Max has just released his latest EP with one of his acclaimed musical projects THE HEAVY CRAWLS where he shows a diverse mix of Psych, Blues, Garage, Stoner Rock and Folk Rock. Max has never been afraid to showcase his love of different forms of music to whatever he releases.
Hi Max. How are things with you today. Thanks for doing the interview.
Thanks for having me, Steve, I am your long time fan!
You’ve had quite a long and varied career within the Heavy Rock scene. Writer, Performer, Band Member, Producer, Sound Engineer and Solo Artist. Apologies if I've missed anything out but you’re a man of many talents. Where did your musical journey begin?
I went to music school at the age of 6 and to be honest I hated it! My dad runs a record store and we always had thousands of records and CDs in our house. He is also an autograph / memorabilia collector and visits roughly 50 shows annually so it’s a no brainer we always had rock and roll playing at home, after my parents divorced I was able to get some of his collection and this is when I knew I love rock and blues, I quit piano and violin and decided to pick up guitar instead. But when I moved to Kyiv for studying in college this is when I formed my first band and we started rehearsing, getting first gigs (including paid ones!) and even doing original music.
What was your first “true” exposure for you in the scene?
I think the fact that several of my bands had female drummers made a stood out from the rest of the bands, mostly because The White Stripes were big back then too. I remember I had to bands at the time The Red Sterns (duo) and Turnaround (power trio). While Turnaround was sort of Cream, Zeppelin, Blue Cheer, Sabbath inspired band where I played with professional musicians, The Sterns got more gigs because we were a two piece with a 16 year old girl on drums (she was killing it!) and we started playing big venues and even played live on TV, she quit because she decided to go to college and quit music but this is where I figured the crowd loves girls better than bearded guys (LOL).
My next project was a two piece psychedelic rock THE CRAWLS. Again, it was just me and a female drummer but this time it was more stoner heavy rock inspired by the bands like Dead Meadow, Radio Moscow, Black Keys. We started touring right away, we had lots of live TV and radio performances, interviews and we were invited to many festivals, also got signed by Nasoni Records and I had my first vinyl release on this legendary German record label.
What was your working background before entering the working world of music?
Honestly, since I graduated from college I never really worked anywhere but music. I had some McDonald’s experience when I was a rookie and needed extra cash and later I spent a year working as a translator in an international postal office in Kyiv but starting 2010 I decided to borrow some money from friends and start my first rehearsal space / recording studio and this is also when I started promoting shows and performing full time myself (with my early bands and solo).
What inspired you to become a musician. Which artists inspired you to pick up a musical instrument.
As I said, my parents made me go to a music school which I hated. All my friends were playing video games (it was big in the late 90s!) or football (Americans call it soccer and I still can’t accept it haha) but I had to learn violin and piano. Eventually, at the age of 13-14, my love of rock music started to form. My first real love was The Doors, Pink Floyd and believe me or not Atomic Rooster (Death Walks Behind You really shifted my brain). Just months later it was also Led Zeppelin (still my no 1 band), The Stones, Deep Purple and so on. Of course all the guitar greats like Jimi or SRV.
Did you face a struggle making a name for yourself when first starting out within the scene with your work with multiple different projects you’ve been involved with.
Oh yes, nothing comes easy. We played lots of free shows or shows that paid just a little, had to promote ourselves in any way possible but eventually the fan base started to grow. I always had several bands at the same time as I had music that (in my mind) was fitting to this particular band and then the next song will be definitely a better fit for the other project. It was easy for me since I gambled on not working after getting my Master’s degree and I was spending all my time in my rehearsal space. When it was slow and no clients I was just rocking on my own just learning drums or recording demos.
What did you think was your first real “breakthrough” and “breakout” moment when people started to take notice of your work?
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I’d say when we did No Time Left for fun with The Crawls and all of the sudden it was everywhere (TV, radio). I uploaded it on social media and someone said he could do a free music video for us for “gas and pizza money”. That video got like 30.000 views in the first few months and we had so many offers to play shows and we didn’t have any more songs at the time. So we did an album real quick and it was released by Nasoni and we also had some offers from Ukrainian labels as well. The next year we played Zaxid festival which, at the time, was the largest in the country. Also this is where I smashed a guitar on stage and threw it in the crowd. I felt like a proper rock star!
You’ve been involved with different musical projects over the years such as The Heavy Crawls, Crawls, Lucifer Rising and your different solo projects. What have been your most favourite and least favourite projects you’ve been involved with.
I liked all of them, I don’t think I have most and least favorite ones, I would still say The Crawls because of how fast the things worked for us, also it’s fairly easy and more fun to split the pay into two people rather than 3-4 ha ha.
Who have been your favourite artists that you’ve worked with over the years?
It was a lot of fun playing with Uli Jon Roth. He was a very nice and polite guy, a very skilled guitarist as well, damn he can play guitar for sure! Also he has Hendrix’s black strat and I am a huge Jimi fan.
You’re originally from the Ukraine which is going through a terrible time at the moment. Are you family and friends OK at this moment in time. Did you leave Ukraine before the conflict started. Do you have dreams and aspirations to go back to visit or even perform in your home country one day.
Well to be honest my family is not okay but they don’t want to leave or can’t leave. Lots of countries have stopped accepting new refugees (for example US stopped it in 2024) but in most cases people don’t want to leave their property and not everyone speak other languages than Ukrainian, most people are educated (everyone in my family and my wife’s family) and they can’t accept the fact they may have to work in a grocery store or a coffee shop just to be able to pay the bills.
