"I have to write songs," says the tall, 35-year
old Stalling, "I knew it right after graduate school
- and even if I wasn't in the music business - I'd still be
writing songs." However, finding success as a performing
songwriter has changed Stalling's perspective about all of
it.
Stalling's country-folk style is always more interested in
the journey than the destination. A genuine voice - his words
are intelligent, simple, even transparent - allowing listeners
to see deeper roots and meanings in his songs. The variety
of emotions and characters in the stories seem to set a stage
- giving listeners plenty of room for their own endings and
interpretations.
His third release on the Blind Nello label, One of the Ways
delves further into the experiences of life … always
pondering the "why and what if's" of the situation.
"I never seem to know how all the songs go together until
after a record is finished," muses Stalling, "but
now, listening to the 11 songs as a group, it strikes me that
they are all about people relating to each other…cause
and effect, if you will."
Produced by Austin and Americana favorite, Bruce Robison,
the album directly explores personal relationships, emotional
need, and temptation. Similarities between Stalling and Robison
extend beyond their physical characteristics (both are well
over 6' 5" tall) into their laid back, smooth sounds
and styles of writing. While heralded as one of the genres
finest songwriters, this is Robison's first attempt at producing
a full-length record of another artist's material.
When people familiar with Stalling are asked to describe
him, the terms "gentleman" and "nice guy"
are quick to be used. Asked about that perception Stalling
replied, "Chris Wall once said 'nobody plays that Jimmy
Stewart shtick better than you do', and I didn't know what
he was talking about. So I guess it's for real. I had a good
upbringing. I was exposed to a lot of good, quality people
growing up, and all through my life."
The youngest of six children, Stalling grew up in Crystal
City, Texas, a small farming and ranching community between
San Antonio and Laredo. By Stalling's account it was a wonderful
place to come of age. If San Antonio represents the big city
and all that entails (culture, affluence, retail) and the
Mexican border towns of Eagle Pass and Laredo represent the
"frontier" (mystery, danger, provincialism) then
Crystal City represents that halfway point that Stalling experienced.
"I got the best of both worlds….a unique blend of
being close enough to San Antonio to get a bit of culture
and far enough out in the sticks to maintain it's rural quaintness.
Growing up there was a magical time for me. I had a great
youth."
Another place Stalling got the best of both worlds was where
he fell in the birth order. Being substantially younger than
all of his siblings (his closest is six years older than he),
Stalling, by his own account, grew up "an only child
in a big family." "By the time I hit junior high
all my brothers and sisters had either gone off to college
or had already graduated and started jobs. I had the run of
the place in high school." "But as a little-bitty
kid, I was like a play toy for my brothers and sisters. I
can remember getting to stay up late and be "bartender"
at my brother's parties. Willie, Waylon, Johnny Cash on the
record player and people paying me a dollar to go find them
a Lone Star beer. If there wasn't any Lone Star, I'd pour
some other beer in an empty Lone Star bottle and take my dollar."
After high school Stalling went to college and earned a master's
degree in Food Science from Texas A&M. Stalling took the
corporate road to Dallas in 1991, working for Earthgrains
Bread and then in product development for snack food giant
Frito-Lay. "Back then I would sit and just pretend to
write songs," says Stalling. Then, while listening to
Dallas community radio station KNON, Max discovered a whole
new chapter in his musical life. Townes Van Zandt, Robert
Earl Keen, Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Rodney
Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker…singer/songwriters representing
a musical heritage that he had been oblivious to. And he discovered
the emerging Dallas music scene at the Three Teardrops Tavern,
a now defunct, but very central part of the Dallas and North
Texas country music scene through the mid-90's. "Tommy
Alverson was kind to me. He listened to a tape I made, and
it must have worn him out. But he was kind enough to say 'Keep
with it' and I'll never forgive him for that," says Stalling
with a grin.
Another face at the Three Teardrops Tavern was singer/songwriter
Mark David Manders, who he first met in 1993. "Mark and
I hung out until about 5 in the morning and talked about songwriting.
He got me my first gig at Naomi's, and I'll never forgive
him either," says Stalling. "Manders instilled in
me the passion he has for giving every word weight and making
every line count. He has a theory about looking at the line
before and the line after and meshing all of it together --
sometimes so subtly that no one else may ever consciously
recognize the tie-in."
In turn, Manders says Stalling "…is probably one
of the deepest writers I've known personally. Anybody can
make words rhyme. Max makes the words mean something, play
off each other and have two or even three different meanings."
Lot's of things have changed for Stalling since he was "pretending"
to write songs back in the early 90s. He and Mark Manders
have a small record label together, which includes Houston
Marchman and Kevin Deal. Stalling has become a well-respected
songwriter and performer as is evidenced by the fact Stalling
has gotten to open for some of his biggest influences (Robert
Keen, Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark, Willis Alan Ramsey). And lastly,
he has been a very successful headline act at most of the
major music venues across the state of Texas to include Gruene
Hall in New Braunfels, Billy Bob's in Ft. Worth, Schroeder
Hall in Victoria, Poor David's Pub in Dallas and Blanco's
in Houston.
Stalling's debut release, Comfort in the Curves, reached
#22 on the Americana chart in 1997, while Wide Afternoon climbed
to #3 behind Willie Nelson and Steve Earle in 2000. The success
of those records finds Stalling busy touring, playing over
close to 100 dates per year. At first, all I really wanted
to do was write songs and let somebody else sing them. Then
I found that no one could deliver these songs the way I envisioned
them. That, coupled with the fact that I found that I really
enjoyed performing has really changed my perspective."
In February of 2002, Stalling gave up his lucrative corporate
position at Frito-Lay. It was a move he had contemplated for
a couple of years, and one that really gelled after the events
of Sept. 11, 2001. "It gave me a lot of direction. Life
is way too short not to pursue the things that are really
important to you," says Stalling.
"It's not always easy…leaving behind the security
of a great job, with great benefits that I really enjoyed
doing. But this was something I HAD to do. "
Max Stalling has no regrets. "At the level I'm at right
now, just like in any small business venture, you get to call
all the shots - make all the decisions, spend all the money
(yours or whatever you can hustle up), marketing, booking,
distribution, all the way down to picking out which color
T-shirts to have printed up. At the end of the day, it's your
name on your music, done the way you want it."
With two very successful albums in 5 years and brand new
one on deck, wide spread radio play and a growing number of
fiercely loyal fans, it seems his way works mighty fine.
Tickets
On Sale Now!
frontgatetickets.com
( Click on November 13 calendar date to purchase tickets)
