American singer
Max Bemis
|
---|
|
|
Birth name
| Maxim Adam Bemis
|
---|
Born
| (
1984-04-06
)
April 6, 1984
(age 40)
|
---|
Origin
| New York City, U.S.
|
---|
Genres
| Pop punk
,
indie rock
,
emo
|
---|
Occupation(s)
| Singer, musician, songwriter
|
---|
Instruments
| Vocals, guitar, keyboards
|
---|
Years active
| 2000?present
|
---|
|
Website
| sayanythingmusic
.com
|
---|
Musical artist
Maxim Adam Bemis
(
; born April 6, 1984)
[1]
is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter of the rock band
Say Anything
. He sang alongside
Chris Conley
in the
supergroup
Two Tongues
(which featured band members from Say Anything and
Saves the Day
). He plays alongside his wife
Sherri DuPree-Bemis
under the name Perma, and is a comic book writer, chiefly for
Marvel Comics
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Bemis was born in New York City in 1984.
[1]
His family moved to
Hollywood, California
when he was a child.
[1]
Bemis took piano lessons which he credits for the realization that he wanted to make music.
[2]
[3]
In addition, Bemis was raised "in a strong
Jewish
environment," which has influenced his music.
[4]
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
, a private school in
Los Angeles
.
[1]
He had also attended
Camp Ramah
in
Ojai, California
, where he met future band-mate
Coby Linder
.
[1]
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
. However, he spent much of his time recording his own music and left the school after only a few months.
[1]
Bemis has mentioned
Tom Delonge
of
Blink 182
as an influence from a very young age, and was excited to work with him on
Hebrews
.
[5]
Career
[
edit
]
Say Anything
[
edit
]
Bemis is the lead singer, guitarist and primary lyricist of
Say Anything
as well as a founding member of the band. After the resignation of the original band members, he is the only original member remaining. 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
.
[2]
Say Anything released
...Is a Real Boy
in 2004. Bemis performed the vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboard parts for the album.
[6]
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.
[7]
By 2007 however, after going through rehab, Say Anything and Bemis got back on track with co-headlining tours with Saves the Day and
Hellogoodbye
.
[8]
[9]
In 2007, the band released
In Defense of the Genre
, on which Bemis sang lead vocals and played guitar and keyboard.
[10]
Say Anything's
self-titled album
was released November 3, 2009.
On November 5, 2010, at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, Bemis announced a forthcoming Say Anything album. The album, called
Anarchy, My Dear
, was released March 13, 2012, which was followed up with their headlining spring tour. Their first single from that album is "
Burn a Miracle
". They released a music video for this single.
On January 22, 2013, Say Anything released a collection of older songs and b-sides called
All My Friends Are Enemies: Early Rarities
consisting of all of the material recorded by Say Anything prior to the release of
...Is a Real Boy
. The band did a summer tour to promote the album.
On June 10, 2014, Say Anything released the album
Hebrews
through Equal Vision Records.
On February 5, 2016, Say Anything released their new album
I Don't Think It Is
without any prior announcement besides several teaser posts the day before.
[11]
Two Tongues
[
edit
]
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
.
[12]
The group consisted of Bemis and Conley sharing the lead
vocals
and
guitar
duties, Soloway on
bass
and Linder on
drums
. Thirteen songs were recorded in Electric Ladybug Studio, Conley's home studio in
Chico, California
.
[13]
[14]
Bemis, Conley, and Linder had 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
.
[14]
[15]
In fall of 2010,
Two Tongues
made their first performances as a surprise in the middle of
Say Anything
's set each night of the
Motion City Soundtrack
, Say Anything, and
Saves the Day
tour. They performed the song "Crawl". Arun Bali (current guitarist of
Saves the Day
) played guitar,
Kenny Vasoli
(of
The Starting Line
, and
Person L
) played bass, Jake Turner (of Say Anything) played guitar as well,
Coby Linder
played drums, while
Chris Conley
, and Max Bemis sang. Two Tongues released their second LP, "2", in 2016.
Other work
[
edit
]
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.
[16]
In 2005, Bemis was featured on "Ready" from
The Starting Line
's
Based on a True Story
.
[17]
Bemis worked with
Armor for Sleep
on a cover of "
Today
" for a 2008
The Smashing Pumpkins
tribute CD entitled
The Killer in You
.
