Max Gomez and friends brighten the holidays
By Ariana Kramer
’Twas the night after Christmas and all through the town, people were happy because they had found, on YouTube and Facebook, an old friend named Max, who brightened the night with his freshly laid tracks.
For a long time now, Max Gomez has brought good cheer to his hometown of Taos at this time of year with his annual holiday show. This year is no exception, though the show will take place in an online format. The concert will be a combination of pre-recorded and live takes, and promises to warm your heart and put a smile on your face. Gomez will be joined by a full band and a handful of his songwriter friends for the evening.
Gomez has shared stages with some of Americana’s contemporary greats including Michael Hearne, Shawn Mullins, James McMurtry, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale, Patty GrifTHE HUM fin, and John Hiatt. Gomez started out playing at the now closed Old Blinking Light restaurant with Michael Hearne and Jimmy Stadler and has been a regular at Hearne’s Big Barn Dance Music Festival. Gomez heads up the annual Red River Folk Festival.
When he isn’t on the road with his music, Gomez splits his time between Los Angeles and Taos. His 2013 debut album “Rule the World” (New West Records) catapulted his national career and his 2017 EP “Me and Joe” (Brigadoon Records) has reached over two million listeners on Spotify.
These days, Gomez is on break from touring due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was busy in the studio and rehearsing with his band for the holiday show, so I caught up with Gomez over email.
Why did you want to find a way to have a holiday concert this year?
It’s become a tradition of mine to have a hometown show around the holidays. I didn’t want this year to be any different.
Where will you be located for the concert?
Unfortunately, by the looks of things, I’ll be hosting this show from Los Angeles.
Who will be joining you?
I invited some familiar faces, like Shawn Mullins, Michael Hearne, Jed Zimmerman, Leslie Stevens and Michael Martin Murphey. Hopefully a few more friends will join in, too.
What can people expect to hear from you for the concert?
Well, the band will be made up of some truly great musicians, Doug Pettibone (guitars: electric, pedal steel, lap steel), Taras Prodaniuk (bass), Phil Parlapiano (piano, accordion, mandolin) and Michael Jerome (drums, percussion). So, expect a really full sound. Leslie and I will sing a handful of duets together and I’ll be playing some new songs as well as some old ones.
What is most important to you this holiday season of 2020?
I think the most important thing this holiday season is to stay safe. But, also, for us to stay connected. This year has helped me realize how important friends and family are even when we’re apart like this. I’ve never really sent out holiday cards before 2020. From now on I’ll keep a drawer full.
Do you have any special requests from Santa this year?
A new guitar. A ski pass. Maybe I could hitch a ride on his sleigh back to Taos?
Any more details on the guitar?
How about an old Martin guitar, say from the ’30s, with rosewood back and sides, like a 00-42. Dream guitar.
What have you been working on, musically speaking, this past year?
I’ve been working on writing songs specifically for film and TV. But really my focus is to organize songs for a new record. I’m long overdue.
What’s on the horizon for you in 2021?
Aside from the usual, such as the Red River Folk Festival and touring, etc. I plan to spend more time in Taos.
In addition to working on a new album, Gomez released a new single this year. “He Was a Friend of Mine” is a classic folk tune, with different versions recorded over the years. Gomez reframed the song with his own lyrics that comment on our nation’s racism. American Songwriter wrote a recent piece on the song in which Gomez reflects on what inspired him to reimagine it for today.
“Gomez’s version references the deaths of Civil Rights martyrs George Floyd and Martin Luther King, using that solemn subtext to underpin the hatred and intolerance that still endures in this country, centuries long after slavery was supposedly relegated to the shameful realms of the American experience,” wrote Lee Zimmerman for American Songwriter.
Produced by David Kahne (who has worked with Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Regina Spektor), Gomez’s single “He Was a Friend of Mine” is available to listen to on YouTube.
For more on Max Gomez, visit maxgomezmusic.com.