Max Pain and the Groovies

Max Pain & The Groovies recently hit the NYC scene, bringing a tornado of chaos and rebellion with them. Brought together by skateboarding and kept together by music, these guys have found the key to staying young at heart.
Officially comprised in 2010 of David Johnson (keys/vocals), Kallan Campbell (bass), Shane Preece (guitar), Tcoy Coughlin (drums), and Dallin Smith (guitar) in Salt Lake City, they recently moved into a cheap basement in Brownsville, Brooklyn to take on the NYC circuit—they’ve been bringing everything they’ve got since! These long-haired, rebellious, wild boys play music that pours out of the fountain of youth; anyone and everyone who listens gets reverted back to those carefree and angsty days of being young and wild.
The members have been longtime childhood friends and decided to start playing together when they were all around 18 and 19-years-old. “It was kind of a way to continue staying young and not having to grow up and keeping that same mentality,” Johnson tells BTRtoday. “Everybody gets scared and wants to grow up all of a sudden and quit bands—it makes me sad.”
Skateboarding has played a huge part for Max Pain & The Groovies—they would have never met if it wasn’t for their passion for skating. Johnson admits that the best compliment they ever received was after playing with North Carolina’s The Nude Party, the bassist came up to him and confessed that their music made him want to skateboard so badly! “I was like, ‘that’s the coolest thing anybody has ever said about our music,’” he reflects.
He and Campbell also explain that their songs have been featured in skate videos and snowboard videos. “To see like ‘oh this guy’s using one of our songs,’ that’s badass!” Johnson says. Recently, their music was used in a video on Thrasher for Denver’s 303 Boards.
Coughlin is even often recognized for his skills in skateboarding.
Ultimately, even though Johnson and Campbell confess to their music being used as a tool to keep hold of their youth, they just want to see their audience getting lost in their sound.
“Personally, I like to see when people close their eyes or dance around and just let go for a little bit and are willing to have a good time,” Campbell explains. “We’re kind of a ruckus [on stage] and that’s reflective of how we go about our lives of just having a good time and usually leaving a wake of empty beer bottles behind.”
Their music can be described as psychedelic garage rock and metal, with some definite remnants of classic rock stars like Pete Townshend of The Who, Nick Cave (more so during his Birthday Party era), or Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. They’re melodic and blood pumping, but still dark and mysterious.
Their most recent album “Ancient Grease,” released on Lollipop Records, definitely gives off those deep, dark, and mysterious vibes that make you wonder what could possibly being going on inside those brooding heads of Max Pain & The Groovies. Well, Johnson and Campbell confess to BTRtoday that in fact, most songs are just jokes about friends.
For example, the track “Don’t Shake My Busch,” though fast and furious and filled with catchy yet intimidating vocals, is actually based on a story about a friend who accidentally shook the bush a homeless man was sleeping in, but also because that friend tends to drink Busch beer.Even their band name came from their guitarist, Preece, because his name is Shane and they would call him Max Pain, but due to a stroke of serendipity the video game “Max Payne” came out on Preece’s actual birthday. Though there’s no actual association, the name was destined for them.
In March they kick off a 30-date European tour. After the tour they plan on focusing once again on writing a new album.
Campbell recalls a memorable gig they played in New Hope, PA on one of their U.S. tours where they ended up jamming with Mickey Melchiondo, aka Dean Ween, of experimental rock group Ween.
They didn’t know when the gig was booked, but New Hope is the hometown of Ween, but that’s not all– they were also booked in the same venue that Ween is known for getting their start in. “The green room had pictures of them and we were like ‘whoa, no way!’” Campbell recounts. “We got to talking to the bartenders and they were like, ‘yeah, you’ll probably see one of them tonight!’” Low and behold, they met Mickey, who caught their set and enjoyed it so much that he ended up jamming with them after the sets. “Everyone in the bar came down and was just loving it—it was the best experience ever,” he adds.
Make sure to follow them on all their social media outlets (website, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp) to keep up-to-date on where they’re playing next and to be the first to get a hold on their new stuff. Also, make sure to check out “Ancient Grease,” being streamed along with an interview on BTRtoday’s The Music Meetup. - BTR Today