[18]
In 2007, performs in two songs, "Maxim and the Headphone Life" and "Regional Community Theater," on LadybiRdS' debut album,
Regional Community Theater
.
[19]
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
.
[20]
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.
[21]
[22]
In 2008, Bemis sang vocals on Nightbeast's
Inside Jokes for Outside Folks
.
[23]
Also,
Forgive Durden
's second album
Razia's Shadow
featured Bemis as Barayas the Spider in "The Spider and the Lamps."
[24]
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.
[25]
Bemis announced in September 2009 that he and his wife,
Sherri DuPree
of
Eisley
, were working on a small project that "became something even cooler". They created a side project called
Perma
and on October 29, 2013, released an album
Two of a Crime
on
Equal Vision Records
.
[26]
Bemis and Say Anything were also featured on the
Punk Goes Crunk
album with their cover of
Ol' Dirty Bastard
's "
Got Your Money
".
Bemis announced in late September 2010 that he had written and recorded a 10-song album of acoustic songs that he called
Max Bemis and the Painful Splits
. Bemis stressed that this release was not an official solo record, but a collection of songs he had written that he was proud of and wanted to share with Say Anything fans. The disc could only be found and purchased by going to one of the show dates of Say Anything's tour with Saves The Day and Motion City Soundtrack October through November 2010.
On his Twitter in mid-November 2010, Bemis announced, "There WILL be a second
Max Bemis and the Painful Splits
record sold next year at a very special SA event that I can't reveal yet.... ", confirming that there will be a second Painful Splits record. It was later revealed that this event was to be a Max Bemis' solo tour. This tour is set to happen in February 2011. Max is set to tour ten different venues, beginning on the 11th and finishing on the 26th. Subsequently, Bemis has released several records under the moniker, usually coinciding with a specific tour.
Bemis created an imprint label named
Rory Records
in 2012. The releases of his label are distributed by
Equal Vision Records
.
TALLHART
is the first signed artist of the label.
In May 2015, Bemis appeared as a guest vocalist on the track "Friends" for
I the Mighty
's album
Connector
.
[27]
He has sung and played instruments on several albums released by his wife's band
Eisley
.
Writing
[
edit
]
Bemis has been writing comics since 2013, when he announced a four-part limited series,
Polarity
, published by
Boom! Studios
. The story follows a hero, Tim Woods, who suffers from
bipolar disorder
and the trade paperback featured an exclusive acoustic four song EP composed and recorded specifically as a companion to the graphic novel.
[28]
Fox optioned the right to create this story into a TV series.
[29]
In 2013,
Marvel Comics
invited him as a guest writer on
A+X
#14 to write a story about
Magneto
and
Superior Spider-Man
teaming up against
M.O.D.O.K.
and
A.I.M.
In 2015, Boom! Studios announced an ongoing comic series called,
Evil Empire
, which is about a complicated relationship between a musician and aspiring politician.
[30]
In 2015 he teamed up with Logan Faerber for his third comic series,
Oh, Killstrike
.
[31]
Also in 2015, he wrote a five-issue miniseries for Marvel Comics,
X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever
, first published weekly in January and February 2016, later published into a
trade paperback
.
[32]
He also wrote two arcs of
Crossed: Badlands
for
Avatar Press
and an adaptation of
Atari
's Centipede for
Dynamite Entertainment
.
In July 2016,
Marvel Comics
announced a new five-issue series starring
Foolkiller
, written by Bemis and art by Dalibor Talajic & Jose F. Marzan, Jr. Issue #1 was released in November 2016, continuing through the March release of issue #5.
[33]
Bemis penned the
Marvel Legacy
reboot of
Moon Knight
in 2017, covering issues #188-200 with artists Jacen Burrows and Paul Davidson.
[34]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Bemis said as a teen that he had been diagnosed with
bipolar disorder
,
[35]
which he gave as the reason he has self-medicated with drugs, primarily marijuana.
[36]
[37]
He experienced a manic episode while making the album
...Is a Real Boy
.
[38]
Bemis has what he calls a "new age, metaphysical view" about religion, and considers himself "a Jew who is also a Christian".
[39]
He came out as
bisexual
in 2018.
[40]
Bemis is married to musician
Sherri DuPree Bemis
.
