Max White

Max White is a UK singer/songwriter born in Hitchin, England, and raised in Perth after his family emigrates there in 1972. He is also known by friends as Maxmillion Rico Blanco.

Early musical background

White grows up in a musical family. His grandfather, Tibor Ostara, conducts the W.A. Symphony at night and places him there as a nine-month-old child for two years, while also playing gypsy swing violin, drums and trumpet. White later says these early experiences shape his sense of melody, which he describes as gospel-inflected and often jazz-edged. He starts drums and piano at the age of seven, sings in the Perth Youth Jazz Choir before puberty, and begins playing guitar at 13.

Career

White studies and performs in the Perth music scene before his career reaches a first recorded milestone in 1998, when he signs a small studio deal for an EP with Survival Studios and works with Fremantle band Fletch and guitarist Pat Occonner, formerly of Real Lifer. After spending his first four years in Melbourne, he returns to Victoria in 2000 and secures a solo deal, developing his work as a solo artist.

He signs to Marlin during 2000 and 2001 and continues to build his musical partnerships. A significant creative connection forms with producer and engineer Chris Dickie. Together they assemble a line-up that brings in Bruce Haymes on keys, known for work with Paul Kelly, Vikka and Linda Bull, and harmonica player Chris Wilson. The rhythm section features Chris Tabone, formerly a career drummer with the Badloves, and Joe Imbroll on bass, using his 1964 Fender. The resulting album, Who Warms The Sun, is mixed by Chris Dickie and mastered in Sydney at 301 under his supervision.

Style and recording approach

White’s music combines soul, blues and jazz influences with gospel vocals and repetitive, one-chord jazz grooves. The album Who Warms The Sun presents this approach in an old-school, reflective format, with titles such as “Who warms the sun?” and “Feel the bass” showing his interest in humour and in phrasing musical ideas as questions and statements.