Max Pain and the Groovies have used Salt Lake City as a platform to catapult themselves into a realm of success that they had never envisioned for the band. The band met through skateboarding back in junior high and have been friends ever since. They bonded over their love of pushing wood, drinking cheap beer and getting into trouble whenever possible. Music wasn’t always the driving force for the Groovies. It wasn’t until 2010, many years after their preteen skate-rat days, that things with Max Pain began to develop into something deliberate. What once was their golden ticket to pick up chicks and to party evolved into something driven with passion, perseverance and a whole lot of raw talent. That quiet ambition that Max Pain possess has landed them a spot on Lolipop Records, two LPs—the second, titled Ancient Grease, to be released Oct. 28—and the opportunity to pack up and move across the country this fall to New York City.

Max Pain and the Groovies comprise five eclectic, raunchy best friends. David Johnson is the group’s frontman, who bounces back and forth between singing centerstage and his keyboard. Shane Preece and Dallin Smith both shred guitar, often alternating who takes the role of lead. Kallan Campbell’s long, dark hair sways effortlessly as he plays bass. And Troy “Tcoy” Coughlin is the wildly curly-haired drummer. Coughlin remembers the start of the band and how Max Pain came into fruition—they first played music as an accompanying pastime to drinking and hanging together. Eventually, though, “We were like, ‘How do we go on skate trips and have more meaning and substance and reason?’” says Coughlin, “and it was like, ‘Oh, fucking music.’” And with that, Max Pain and the Groovies launched.

The quiet ambition that Max Pain possess has landed them a spot on Lolipop Records, two LPs and the opportunity to pack up and move across the country this fall to New York City.
Photo: Johnnybetts.com
Ancient Grease, Max Pain’s newest LP, was recorded at Man vs. Music Studios in Salt Lake. The quirky album name came from Smith, but the word “grease” is used by the band often. Johnson says, “‘Greasy’ has always been a term that we’ve used when we kind of get into some weird situations.” Campbell goes into more detail ,explaining that it’s “indulgence of the moment.” More often than not, the songs on Ancient Grease are about their friends, partying and everyday “greasy” SLC life. Campbell says, “One song is called “Quarter Sodas,” and that’s how we all met, just meeting up at the local grocery store to buy quarter sodas and go skateboard after school.” “Quarter Sodas” is an instrumental track directly in the middle of the album, and although there are no lyrics, the song is entrenched in their deep connections with their friends and one another. The band is rooted in heavy psych, punk and garage rock—the essence of what made Electro Cosmic such an underground success is certainly still there, but Ancient Grease shows a maturity in Max Pain. Touring extensively has led the boys to discover their greatest strengths, not only in their live performances, but also in the studio.

Max Pain spent about a month and a half on a national tour this summer. The band had been to New York a couple of times and felt something there lurking in the shadows of the high-rises luring them in, specifically this last time. “Especially now, having a pretty good idea of music scenes across the country, shit’s really popping off over there,” says Coughlin. “People appreciate it, and there’s a lot of good markets and more opportunity.” Each of the band members felt a fire both for their music and personal growth. Max Pain are planning to move to New York this autumn, float around for a few months to get a feel of the city, and then leave for their Europe tour in January. When they return from tour, they plan on writing new material, playing as many shows as possible and building a foundation in a city where they will have to start over. The guys are undeniably ready to challenge themselves in the city that never sleeps.

No matter what New York brings, though, SLC will always be Max Pain’s home. They are going to miss the friendships they’ve cultivated here the most, as well as the local music scene. The music community here in Salt Lake is so supportive, and Max Pain have created a fanbase that will not forget them. Campbell reflects on the city in which his music career got started, saying, “Largely, it’s such a supportive community, which is really cool, but it will be good to get humbled out there [in NYC] and have to rebuild again.”