The winter will be very tough, Russians are constantly targeting power plants so people have like 4 hours of electricity available daily. I still remember the night Russians attacked, it was a cold February day way below zero… My band went on a tour, we didn’t cancel a single show from our 9 cities run, most of the time we would perform in basements and bomb shelters as it was the only safe way. Honestly, felt surreal, once we were driving and saw a jet plane slicing the clouds, and also heard sirens and explosions on the horizon.
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Ukraine has such a rich musical history which I admire how you’ve incorporated into some of your current musical projects. Does that make you feel more connected to your homeland?
Yes, I believe Ukrainian music is very underrated. Sadly it was always banned by the Soviet government. I am very proud of my Dearest Mother of Mine cover. It took my nearly 3 years to finish this track.
Can you recommend some great Ukraine Artists and Bands that we can all check out.
My favourite singer is Kvitka Cisyk, she could’ve easily been another Joni Mitchell or Joan Baez, killer voice. I know the Ukrainian metal scene is widely respected in the world so definitely check out Stoned Jesus or 1914 to name a few. I also love Chervona Ruta by Volodymyr Ivasiuk. Also late 80s Vopli Vidoplasova and blues-reggae-rock Braty Hadiukiny. I used to cover songs of both of these artists.
You’ve just released your new EP under The Heavy Crawls name. How did that project came about and what can people expect.
Well some of those songs (blues ones) didn’t make my previous solo album Songs From The Desert and we were playing them live with The Heavy Crawls so it seemed appropriate to include them in this EP. Dearest Mother Of Mine was played by the band at the Marquee Theatre. We have never played any Ukrainian songs in the history of the band but we knew it would be a huge crowd and I wanted to show how beautiful Ukrainian music is. Even though 99% of the crowd didn’t speak Ukrainian, that song was the highlight of the night! People can expect that we play these songs live and I sincerely hope they will like them!
The EP is perhaps inspired by your love of the Blues. Was this a hard or easy record to make.
Every song but Dearest Mother of Mine was recorded in like 1-2-3 takes and that was it. I am not saying they were easy or something, they just came easy, very naturally. DMoM took me about 3 years, I felt like on a mission to represent Ukrainian culture and folk and make it a classic rock epic tune in the style of Zeppelin (who were famous for turning blues or folk tunes into heavy rock). Overall it was a very easy process.
Looking back on your career, are there any decisions that you’ve later regretted which you could change?
That’s a great question, I do have some regrets I guess but what I’ve learned is you should not look back. I do regret having arguments with some musicians and I admit somehow it was my fault, but today it doesn’t matter anymore. I am 37 and I realise the time is passing by real fast. I believe some things should’ve been done sooner, I used to think I always have more time. Some people say I shouldn’t have to go to Arizona as it’s not a very musical oriented state but I still have hopes we can make it one!
What have been your personal highlights and setbacks during your time when creating the music you love.
Highlights when my album is appreciated by fans and friends, when the label says “we’re gonna release it!” and setbacks when something comes underappreciated. But tbh I always have high expectations, not gonna lie!
You perform over 200+ gigs a year all over the place. This must be quite time consuming for you to do especially with the other projects you’re currently involved with. How do you manage to find the time to do this.
Well it’s 365 days a year, so 200 shows (or let’s say 207 in 2025) is like 60%. The rest I spend on getting those shows, writing new music or learning new covers etc. Also, the Arizona heat is brutal! It takes all the stamina just on the way to the venue and load in procedures.
Do you have a basic / advanced gear setup when performing live. Can you give an actual rundown of what your live setup is when performing live.
Hell yeah! I have several different amps, different guitars, pedals and mics depending on the PA I am going to use at a particular venue. My high end setup is my Marshall JTM45 and OX BOX along with my pedalboard and a bunch of guitars. I typically use this at bigger venues like casinos or festivals. For bar gigs I play most shows straight into the amp (which is either Hot Rod Deluxe Limited Edition or vintage 1976 Pro Reverb with a tube screamer on top). Honestly, both rigs sound good!
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If you could give any words of wisdom to your younger self or someone wanting to start a career in music , what would it be?
Take it seriously, don’t argue with venues but also don’t let them bend you over, respect the dress codes and show pro attitude, follow the rules of the venue and work on your following. When you record a song or an album, think of marketing, for some reason people are ready to spend money on studio time but eventually have the release unnoticed. And don’t lowball yourself when you negotiate about the show. I know it sounds great you're getting paid a little something but if this bar sees you take less than anyone they may book you more but you will always be a cheap performer for them and you will be stuck in this position forever.
What bands / artists are impressing you the most today. Any great acts that folks should look out for?
My favorite modern group is Tedeschi Trucks Band, they can shred. The great young guitarist Marcus King, he is a virtuoso for sure. I also liked The Black Keys recent album Peaches.
What is the creative process or setup for you when creating music? Do you write the music together or do certain people within the band do that?
Honestly, in most cases my bandmates never wanted to collaborate so I typically do everything myself or sometimes some of the guys are playing but they don’t feel like co-writing, honestly I don’t know why. Back in Ukraine my bandmates have always come up with some ideas but Americans seem to be enjoying just learning a song that has already been written. If I am about to write a song it starts with either a riff or a melody or a vocal line that is stuck in my head.
If it’s stuck there I know it must be any good then! For example I had this “You’re lighting me up” line and this is how I wrote Fuel or when I went to LA I had this “Coming to LA” chorus, with Who Do You Want Me to Be I had this little melody you hear at the beginning of the song and I was thinking what words would match it and so on.
Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom for your new and potential fans out there.
Support local music, buy records and please don’t make AI prevail! Appreciate live bands and let’s keep blues and rock n roll alive! Peace!
Words by Steve Howe and Max Tovstyi
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