Max Bran has been writing and performing in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years. His lyrics tell stories with imagery, reflection, and unique vocal expression. Many describe Max’s vocal as the “highlight” of the song. Currently Max is breaking into the industry of writing and recording songs for film and television. His latest recording, “We Say Let’s Have Peace” began in 1990 at the start of the Gulf War and was revived in 2001 as the world watched war unfold in Afghanistan.

The recording features famed guitarist Harvey Mandel who has performed with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, John Mayall, and is featured on the Rolling Stones album “Black and Blue". Mandel created the psychedelic guitar sound in “We Say Let’s Have Peace” and mixed the first and final recording. Also featured in this song is bassist Michael Warren who is known for his many years with Merle Saunders and The Rainforest Band. Warren gives a bass beat that creates the changing drama of the story as it begins with a low-key reflection and builds to racy, anxiety. As Michael put it, “It was making me mad listening to the lyrics and thinking about the affected people of war. I kept riding the bass.” Bran, Mandel, and Warren met as performers in the San Francisco Bay Area circuit. Drummer, Michael Borbridge is currently working on a CD release project with his band Nightfire.

Max has been playing piano since age seven, when his Aunt Victoria introduced her piano to Max while he visited her in El Salvador. He marveled at the sounds and learned fast. Back in the U.S. that same year, Max’s passion to play inspired his father to buy a piano and start Max with classical training. Max tells a funny story about the first day of his lesson when his teacher asked, “Do you want to play by ear or by music?” Being that he was only seven, he tried to picture himself pressing his ear against the piano and thought, “How ridiculous. I can’t play with my ears!” Thinking his teacher was making a joke, he quickly replied, “By music of course.” And thus began his formal classical instruction of playing by music (by reading the notes).

In the 60’s, at age 13, while the British invasion swept through the U.S., Max discovered a new passion for music, “The Beatles!” He asked his teacher to show him how to play “Hard Days Night” and that was the beginning of the end of the classical training. Max complained to his teacher, “You’re not playing it right” as he ripped his hands across the keyboard to show her how. She retorted, “You’re not disciplined.” The argument began, his father was pulled in, and before you knew it Max had a new teacher. But the new teacher told his father, “No. He’s not going to be a classical pianist. He’s off in a different direction.” Angered after all the years of training, his father pulled away the piano lessons and was about to oust the piano when Max begged and cried, “No! Not the piano!” Having mercy, his father banished the piano to the basement. Max played faithfully in the basement, but with a new sound, “Rock n Roll with a lot of Blues.”

After much discord between Max and his father, at age 14 Max was sent to El Salvador to live with his grandmother. Because he didn’t speak Spanish, he attended the English-speaking school with the consulate and British children. Because he had spent his childhood years playing piano and not football like many of the other American kids, Max found himself fitting in best with the British kids who also didn’t know anything about American football. Being the 60’s, there was plenty of Rock n Roll to learn and Max became best friends with the Brits. By the time he returned to the U.S. he spoke with a British accent, which still lingers a bit today.

In his late teens, Max worked for Sherman Clay piano shop where he met Hans Loken, who had moved to the U.S. from Norway. Max and Hans were immediately best friends and began recording together. They produced their first 45 record of “Look At Yourself” and “Nitid Soul”. When Max was 23, the songs were aired on radio. Hans and Max continued writing and recording together. Two years later, Hans was frustrated at not having enough airplay and returned to Norway where he continued to record albums in Oslo. Max continued his writing and performed as a solo pianist in San Francisco clubs.

By the 90’s Max had married and divorced twice and out of those troubled times came many passionate songs about struggle, hope, loss and love again. After his second divorce Max started a new band playing the songs he had been writing over the years and changed the sound to fit the musicians. Some that were weepy, became fiery, some that were broken became hopeful. He had what his band members called, “an arsenal of songs” as they always had a full set and many to spare.

Today, Max continues to write and market his songs for other performers and the film and television industry. His training, passion, and writing discipline keeps him constantly creating and re-writing songs. He is known by many friends as “the guy who is always scribbling something down.” Max’s books are loaded with short pieces of paper where he jots down story inspirations or philosophical reflection. The way he describes his writing passion is “I have to write all the time. It’s therapeutic and I find joy in it. Only a few of my writings will really be used in my songs, but I write down thoughts and feelings constantly to get me there.”