Max Pain and the Groovies have been a Salt Lake staple since their infantile band days. In a way, it’s shit to picture this city without their familiar faces roaming Twilite and Urban Lounge, but it’s something we’re going to have to get used to. Let’s send Max Pain off with the goodbye they deserve and make Ancient Grease’s album release party on Oct. 28 at Urban Lounge their most memorable show to date. Shoutout to Max Pain for everything they have done for our music community—you will be missed. - Slug Magazine

Music is being transported somewhere, hopefully, a good place. For some, that might be the spot where you hang with your friends, drinking cold, cheap beer and pretending to intellectualize your way through a not so hot summer. That’s exactly where NYC via Salt Lake City Max Pain and the Groovies takes us. This is '60s inspired psych rock at its best, youthful and unafraid. Groovy, indeed. The band’s waves of cosmic guitars and greasy vocals will surround you like an old ash tray. Let them, and don't miss their upcoming performance at Berlin on 09.14. - Amanda Ogea - The Deli Mag

Max Pain & The Groovies had some good stuff and Max himself was an entertaining front man. There was one track in particular with a swooning bassline and inter-connecting, plinky-plonky keyboard sections that was really pretty awesome. The drummer also had a yeti-like aura, much to my personal entertainment. - Toronto Guardian

Coming straight out of Salt Lake City, Max Pain and the Groovies earned the attention of ears across this great nation with their debut album, Electro Cosmic, a valentine to garage rock and psychedelia. If you listen carefully, you can hear influences as varied as the Make-Up, Black Lips, and even Motörhead. But it was not a musical bond that initially brought together the five members who formed Max Pain and the Groovies — it was a different sort of instrument. "We grew up skating together," singer and keyboardist David Johnson tellsNew Times. "We'd travel around the country on skate trips."

In 2010, Johnson and his friends decided to continue traveling the nation together, but this time as a band.There was a slight problem, though. Neither Johnson nor the four other members — bassist Kallan Campbell, drummer Troy Coughlin, and guitarists Dallin Smith and Shane Preece — had any formal musical training. "We all had a wide range of influences. We knew we wanted to play rock 'n' roll, but we didn't have any real direction we wanted to go," he says. "Our first show we played, we didn't even have any lyrics. We made them up on the spot. It went well, so we kept going."

Luckily, the band eventually found its groove. And the group's fuzz-heavy sound helped hide the members' relative inexperience as musicians. Though Utah isn't known as a hotbed for music — especially psychedelia — Johnson says his hometown of Salt Lake City has a solid scene worth discovering. Plus, being smack-dab in the middle of the country means they're not too far from any state, which helps when it comes to touring. Even a flight to Florida — where Max Pain and the Groovies will head for their first Sunshine State shows — is a reasonable four-hour flight. "I'd been there on vacation before, but this will be my first time playing music there. Our good friends Plastic Pinks are from Miami, and they helped set up this show."

When the band comes to Gramps this Saturday with local rockers Dénudés and Heavy Drag, audiences will hear songs from Electro Cosmic along with tracks from the band's forthcoming album, Ancient Grease, recorded in Salt Lake City and expected to drop in October. Johnson promises it is even more upbeat and faster than their first rodeo in the recording studio, but he voices disappointment that he can't share it sooner because of the long wait at the vinyl plant to print records. The group is starting a nationwide tour.

