| Max Bemis | |
|---|---|
 Max Bemis, March 22, 2008
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maxim Adam Bemis |
| Born | April 6, 1984 |
| Origin | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Punk Pop, Emo , Indie Rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | J, Doghouse, A.D.D. |
| Associated acts | Say Anything, Two Tongues, Forgive Durden |
| Website | www.sayanythingmusic.com |
Max Bemis (born April 6, 1984) the lead singer and primary lyricist of the band Say Anything. He is also lead singer of the Supergroup Two Tongues.
Contents |
Maxim "Max" Bemis had minor roles in some films due to his father's work in Hollywood, including an uncredited role as an altar-boy in Face/Off. Bemis took piano lessons which he credits for the realization that he wanted to make music.[1][2] In addition, Bemis was raised "in a strong Jewish environment," which has influenced his music.[3] His maternal grandparents were survivors of the Holocaust, which was the inspiration for the song, "Alive With the Glory of Love."
Bemis attended high school at Windward School.[citation needed] He had also attended Camp Ramah in Ojai, California, where he met future band-mate Coby Linder.[citation needed] In 2000, Bemis, Linder, and friends from Windward and Beverly Hills High School formed Say Anything. The band was described as a high school band, but they released a full-length LP and an EP. In 2002, Bemis attended Sarah Lawrence College.[citation needed] However, he spent much of his time recording his own music and left the school after only a few months.[citation needed]
In 2004, Say Anything released its breakout record, ...Is a Real Boy.[1][4] Around this time, Bemis' mental health problems began to surface. "I literally lost my mind while we were recording," stated Bemis regarding the breakdown. Heavy marijuana use, anxiety caused by recording and writing the album, and what would later be diagnosed as bipolar disorder landed him in a mental institution. The breakdown centered around a mockumentary discussed by Bemis and producer Tim O'Heir. Bemis' state of mind led him to believe he was being secretly filmed for the mockumentary; the situation culminated in him walking the streets of Brooklyn thinking he was being filmed while encountering friends (who were actually strangers).[5]
Bemis' health problems continued into 2005.[citation needed] While touring with Armor for Sleep and Recover, Say Anything's management firm had Zyprexa delivered to Bemis daily.[citation needed] However, this did not work as Bemis began substituting Zyprexa with other drugs, which began to occupy an increasingly focal position in Bemis' life.[6] In June 2005, Say Anything was forced to cancel a six-week headlining tour with Circa Survive and Emanuel on the third day of the tour due to Bemis' health problems, including full-on paranoid delusions in Austin, Texas.[7][8]
He moved back home to California and was cared for by his mother, Shifra.[citation needed] On October 3, 2005, Bemis had another breakdown; this time, it involved harassing children, spitting out food at an outdoor cafe, spending a "half-hour pouring a bowl of soup onto the floor, one spoonful at a time," engaging in a street fight, and finally being admitted to a mental hospital by an off-duty policeman.[citation needed] This incident forced Say Anything to cancel their tour with Saves the Day, Senses Fail and The Early November. After returning from his stay in the hospital, Bemis' mother and the remaining members of the band selected the Menninger clinic in Houston, Texas, to rehabilitate Bemis. Eventually, Bemis improved and he has reportedly not had a relapse since.[1][9]
By 2007, Say Anything and Bemis got back on track with co-headlining tours with Saves the Day and Hellogoodbye and the release of their third studio album In Defense of the Genre.[10][11]
On April 4, 2009, Bemis married Sherri DuPree of the band Eisley and now resides in Tyler, Texas.
