronted by an ex pro surfer who freely switches between a didjeridoo and an acoustic guitar during the set and we'll back down.
Lucas Proudfoot, who spent five years on the international longboard circuit, says the splashes of didjeridoo in Max Judo's sonic palette have added a ..wow factor' that's got audiences up and dancing in Australia, the US, Japan and Brazil. With regular sync/airplay on FUEL TV and many surf film soundtracks around the globe it definitely has helped their fan base to grow.
....I guess it is a bit intriguing for crowds who haven't seen anything like it before the didj in a rock band,'' says Proudfoot of the band's totem instrument.
....It's become this familiar point for us and I don't think we've played a show yet where someone hasn't come up and told us they dug it.''
Proudfoot says the didj has been part of Max Judo’s sound since the band formed in 2002 on Australia's Tweed Coast, a short drive from most of the country's best surfing beaches.
....At the start it was a matter of pooling what we had, but it's never been used just for the sake of it,'' he says.
....And that's been a big part of our growth, writing songs that stand on their own no matter what instruments we play them .. two years cutting their teeth in front of surf crowds up and down the east coast of Australia, the band welcomed UK-born bassist Graham Newman into the fold, an addition that Proudfoot says brought ..new blood and new stability'.
The re-energised Max Judo then cracked Japan, where their inclusion on a compilation of surf music, alongside the likes of Jack Johnson, led to the production of an exclusive Japanese release, and tour in 2005.
“The Japanese crowds were a great way to break the international touring circuit” laughs Proudfoot, “They really loved our sound, and have such a vibrant market”.
“It was a great learning curve – working out how labels worked, how to win over new crowds live and how we needed to really step it up to compete internationally.’’
And step it up they did, opening a crack in the US college circuit with a pistol-hot showcase gig at the National Association for Campus Activities summit in Missouri earlier this year.
Response to the gig from the event’s 3000-strong audience has prompted the group’s third tour of the US in September this year, with the band confident they’d made their mark just seconds after walking off stage.
“We played on the last day and even the stage manager said we were the pick of the concert,’’ says Proudfoot, who also counted a 50-deep queue for autographs at the band’s post-show signing.
“They’re usually pretty jaded, after 3 days of showcasing, so for this guy to tell us we were “the pick of the bunch” was pretty amazing.’’
Work on their forthcoming album was completed at Byron Bay’s Studio 301, where the boys insisted on a daily surf before plugging in to record. With one of Australia’s finest producers on board, the Brisbane-based Caleb James had no trouble getting the best from the lads.
“We start most days with a surf as well,’’ laughs Proudfoot, who says the hardest parts of putting the record together have been settling on just 12 songs and coming up with a title.
“For us, getting two hours in the ocean is about freeing the mind and setting up the day, just like some people need to jog or some people need to sleep in.’’
OPEN MIC NIGHTNEXT WEDNESDAY 27TH MAY Held BY GCMIA. (Gold Coast Music Industry Association). GCMIA supports OPEN MIC NIGHT on an entirely volunteer basis. We have a fabulous team of people who donate their time and expertise to create these wonderful opportunities in the music industry on the Gold Coast. So if you’re a band/singer songwriter and would love to be involved with GCMIA and OPEN MIC NIGHT please don’t hesitate to shoot us an email or simply drop us a line. ..This week see's Avaberee, Candice McLeod, Rylie Comrie & Angela Bender-Brooks play.
Come out THURSDAY 28th MAY to 'UNPLUGGED @ THE BASEMENT' for Ryan Murphy & Band's LAST GC SHOW FOR 09...
Ryan is off to Melbourne for the rest of 09 on an amazing writing & gigging venture..WHO AGENCIES wishes Ryan all the very best and will continue to support Ryan with all the amazing ventures that are to come.
In saying this WHO AGENCIES would love to personally invite you to have the chance to come and support an amazing local musician and show him how well the GC appreciates his music.. so come to the FInal Kiss Good Bye Show @ Unplugged @ The Basement ( we will have a treat at the front door for you upon entry...)
Hello again, a couple of boys from the Custom Kings have a side project called Joe Neptune. Joe's debut album, "No Time To Grow Up", is in stores now. Bonus tracks are available in iTumes. Thanks
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