Despite being two albums into a rock 'n' roll lifestyle, Johnson doesn't see a very big difference between where he and his bandmates are now versus when they first toured the nation in their skating days. "We still skate a lot. We start our days in each town looking for a skate park." - Miami New Times

Max Pain - Now Toronto

The inaugural ‘Shush Series’ at Drexler’s kicked off last week and will be happening every single Tuesday from now on until forever and ever or until the apocalypse happens or maybe the lease simply isn’t renewed (due to rising rent costs that will cause a real-estate bubble to burst…) or I dunno, a hurricane, like that could ever happen…wait, nope, too soon. Anyways, WHO DOESN’T LOVE FREE MUSIC??
The newly created series aims to bring back music that should be both accessible and available to the city that was once (and hopefully still) deemed a musical mecca, drawing the likes of Television, Bob Dylan and Jimmy Hendrix towards its palpable creative energy and seemingly endless inspiring nature. Thus, the series will attempt to curate shows that are not only performed by local bands, but also touring bands alike, both old and newly formed and will always, always be free.
As a result, last week’s show presented dashing guitar-pop melodies courtesy of Brooklyn locals, Holy Tunics and energy driven psych-rock by way of Max Pain and the Groovies, who, up until recently were located out west in their native home of Salt Lake City, but have since found themselves transplanted amongst the Brooklyn DIY music scene.
Coming up next up in the Tuesday series will be Larry Sass, New Love Crowd and out of Nashville, Champagne Superchillin.
Following are photos of the bands from last week’s show, shot solely on a disposable camera. - ALT Citizen

Sometimes we daydream about forming our own personal cartoon cosmos of music, hand-drawn and unstoppable, filled with bands that are too cool to actually exist, with riffs so huge, so catchy, they can bridge the unimaginable, endless yawning void between galaxies. In space, no one can hear you get down and boogie.

But mostly, we just hang out and listen to Deep Purple records. With the billion-star-bright impression left in our mind after listening to “Electro Cosmic” by Max Pain and the Groovies, it’s like doing both of those things at the same time. - Revolt of the Apes

Max Pain and the Groovies

reverbnation.com/
maxpainandthegroovies

Dallin Smith – Guitar
Kallan Campbell – Bass
David Johnson – Vocals/Keys
Troy Coughlin – Drums
Shane Preece – Guitar

SLUG: Is this your first time going to SXSW as a band?
MPG: No, we went last year. It was way rad.

SLUG: You’re playing unofficial shows—is it difficult finding places to play?
MPG: The past year, and this year, we’ve been lucky enough to meet people through touring who ask us to play their events at SXSW.

SLUG: What are the perks and challenges of going unofficially?
MPG: There really are no challenges. Either way, it’s a party in Austin.

SLUG: What are your expectations for the festival?
MPG: We expect to see a lot of good shows, meet awesome people and soak up some rays.

SLUG: Are you compiling a special SXSW set list? What are you going to play?
MPG: We’ve been writing a lot of new songs, so it’s gonna be an all-around new setlist.

SLUG: There are thousands of bands playing the festival—how do you plan to stand out?
MPG: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” [–Hunter S. Thompson]

SLUG: Are you taking any special merch, or any merch at all? If so, what?
MPG: We plan on taking some shirts, tank tops (for the hot Austin sun) and our most recent EP.

SLUG: Any bands playing that you’re hoping to catch while you’re there?
MPG: Fuck ... so many. We are excited to see the Burger Records’ and Lolipop Records’ showcases.

SLUG: Are you touring into/after SXSW, or are you heading straight there and back?
MPG: We’re playing a handful of dates on the way to and from SXSW. Then we embark on our two-month- long U.S. tour, starting from the Treefort Music Festival in Boise.

SLUG: How are you getting to SXSW?
MPG: The Delta Limousine, baby.

SLUG: What’s a must-have road trip item for the band?
MPG: Skateboards, some fresh socks and undies, and hooch.

SLUG: Top 5 songs on your road trip playlist?
MPG: Unfortunately, our CD player is broken so we tune into whatever radio waves come our way. - Slug Magazine

Before a jam-packed night of live music in Austin, I met up with local psych-rockers Max Pain & the Groovies at Rio Rita for an interview about their second year at SXSW and what's been happening with the band. David Johnson (vocals/keyboards), Dallin Smith (guitar), Shane Preece (guitar), Kallan Campbell (who joined the band as the new bassist in spring 2013) and Troy Coughlin (drums) stopped at SXSW during a two-month nationwide tour, and played several shows this week, including a showcase with fellow Lollipop Records artists.---

Max Pain & the Groovies will soon be re-releasing their self-titled EP on cassette tape, as well as entering the studio and working with Man vs. Music's Mike Sasich to release a new full-length album later this year.