Max's current religious beliefs have changed as his relationship grew with his Christian wife, Sherri. Say Anything drummer Coby Linder has said that Max is now a Christian, a fact that Max confirmed in a Myspace Music interview [12] He later clarified in a live chat on Absolutepunk.net that he doesn't like to label himself as anything specific and that he has a "new age, metaphysical view" about religion. He said he considers himself "A Jew who is also a Christian," in other words, someone who has recently delved spiritually into certain beliefs of Christianity but who remains culturally Jewish and very much attached to his Judaism. [13]
Bemis is the lead singer and primary lyricist of Say Anything as well as a founding member of the band. He and Linder are the only two original members remaining in the band. In 2000, Say Anything released Junior Varsity. The band released its debut full-length album, Baseball, in 2001. Despite attending Sarah Lawrence College for a short time, Bemis kept the band alive, performing much if not all of the music that went into Menorah\Majora and the band's dormroom demos.[1]
Say Anything released ...Is a Real Boy in 2004. Bemis performed the vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboard parts for the album.[14] After the album's release, the band went through a rocky period lasting over a year due to Bemis's mental health. The band canceled at least two tours and lost several members.[9] However, after going through rehab, the band rebounded with several headlining tours. In 2007, the band released In Defense of the Genre, on which Bemis sang lead vocals and played guitar and keyboard.[15]
Say Anything recorded a single called "Hate Everyone" which now has a music video.
Say Anything's self-titled album was released November 3rd, 2009
After recording In Defense of the Genre, Say Anything band members Max Bemis and Coby Linder worked with Saves the Day's Chris Conley and David Soloway on a side project named Two Tongues.[16] The new group will have Bemis and Conley sharing the lead vocals and guitar duties while Soloway is on bass and Linder on drums. Thirteen songs were recorded in Electric Ladybug Studio, Conley's home studio in Chico, California.[17][18] Bemis, Conley, and Linder have previously collaborated on a cover song of Bob Dylan's "The Man In Me" for the compilation album Paupers, Peasants, Princes & Kings: The Songs of Bob Dylan released by Doghouse Records in 2006. On November 7, 2008, a release date of February 3, 2009, was announced for the self-produced, self-titled, thirteen-track collaboration on Vagrant Records.[18][19]
Bemis has made cameo appearances on several albums. One of his earliest cameo appearances was with friend Andy Jackson and Hot Rod Circuit on "Inhabit," a song from the band's Reality's Coming Through CD.[20]
In 2005, Bemis had a small part on "Ready" from The Starting Line's Based on a True Story.[21]
Bemis worked with Armor for Sleep on a cover of "Today" for a 2006 The Smashing Pumpkins tribute CD entitled The Killer in You.[22]
In 2007, performs in two songs, "Maxim and the Headphone Life" and "Regional Community Theater," on LadybiRdS' debut album, Regional Community Theater.[23] Bemis sang along with Shawn Harris (The Matches) and Rachel Minton (Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer) on "Hello Helicopter" and "Point Of Extinction" of Motion City Soundtrack's Even if it Kills Me.[24] New Found Glory's From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II and Down to Earth Approach's Come Back to You also featured guest vocals by Bemis on the songs "Crazy for You" and "See You," respectively.[25][26]
In 2008, Bemis sang vocals on Nightbeast's Inside Jokes for Outside Folks.[27] Also, Forgive Durden's sophomore album Razia's Shadow featured Bemis as Barayas the Spider in "The Spider and the Lamps."[28]
Bemis also appeared on the opening track of You, Me, and Everyone We Know's 2008 sophomore EP, So Young, So Insane, entitled "I Can Get Back Up Now".
In August 2008 Bemis announced that he would be recording unique songs for individual fans written on their requested topics as a part of a project he hoped would decrease the growing gap between artists and fans. [3]
Bemis announced in September of 2009 that he and his wife, Sherri DuPree , were working on a small project that "became something even cooler". They created a side project called Perma. Limited edition CDs will be sold on the fall promo tour of the self-titled "Say Anything," each copy including a hand drawn cover by Max or Sherri.
Bemis and Say Anything were also featured on the "Punk Goes Crunk" album with their cover of "Got Your Money"
|
||||||||||||||||||||
   | www.sayanythingmusic.com - Home | The Official Say Anything Site |
| | Band Biography - Say Anything biography |
| | (video) Max discussing his disorder - YouTube - Max Bemis - Half of Us - Beginnings - Part 1 |
| | (video) Max interview- biography - YouTube - Interview with Max from Say Anything |
| | Interview with Max Bemis - ThePunkSite.com | Say Anything Interview - Max Bemis |
| | Two Tongues on Vagrant - News | Vagrant Records |
|
|
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search