Maxeen

Maxeen crafts a stylized pop/rock sound rooted primarily in 1980s influences, above all the Police and Pixies. The trio assembled in Los Angeles during mid-2002 after singer/bassist Tom Bailey, who had spent most of his childhood in Akron, OH, returned to his native California. There he encountered guitarist Shannon McMurray and drummer Jay Skowronek, the latter pair having first connected via a musician wanted advertisement. McMurray, a lifelong SoCal resident, was then working as an elementary school teacher, whereas Skowronek, an East Coast film-school graduate, had relocated westward to chase rock ambitions. The three formed an immediate bond; six months after forming, Maxeen secured a contract with the Los Angeles indie SideOneDummy Records. Throughout 2003 the band appeared on the summer Warped Tour and issued its self-titled debut album in November. Subsequent touring in support of the record included runs alongside the Slackers, the Format, and the Matches, culminating in a January 2005 signing with Warner Bros. While preparing the major-label debut, the group continued performing with guitarist Sean Beste now filling McMurray’s role. Hello Echo: Tour Edition appeared as a digital release in mid-2006; although physical retail copies remained unavailable, audiences could obtain the recording directly from the band at live shows.