Cover photo © 2024 Bob Kieser
For decades blues fans and older blues musicians have lamented the fact that young people seemed uninterested in their chosen style of music. The typical demographic at blues concerts tends to be the 55–64-year-old age range, and it had been hypothesized that the youth were simply not exposed to it enough or associated it with a stigma as “old people’s music” which represented a time of oppression of minorities.
In recent years, however, there have been an encouraging number of young artists who embrace the blues, such as Quinn Sullivan, Mathias Lattin, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Ally Venable, Solomon Hicks, Ben Levin, Jad Tariq and Jon Hay. Each of them appears to be expanding the appeal of the blues, and they contribute to its evolution by pushing the boundaries of the genre. New Jersey-born, but Memphis-based singer/songwriter and guitarist, Max Kaplan, is one of those “under-thirty” artists who is quickly gaining a following for his individual interpretation of the blues-based music that he was exposed to from an early age. And Blues Blast Magazine recently had the chance to catch up with him to learn more.
“My dad and stepmom owned a barbeque restaurant that also had live blues music in North Jersey, and they hosted countless blues musicians. We lived in the apartment upstairs, so I would walk down and hear some of the biggest names in the business, like Sugar Ray Norcia and Little Charlie and the Nightcats.”
Kaplan’s family not only provided his early musical influences, but they also supported and encouraged him to pursue a music career, even though Kaplan was initially hesitant about that path.
“They encouraged me to do music, but it seemed so fickle—not a very stable industry. So, when I started at Rhodes College, I first majored in psychology, then bounced to philosophy and English before finally settling on music. Rhodes was one of those schools where it was whatever you wanted to make of it. ”
“I’m a good learner, but a bad student. I don’t do well just sitting in a classroom. I think I’m meant for the real world. So, what I did was utilize the school for extracurricular activities. I was president of the Rhodes radio station, which led to me being a DJ all across campus. And I had a lot of internships. I interned at Stax, Garner Records, and an entertainment company. I would also interview artists that were coming through town. One of the artists I interviewed was John Nemeth, and that led to the rest of my life. He found out that I was a blues guitarist who could also play bass, so he got me a tour as a bass player with Tony Holiday.”
Like other young artists, Kaplan realized that there were limits to what can be taught in a formal school setting.
“When I came to college, the only thing I knew was the blues. There I learned music theory and a bit of worldliness. I studied jazz, classical and world music. It makes you broaden your horizons. But there is no class on how to perform. You can talk about performing, but you can’t really teach it. It’s the same thing with the business side of the industry. But you can go down to Beale Street and learn to be a professional musician for free.”
Kaplan’s first band was called “Trezevant”, named for the street on which he lived at the time, but that band lasted only for three or four gigs. He later formed his current band, Max Kaplan and the Magics. This band clearly shows signs of some of his early influences.
“I think the greatest influence on my singing was John Nemeth. Also, Mavis Staples—she is probably my favorite singer. And Pop Staples too—he’s like the male equivalent of Mavis. He does it in a male way that works. I’d also have to say that Duane Allman, Lowell George, and Kim Wilson were influences. I think their approach to the blues is from a respectful side, understanding that we are white people doing Black music. When you listen to Duane Allman you don’t hear an appropriation of Black stylizing, you hear how he would sing it. If I am going to try to sing Howlin’ Wolf, I’m going to sing it the way I would sing it.”
Kaplan is also a songwriter, although unlike many writers, he is not always jotting down notes for various potential lyrics and tends to focus first on the music.
“I’m not someone who is always writing. I usually write songs that filled a musical hole in our live sets, so they were groove-based, and the lyrics came later. Or sometimes, like with “Born to Love You”, I just stumbled across a chord progression that I liked. At times I have others help write the lyrics.”
“For example, Jad Tariq and I wrote “Shake” together and my mother helped write several songs. She is an artist, a painter, a poet, and a photographer, and she helped me write ‘Until the Mississippi Turns Blue’, ‘Lost Your Love’ and ‘I’ll Take the Blame’. For ‘Until the Mississippi Turns Blue’ John Nemeth and I were jamming, and he just started messing around and he started singing that line, ‘I’ll love you until the Mississippi turns blue’. I happened to be recording with my phone and later I thought, ‘that’s a really good line’. I took that line to my mother, and she helped me write the rest of the song to go with it.”