What's been happening with you guys at this year's SXSW?

Coughlin: Meet up with a lot of friends that live everywhere else and not Salt Lake.

Johnson: Been networking a lot too down here, too, and meeting a bunch of people in bands. And then like reconnecting with them, too, [bands] that we already know from playing shows and touring. We met a bunch of bands down here that we’re playing with on tour also.

Coughlin: And get a little greasy at night, drinkin' some booze.

Preece: Yeah, we sleep in our bus, it’s parked around the corner, awesome. We’re sleeping eight people comfortably right now.

Coughlin: And it’s just a living room on wheels so you can discreetly just hang out.

Preece: Yeah, there’s couches in there, beds, we got bunk beds in there.

Coughlin: We had kind of a party in there last night. … Had a bunch of people in there.

Preece: We’ve had some awesome bus parties on this trip so far.

Will you be releasing any new music in the near future?

Johnson: We’re gonna record when we get back, we have a bunch of songs ready to record. And we were going to try to fit it in before we left but just decided it would be better after. We wanna release it on vinyl.

Is anything changing in the recording process for your new full-length album?

Johnson: We’ve always had bad luck recording, but now we’ve got a guy, Mike Sasich, who finally can get our sound right.

Coughlin: We never were stoked on our music so we never pushed it that hard.

Preece: But you gotta go through that stage when you first start recording and find out what you want to sound like. We know that we can get that sound, at first we were kind of deceived. … With Mike Sasich, he can get what we want to sound like.

Coughlin: He’s into the same kind of music we are, too, so it’s a lot easier.

Campbell: And he’s a musician.

What's been your favorite part of SXSW?

Coughlin: I was pretty stoked on seeing, at the showcase we played at, just like Mystic Braves and Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel. They’re just really solid bands.

Preece: A lot of cool bands all in one spot, that was a cool showcase.

Coughlin: They’re the homies, but we kind of more or less recently met them, so it was sick to kick it with them a little bit more.

Johnson: I think it’s cool how much you can learn down here. About the whole music industry and how everything works. It’s like learning every day when we go to shows. - Salt Lake City Weekly-Kolby Stonhocker

On Friday, April 18th, Salt Lake City's Max Pain and the Groovies performed at Don Pedro in Brooklyn, NY.... Photos continued - Impose Magazine

It’s been a hell of a year for Max Pain & the Groovies. Since winning the band component of the 2012 City Weekly Music Awards, they’ve played a nationwide tour, welcomed new bassist Jordan Deveraux, gotten a clothing sponsorship from Coalatree Organics, and brought their bluesy psych-rock sound to South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, earlier this month, in a brand-new tour bus. City Weekly caught up with the Salt Lake City-based five-piece to talk about their recent accomplishments, what’s in store for the band and what it was like being a part of the City Weekly Music Awards.

This yearlong wild ride started at the CWMA showcase in February 2012 at The Complex, where the band shared a stage with The 321s and Palace of Buddies. The energetic, rollicking performance “was one of our funnest shows,” says vocalist David Johnson. Plenty of local support helped Max Pain & the Groovies earn the winning spot.

“All the love from Salt Lake is so cool,” says guitarist Shane Preece. That’s what [the CWMAs] made me think, like … how great the Salt Lake music scene is.” They scored the most total online and in-person votes to earn the win.

Shortly after Max Pain & the Groovies’ CWMA victory, it was off to the Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho, in March. During the summer, in June and July, they embarked on a whirlwind nationwide tour that took them to the Midwest, down the East Coast—including Maryland’s Farm Fest and the CBGB Festival in New York City—and through the South.