[41]
In February 2013, Bemis announced the birth of their daughter, Lucy Jean.
[42]
A second child, daughter Coraline Mae Bemis, was born in February 2015.
[41]
Their third child, son Charles Hanley Bemis, was born in April 2018.
[43]
[44]
[45]
On April 6, 2020, Max's birthday, their fourth child Ellis Ray Shifra Bemis was born.
[46]
Their fifth child, Aurora Lane Kim Bemis, was born July 4, 2021.
Discography
[
edit
]
With Say Anything
[
edit
]
With Perma
[
edit
]
- Perma EP
- Two of a Crime
(2013)
- Fight Fair
(2019)
With Two Tongues
[
edit
]
With Max Bemis and the Painful Splits
[
edit
]
- Max Bemis and the Painful Splits (2010)
- Max Bemis and the Painful Splits 2 (2011)
- The Painful Splits Destroy (2012)
- The Painful Splits are Multiplying (2013)
- Max Bemis and the Painful Splits Stripped Down (2014)
- Max Bemis and the Painful Splits Wins (2016)
With Maxim Mental
[
edit
]
- Make Team Presents Maxim Mental in Maximalism (2022)
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Say Anything Biography"
. Muzikum.eu.
Archived
from the original on March 5, 2016
. Retrieved
July 26,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"Say Anything biography"
.
The Tab World
. Retrieved
July 21,
2008
.
- ^
Meyle, Alli (July 22, 2006).
"Interview with Max Bemis"
.
ThePunkSite.com
. Archived from
the original
on October 19, 2008
. Retrieved
August 2,
2008
.
- ^
Garrett, Jonathan (February 25, 2008).
"A Jewish Kind of Pop Song"
.
World Jewish Digest
. Archived from
the original
on March 6, 2008
. Retrieved
November 8,
2008
.
- ^
"Say Anything 'Six Six Six' Song Premiere: Max Bemis Talks Ambitious New 'Hebrews' Album"
.
Billboard
. April 24, 2014.
- ^
...Is a Real Boy
(Media notes). Say Anything. Doghouse Records. 2004.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
Kelley, Trevor (December 2007). "Live Through This".
Alternative Press
(233): 164, 167?168.
- ^
Bemis, Max (February 2, 2007).
"Say Anything and Saves the Day Announce Tour"
.
The Official Say Anything Site
. Archived from
the original
on October 19, 2008
. Retrieved
August 2,
2008
.
- ^
Bemis, Max (August 30, 2007).
"MySpace Co-headline tour with Hellogoodbye"
.
The Official Say Anything Site
. Archived from
the original
on October 19, 2008
. Retrieved
August 2,
2008
.
- ^
In Defense of the Genre
(Media notes). Say Anything. J Records. 2007.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
Haskoor, Michael (February 4, 2016).
"Say Anything Streams Surprise Album 'I Don't Think It Is' Ahead of Friday Release"
. Music Times
. Retrieved
February 4,
2016
.
- ^
Futterman, Erica (May 8, 2008).
"Say Anything/Saves the Day Side Project to Debut Summer '08"
.
Rock & Roll Daily
. Rolling Stone. Archived from
the original
on May 10, 2008
. Retrieved
August 2,
2008
.
- ^
Zemler, Emily (September 2008). "Two Tongues".
Alternative Press
(242): 136.
- ^
a
b
Bemis, Max (November 7, 2008).
"Two Tongues Release date"
.
The Official Say Anything Site
. Archived from
the original
on December 28, 2009
. Retrieved
November 7,
2008
.
- ^
"Two Tongues on Vagrant"
.
Vagrant
. November 6, 2008. Archived from
the original
on January 3, 2009
. Retrieved
November 11,
2008
.
- ^
Reality's Coming Through
(Media notes). Hot Rod Circuit. Vagrant Records. 2004.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
Based on a True Story
(Media notes). The Starting Line. Drive-Thru Records. 2005.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
The Killer in You
(Media notes). Various artists. Reignition Records. 2006.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
Regional Community Theater
(Media notes). LadyBiRdS. Creep Records. 2007.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
Even if it Kills Me
(Media notes). Motion City Soundtrack. Epitaph Records. 2007.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II
(Media notes). New Found Glory. Drive-Thru Records. 2007.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
Come Back to You
(Media notes). Down to Earth Approach. Vagrant Records. 2007.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
Inside Jokes for Outside Folks
(Media notes). Nightbeast. Tragic Hero Records. 2008.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
Razia's Shadow
(Media notes). Forgive Durden. Fueled By Ramen. 2008.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
"Max Bemis of Say Anything Explores Music Couture | Stereocache"
. Archived from
the original
on August 14, 2009.
