Homegrown country artist to entertain at scholarship breakfast
Mark Maxwell knew from a very young age music would become a very large part of his life. The singer-songwriter, born and raised in Lethbridge, grew up in a musical family. When he was six years old, he found his passion for playing guitar and singing classic country, while taking musical influences from every genre.
“It was the authenticity of the story that the country singers were singing about,” said Maxwell, as to why he was attracted to that genre. “I think most people, even if they are not fans of country, can relate to the situations that they are singing about. I hope to continue to bring that same authentic storytelling ability as I work on my new music.”
His passion for music will be on full display Feb. 14, as Maxwell will provide the musical entertainment at the second annual Lethbridge School District 51 ICE Awards Scholarship Breakfast.
It certainly isn’t the first time Maxwell’s music has been on display in Lethbridge.
“I have done so many local shows. The notable ones being an opening act for Charlie Major, George Canyon and Emerson Drive.”
Maxwell does not have any other local performances on the horizon, as he’s put his focus on creating new material, working on new music videos and preparing for a move south.
“My goal is to be moving to Nashville as quick as humanly possible to get writing and playing with the highest calibre of artists that the music business has to offer.”
Helping him along the way throughout his musical journey have been the folks at Cottonwood Records.
“Clayton (Varjassy, co-founder) and Joel (Varjassy, co-founder) at Cottonwood Records have become some of my best friends,” said Maxwell. “It started with the first video (“500 Miles”). My cousin, Angel Doucette, was asked if she would like to do a video seeing as her and Clayton had known each other in the past. When we went in to record the song, everything just clicked.”
“500 Miles” set the stage for Maxwell’s next project with Cottonwood.
“After that song, they had approached me about doing a full-scale music video for my song ‘The Drifter,’ and be their second monthly featured artist,” said Maxwell. “The time and energy that was put into that video was amazing. I’m still not sure how it came to be, to be honest. Clayton and Joel have amazingly creative minds and back it up with their insane abilities.”
Maxwell added that video might even be the inspiration behind an entire album.
“It’s gonna be a massive year for myself and Cottonwood Records, and with that some really exciting music/videos will be coming soon maybe even the possibility of a fully Drifter-inspired album.”
An album is just one possibility for Maxwell in 2018, as the musician is looking for his next big opportunity, while at the same time staying true to his vision.
“I want to make sure that the music that gets released is the sound that is most me at the time. With the exception of a Drifter-inspired album, that would be more of an ‘underground’ project. I had a crazy 2017 that involved going to Nashville and showcasing for Big Loud Records. So, with my name rolling around in their heads a bit I want the portfolio that I put together to really make some heads turn in the music business so that I can actually add some collateral to any future deals that come down the pipe.”
Maxwell added Lethbridge has been incredibly supportive.
“I would just like to say that the community support is everything to me! Without the hometown behind me, I think it would be virtually impossible to go anywhere with music. Country 95 had done some interviews with me while I was down in Nashville, which helped so much with getting my name out to more of the community. I just wanna keep building the following at home here in Lethbridge, which will help me reach more fans all over the world. I want people to be able to connect to my music and have a relationship with it, like I have had with so many songs over the years.”