Today we’d like to introduce you to Maxwell Mahieu.
Hi Maxwell, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
What began as a quarantine project in the summer of 2020, myself and three of my Athens, Georgia (University of Georgia) college friends (and my mom) found ourselves all home from school in the Metro Atlanta area with a lot of spare time and a sprinkle of musical ability. As musical endeavors often do, myself as the singer & keyboardist, Chris Natale on guitar, Sebastian Betancur on bass, and Kevin Brown on guitar decided to learn some songs in my mom’s basement. The twist here though is that my mom (Leslie Schwarz) would actually join the band. Earning the title “Ringo Mom”, we called her from upstairs to hop on her drum kit that had been waiting years for this moment. The soon to be named “The Asymptomatics” and I put together a set of covers we looked to perform at the end of the summer. Comprised of The Beatles, Velvet Underground, Cream, Ray Charles, The Allman Brothers, Queen, and more, The Asymptomatics and I performed our first private set. Here we realized that we could not only produce sounds that could pass as music, but we also noticed we could make people in the audience feel a bit of enjoyment… and dare I say have fun? While Ringo Mom enjoyed her role as drummer, she knew a managerial position in the band would suit her better. So, the we swapped Ringo Mom with an Atlanta-based hometown friend Nick Bonell and added another friend Tony Elengickal to play saxophone. We even had a trumpet player for a short time named Cole Anderson who had to leave the band for other endeavors. (We were lucky enough that most of our friends had played concert band together in high school, and we were so excited to finally be translating this schooling into some fun Rock n Roll).
So, we set off back for school in Athens and would soon play our first public gig at Cozy Bar (A small dive bar in downtown Athens). This commenced what we called “The Year of the A-Hole”. (an “A-hole” is what we call our die-hard friends and fans of the band) Throughout the year, we would play around 15 shows in Atlanta & Athens from Smith’s Olde Bar to Elsewhere Brewing to the 40 Watt Club. Throughout this year, we would solidify our lineup and expand our repertoire of dancey covers that got crowds on their feet and sweating. With Kevin Brown selling his soul and moving to Texas at the end of that school year and Chris Natale being occupied learning how to play jazz at UNG in Dahlonega, we recruited three new college friend guitarists to the lineup: Zach Negin, Justin Janawitz, and Grant Chernau. All added sporadically over the course of a couple of months because of a slurry of surprise medical emergencies such as an ACL tear and Appendicitis, we now had a consistent 7-piece lineup all based out of Atlanta but conveniently at school together in Athens. Proving ourselves at being a certified fun time… and also maybe half-decent at our instruments, we began a shift away from covers and into original writing with our first EP ‘Modern Ooze’ which released March 24th 2022. While our wacky and goofy covers like Hocus Pocus, Great Big Kiss, and Private Idaho will certainly stay in our repertoire, we’re kicking off this summer with a headlining spot at the 40 Watt Club May 6th, a small tour around Atlanta and the southeast, and full-length original album in the works!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We went through some pretty intensive line-up changes throughout the last year or so of us playing. An uncalled for ACL tear, appendicitis, stomach surgery all came our way forcing us to quickly adapt and learn how to play shows with limited practice and a lot of improvisation. On top of medical emergencies, when schools got back in session as quarantine lock-downs were lifted, we had some members graduating or simply attending school far away from where we all could practice. All-in-all, these unexpected emergencies and absences ultimately made our group extremely flexible (with an active line-up of 7 but 10 total members willing to play) and used to playing shows with augmented and last-minute line-ups. It has made us a lot more confident when we get to play a show with our full well-rehearsed lineup.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve been playing classical piano since high school but realized I also had a friend group of talented musicians who could play music outside of structured concert bands in schools. Putting the band together has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I can describe. In the last year of us playing, I have taken singing lessons and have also improved my abilities as an on-stage performer and frontman for the band. I study finance and marketing at the University of Georgia but have a love for music. So, I get the best of both worlds in being able to apply myself creatively as a musician and performer, while I also feel confident in managing the band from what I’ve learned in college. I run our band’s social media accounts, booking, and finances and feel like I’m getting a priceless experience on both sides of the spectrum of pure creativeness and business. Apart from the band and school, I also work at the legendary Wuxtry Records in Athens where I help the 45-year-old business run their social media platforms, website, and help with the behind-the-scenes bookkeeping and finances. Working there has exposed me to all types of new and old music, which has also given me inspiration for some of the songs I’ve written for our band.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Patience pays off. For our group and many others, the pandemic had a lot of uncertainties and lows. For my friends, mom, and I sitting in the basement working hard on learning how to play music together, many times we thought about giving up and not pursuing it. But, throughout the pandemic, we kept with it and have now become a tight and entertaining act looking to expand in the Atlanta music scene. The band has connected and really grown our friend group both socially and creatively. As
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asymptomatics/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN_L2ULOMR8TUZL–Y_Pk9w
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6WkOdm1cbLuLfYsqgLjF0v
- Website: https://www.asymptomaticsband.com/
Image Credits
Hollis Midkiff, James Hemauer, Garrett Cardoso, and Josh Vickers