- ^
"Perma (Sherri Dupree-Bemis and Max Bemis) announce debut full-length, 'Two Of A Crime'
"
.
Alternative Press
. September 4, 2013.
- ^
"Say Anything's Max Bemis guests on new I The Mighty single, "Friends"
"
.
Alternative Press
. May 22, 2015.
- ^
"Polarity - BOOM! Studios - Come Innovate With Us"
.
shop.boom-studios.com
.
- ^
"BOOM! Studios Graphic Novel 'Polarity' Optioned for Television by Fox 21 (Exclusive)"
. October 5, 2016.
- ^
"Rock singer Max Bemis unveils his 'Evil Empire' in March"
.
USA TODAY
.
- ^
Thompson, Zac (May 20, 2015).
"[Comic Review] "Oh, Killstrike" #1 Channels 90's Nostalgia"
.
- ^
Tj Dietsch (November 2, 2015).
"Max Bemis Creates the Worst X-Man Ever"
. Marvel.com
. Retrieved
February 13,
2016
.
- ^
"Marvel NOW! Hear This: Foolkiller"
.
News | Marvel.com
. Archived from
the original
on November 7, 2017
. Retrieved
January 20,
2017
.
- ^
"Mike's Amazing World of Comics"
.
- ^
Moseley, Brittany (June 3, 2014),
"
'It's healthy for a band to become slightly less relevant' ? Max Bemis on Say Anything's new album"
,
Alternative Press
, retrieved
May 20,
2016
- ^
jiarb (July 11, 2007),
Max Bemis - Half of Us - Beginnings - Part 1
, retrieved
July 26,
2016
- ^
jiarb (July 11, 2007),
Max Bemis - Half of Us - Descent - Part 2
,
archived
from the original on December 12, 2021
, retrieved
July 26,
2016
- ^
jiarb (July 11, 2007),
Max Bemis - Half of Us - Darkest Hour - Part 3
,
archived
from the original on December 12, 2021
, retrieved
July 26,
2016
- ^
"chorus.fm"
.
chorus.fm
.
- ^
"Say Anything rock singer comes out as queer"
. August 20, 2018.
- ^
a
b
DiVincenzo, Alex (February 25, 2015).
"Max & Sherri Bemis Welcome Second Daughter"
. AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from
the original
on October 17, 2015
. Retrieved
March 5,
2016
.
- ^
"Welcome to the world, Lucy Jean!"
. Max Bemis verified
Twitter
account. February 11, 2013.
Archived
from the original on October 17, 2015
. Retrieved
March 5,
2016
.
- ^
"He's here!!!"
. Sherri Dupree Bemis
Instagram
account. April 14, 2018. Archived from
the original
on December 24, 2021
. Retrieved
April 26,
2018
.
Born at 4:08 am. ... #CharlesHanleyBemis
- ^
@maxbemis (April 14, 2018).
"My wife and I had a beautiful baby boy named Charlie"
(
Tweet
).
Archived
from the original on April 26, 2018
. Retrieved
April 26,
2018
– via
Twitter
.
- ^
@maxbemis (April 14, 2018).
"Thank you from my heart..."
(
Tweet
).
Archived
from the original on April 26, 2018
. Retrieved
April 26,
2018
– via
Twitter
.
- ^
"Boyd They welcomed their fifth child, Aurora Lane Kim Bemis in July 2021 DuPree"
.
www.facebook.com
. Archived from
the original
on February 26, 2022
. Retrieved
August 2,
2020
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
- Coby Linder
- Evan Span
- Michael Levin
- Josh Eichenstein
- Dan DeLauro
- Kevin Seaton
- Casper Adams
- Alex Kent
- Jake Turner
- Jeff Turner
- Adam Siska
- Reed Murray
|
Studio albums
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Singles
| |
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Compilations
| |
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Related articles
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International
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National
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Artists
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Other
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