Touring nationally helped the band dial into their identity as musicians, beyond funny nicknames like “Duck Fangs” (Deveraux) and “Dimebag” (guitarist Dallin Smith). “You wanna be the best you can, but sometimes you can’t until you really realize what’s out there,” says drummer Troy Coughlin. “So, going around the country and back, we can use all those influences, and we’ve really grown musically and know what we’re talking about a little better.”

The exposure and attention gained via the CWMAs helped pave the way for Max Pain & the Groovies during that east-of-Utah tour, Coughlin says. “[The tour] was a lot of crucial connections and a lot of good people,” he says. “We wouldn’t have been able to do that without winning the CWMAs. And it’s a lot easier to get shows when you have all that local hype, so that was good, too.”

Fast-forward to March 2013, and Max Pain & the Groovies are back from their first SXSW stint, which Coughlin says “was definitely an awesome experience. We plan on going every year.” The Groovies played Mock Records’ Southern Uproar showcase with The Spyrals, Cab 20 and others, and also played with fellow psychedelia conjurers The Warlocks at a party put on by Psychedelic Light & Sound.

A drive to continually improve as musicians keeps this hard-working band moving forward. In April, Max Pain & the Groovies plan to travel to Los Angeles to record a full-length record, which they hope to release in May on vinyl. The band members agree that this upcoming album will be considered their “debut,” although they released a great local LP, Tortilla Gold, in late 2011.

“This will probably be what we claim from here on out as like our first record,” Preece says. “Others were just kind of demos. … This next one, we’re stoked on.”

Reflecting upon the CWMAs, Coughlin says the experience helped them tighten up their act. “I feel like the CWMAs indirectly has … made us better musicians,” he says. “Because you realize the competition at the time, and then it puts you in these spots where you really gotta bring it and not sing it.”

Now ready to hand off the Band of the Year torch, “we’re stoked to see who the next Band of the Year is gonna be,” Preece says. “And we’re gonna vote. … Best of luck to all the bands.”

Check out the CWMA band and DJ showcases April 17-27. Visit CityWeekly.net/CWMA for complete event info.

MAX PAIN & THE GROOVIES
w/ Deer Tick
The Urban Lounge
241 S. 500 East
Thursday, March 28, 9 p.m.
$18 in advance, $20 day of show - Kolbie Stonehocker Salt Lake City Weekly

Salt Lake City psych-rockers Max Pain & The Groovies. Max Pain & The Groovies also used a five member setup; David on vocals, Jake on bass, Dallin on guitar, Shane on guitar, and Tcoy on drums. This experimental group took the spirit of rock 'n' roll and put it in the oven, regularly basting that sound with juices of near sludge-like psychedelic rock. The vocals were delivered with a careful balance of force and dark mood that gave the music a garage rock feel with a more trippy and spaced out attitude. The end product was psychedelia with a kick - music that will daze you as much as it will get you dancing. Their live set craftily increased its intensity until it peaked with full rock force at the end. This band is indeed groovy, but with an added layer of punkish awesome.
- - Peter Washington -Peter Washington Concerted Effort Denver Co. (Nov 19, 2011)

Salt Lake City psych-rockers Max Pain & The Groovies. Max Pain & The Groovies also used a five member setup; David on vocals, Jake on bass, Dallin on guitar, Shane on guitar, and Tcoy on drums. This experimental group took the spirit of rock 'n' roll and put it in the oven, regularly basting that sound with juices of near sludge-like psychedelic rock. The vocals were delivered with a careful balance of force and dark mood that gave the music a garage rock feel with a more trippy and spaced out attitude. The end product was psychedelia with a kick - music that will daze you as much as it will get you dancing. Their live set craftily increased its intensity until it peaked with full rock force at the end. This band is indeed groovy, but with an added layer of punkish awesome.
- - Peter Washington -Peter Washington Concerted Effort Denver Co. (Nov 19, 2011)