For many touring musicians, home is often a sanctuary. It’s a place where they can refresh, get creative and write new songs, and find inspiration in things outside of music. It’s also frequently a collage of items that one collects over their journey that says something about who they are. For some, it’s made extra special by other people.
For example, married couple Shelby and Nathen Maxwell find inspiration sharing residence just outside of Monument, CO. They often find themselves together in their living room, together with each other and their kids. They found themselves spending even more time together during the pandemic lockdowns. That increase of time together in the living room inspired them to form their band VOLORES and release their debut album AGES earlier this year.
It was an easy decision, therefore, to film their session for Scummy Water Tower in the same spot.
“It’s a large part of our story as a band,” says the couple, who often tour with drummer Art Brown. “VOLORES was brought to life in this exact space during the pandemic. We were two musicians sitting at home unable to really do anything like the rest of the world.”
“So, we kept ourselves sane by working on these songs and ideas with each other. To film the session here felt like entering that initial creative space again. It’s our favorite place to be together.”
One reason for that is that their living space is “very open and calm.” There’s a large sectional they’re able to sit on with their kids and two Great Danes. Rather than have something like a coffee table in the center of the room, the open space allows everyone to “play and create however they should need or want.”
Instruments and records adorn the walls and shelves. One can easily pick up one of the many instruments and start playing or listening to them in order to become inspired.
“It’s unique in the sense that the space can adjust to suit our family’s needs,” say the Maxwells.
In their session video, one can see one of Nathen’s gold and platinum records from his work with Flogging Molly, a band he’s played bass with since 1996. There’s also a Buddha statue from their honeymoon in Vietnam, rocks and stones from the top of mountains they’ve climbed together, various plants (a personal favorite for the couple), and a ship in the night painting over their mantle that Nathen received from his grandfather after he passed.
“We love keeping items that remind us of those we love and what we love,” say the Maxwells.
They’re also able to look outside their windows for inspiration. Living where they are in Colorado is a dream, the couple says. They’re able to drive a few minutes one direction to civilization, and a few minutes the other direction to the woods and mountains.
“Our music really was inspired by the range that surrounds us and is also partly where our term ‘mountain goth’ comes from,” say the Maxwells. “Being nestled into such a beautiful space offers more than our creative souls could ever ask for.”
“Outside our living room window, we get a small glimpse of that beauty, including our backyard filled with trees, plants, and garden beds, a waterfall feature Nathen built himself, and countless places to sit and gather.”
Deciding to mimic the DIY spirit of recording their debut, they opted to film the session themselves. It allowed them to “create more intimately together, just as we did when we started this band.” The three songs the couple picked to play are from AGES. It gave them a chance to play the songs in preparation of their recent first tour as a band to support the album.
“This session offered us a fun opportunity to strip down these songs and revisit them in a different way,” say the Maxwells. “’All That We Could Need,’ ‘Carrion Cry,’ and ‘Ages’ are the first three tracks you hear when you listen to the record, and we really feel they showcase what our sound is.”
“Our favorite moment is simply the joy of getting to look over at each other, our best friend and partner, as we do what we love together.”
Becoming VOLORES
Shelby (who handles vocals and guitar) and Nathen Maxwell (who plays bass and provides backing vocals) recently caught up with Scummy Water Tower to discuss their music.
How did the two of you decide to form a band together? What’s it like being part of a band together? How does being married give you an advantage chemistry-wise?
We were both musicians working on different projects when we met. It felt like we skirted around the idea of creating with each other every other day, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that we really even discussed the possibility. We were sitting together at home with songs we were working on individually when finally stopped and thought “why aren’t we doing this together?”
Then it felt like everything just clicked and fell into place. Being in a band together brought us the joy of creating with our most trusted confidants. Each other. In that sense, we do feel like being married gives us an advantage chemistry-wise. We can be our most vulnerable, real selves, which allows for boundless, unapologetic creation. There’s nothing we can’t show each other or discuss when it comes to making our music.
Nathen, you’ve been with Flogging Molly for a while. How has that experience impacted/aided this project?
Playing music with Flogging Molly will always be a part of my life’s work and my profession. It has provided countless lessons and inspirations that have affected me not only as an artist, but as an individual. In that, I believe VOLORES only benefits from the work I’ve done with Flogging Molly.
Who are some of your major songwriting influences? How would you describe your songwriting?
We are influenced by artists of many different genres and songwriting styles. The main ones that impact our work on VOLORES, however, would probably be Elliot Smith, The Cure, and Bob Marley. Our songwriting is a personal process that we share with each other, mainly revolving around the more intimate nuances of our day to day lives. It’s a collaboration where we primarily marry Shelby’s poetry and melodies to our musical stylings.
The band’s music is described as “dark Americana.” Why do you think that’s an apt description? Why is it important to mix traditional genres like Americana with rock and post-punk/alternative sounds? What makes the band’s music stand out from others?
Genres have always been kind of a weird concept to us. We simply play music that we love, which can include some dark Americana, some post punk, some alternative and indie rock… But ultimately, we believe we’ve created a sound all our own. We’ve lovingly dubbed it “mountain goth”, as we do blend a lot of different influences and sounds together to create these songs that maybe don’t fit in one particular genre or another. As far as what makes it stand out from others, we think Shannon Shumaker at Prelude Press said it best, “With each track carried by one guitar, bass, drums and powerful vocals, the album doesn’t find the band trying to fit any specific mold or conform to passing fads or sounds. Ultimately, this is what is going to make AGES withstand the test of time.”
What does the band’s name mean? Significance of capitalizing it?
When we were trying to find a name for what we were creating, we had gotten into a conversation about spiritualist and hypnotherapist, Dolores Cannon. It was also around the same time as the anniversary of Dolores O’Riordan’s (of the Cranberries) death. The name Dolores just kept making its way into our conversations to the point that we thought we should just use it for the band. Ultimately, we landed on something a little different that still paid homage to the soft strength of Dolores but was unique to us. We capitalize it because Shelby has always written everything in all caps since she was a teenager. The band’s name was no different. We liked the way it looked so we kept it capitalized.
Why did you pick AGES for the album’s title?
We thought it felt right considering the times we were going through during the album’s creation. Life can feel scary and uncertain at times, but humanity continues to make it through each of these different ages of being.
The album focuses on theme of life, love, and death. Why was it important to focus on these topics?
We have always tried to create music from the heart and our souls. What’s closer to that than singing about what it is to be human? By bearing the darkest, deepest parts of ourselves in our music, we find it possible to be easier on ourselves, to heal from what has hurt us, and to be more understanding of the world around us.
What were some of the most surprising and challenging songs to write?
“Vindicated Kid” was definitely considered our “problem child” song. We went through numerous iterations of it, including an almost Northern Soul version, before finally landing on the more rock and roll song that it is today. It’s funny to think about it giving us such hell for so long considering how straightforward it wound up.
What are you most looking forward to in the future? Any future goals?
We really are just looking forward to developing our sound and writing more music in the future. To continue to spend time together doing what we both love more than anything. We mostly hope to continue to create a body of work we can be proud of.
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
