"It’s gloriously, beautifully sad in a way not usually found outside Brian Wilson’s sandbox or Gram Parsons’ desert hell."
-Robert Fontenot, Offbeat Magazine
Max Bien Kahn’s music is a feverish snapshot of all the things, great and small. It’s the pulse of a thousand hot summer nights at the neighborhood DIY juke joint and the rusty old bike that somehow manages to get you there; it’s the sound of a lazy afternoon picnic next to the bayou; it’s the feeling of a spring morning when, for a second, everything seems at least a little bit possible if you squint and have enough faith; it’s the hiss on a crushed-out mixtape for a new love; it’s a love letter to the one-in-a-million coincidences that change your life forever; it’s an elegy for the ones we lose and a hymn to the ones we find; it’s jelly glasses of wine in the kitchen at midnight that turn into cups of coffee in the morning that turn into a new life together. Above all that, it’s a rockin’ good time.
The San Francisco-born, New Orleans-based multi-instrumentalist, who’s called the city home since 2011, might be best known as the tenor banjo player in legendary nouveau trad jazz band Tuba Skinny, who he’s been playing with since 2012, but he’s collaborated with a host of local luminaries across the musical spectrum, including Esther Rose, Gina Leslie, Camille Weatherford (The Lostines).
As of this writing, he’s released four full length albums and a handful of EPs, and his newest record, Baby Green, is his fifth full length. Currently 40 years old, Max is married to writer and poet Mik Grantham, with whom he’s recently collaborated on a beautiful baby girl.
-Gabe Soria
press for Flowers
“Channeling the aestheticism of Wes Anderson and the off-kilterism of Yorgos Lanthimos for a ghostly and romantic-inspired audiovisual playground.” - Mae Ferris, Music Mecca
“A time capsule of true cinematic design and feel. As his warm vibrato slinks across the sonic landscape, delicate like a gentle whisper in your ear, a conversationalist at his best, Bien Kahn, in less than three minutes, finishes a thought and leaves you wanting more.” - Glide Magazine
“Indeed, Kahn’s lyrics tackle relationships, death, and loss in its many other forms, but the songs are also cut through with a sense of jocularity and optimism. There isn’t a sense that Kahn is avoiding any sort of big emotions, but rather that humor helps us understand and navigate not only our feelings but also our humanity.” - Mary Beth Campbell, Antigravity Magazine, New Orleans
“Mood, late night aural scenery set early on ‘Stranger’ and Max Bien Kahn has the croon to make good on all that intimacy setting.” - MP3 Hugger
more press
"Bien Kahn crafts charming jangle pop with a touch of twang that tackles a range of classic Americana sounds and filters them through a pastiche of contemporary styles. Using minimal equipment to evoke a live sound, an interplay of steel and sax creates a mesmerizing balancing act, blending tradition and innovation into stirring and lively compositions. It’s a testament to Bien Kahn’s ability to cultivate an uplifting dance tune while the lyrics explore grief.
His writing style is at once cathartic and witty, always bolstered by his uncanny knack for melody.
When I Cross it Off is the perfect New Orleans summer soundtrack, while sweet jasmine fills the dense air."
—Danielle Dietze, Antigravity Magazine
"Max Bien Kahn has a charm rarely seen in modern music today, and we can imagine his new album, When I Cross It Off, will further cement his status as one of the more unique voices in the indie folk rock world."
-David Fussell, Music Mecca