Kaplan released his first album, “Mind on My Heart”, which was co-produced by Kaplan and Matthew Wilson, and includes Wilson, Danny Banks, Jon Hay, Jad Tariq and others as contributing artists. It contains both original songs and a cover of Ann Peebles’ hit, “99 Pounds”, and has been receiving rave reviews. The album was released on the Color Red label, which might not be the most well-known label, but is the choice of many respected artists.
“When I was shopping around for the first album, I was also writing reviews for a magazine, and I noticed that George Porter Jr. put his album out on Color Red. Then Black Joe Lewis came through Memphis, and I wondered where he put out his music, and saw that it was also on Color Red. So, they just ended up on my list of possible labels. I have a whole new album’s worth of material already, but I think I might do my next record independently. Color Red was great, but when you are working with a label, you give them your music and it can take six months before they put it out. I want to get it out right away. I think this new album will be more indicative of our live sound. I loved the first album, but if you saw our band live you might think we sound different from our first album. This new album is more representative of our live sound. And it includes some covers we have been performing for a long time, like ‘Wooly Bully’, ‘Let the Good Times Roll’, and ‘Same Old Blues’. There’s not a particular theme running through the album, but all the songs together have a vibe, somewhere between mid-country Americana and heavy Memphis blues. We’re somewhere in there. I don’t feel like I’m a straight blues artist. I’m just kind of rootsy and bluesy. Maybe even a bit country. I wrote one country song for this album called ‘Stranded in Houston’. It was about when my van broke down and I was stranded on the edge of the highway, sitting in the van for hours, freezing.”
Kaplan has made numerous achievements in the last year, playing some prestigious festivals. And he looks forward to some new experiences in the coming years.
“I’ve played some great festivals, like the Winter Blues Festival in Des Moines, and we’re booked to play at the Briggs Farm Festival, The Camping with the Blues Festival, and a new festival in New York called ‘Up the River Blues Festival’. I would love to get booked on a cruise though. I’ve played cruises as a sideman for other artists, but not with my own band. Cruises are special in that you get to meet the fans and the other artists. At festivals, if you get to meet the other artists, it’s rushed. On cruises you can become friends with these artists, and then there are those late-night jams.”
When asked if there were certain artists with whom he hoped to play, Kaplan noted that he is always honored whenever he has the opportunity to play with John Nemeth or Tony Holiday, and would love to share a bill with them, but he does also hope to have the chance one day to play with some new rising stars.
“I’d love to play with McKinley James and Eddie 9V. I remember when McKinley James sat in once when I was playing bass for John Paul Keith at Fernando’s Hideway in Memphis. He said a friend was joining us, and I thought, ‘Who is this 18-year-old kid coming from Nashville to play the blues?’ But he tore it up and then I thought ‘I’ve got to keep my eye on this kid.’ It did not take him long before he just blew up, so it would be fun to play with him and Eddie 9V.”
When asked if he had advice for other young artists, Kaplan stressed the importance of being willing to accept the sacrifices that must be made for this life choice.
“It can be stressful and can cost a lot of money. Some days you know that this is what you were meant to do, and other days you question why you do it and wonder if you should get a regular job. When my van broke down, I had to pay $600 to get back to Memphis and then pay to replace the engine in the van. You make a lot of sacrifices. Records cost astronomically more than you would think, but it’s worth it. I’ve spent more than I’ve made on music because it’s worth it to me. You have to decide whether you are willing to be professionally touring. You can’t support a relationship, or at least you need to accept the fact that it will be a long distance one over the years. But if it is worth it to you, then never quit! The only failure is if you stop.”
Max Kaplan is a talented young musician with charisma and great stage presence. He is definitely heading for great destinations. If you would like to be a witness to his rise to fame, check out his website at www.maxkaplanmusic.com
