Captain’s Quarters
Max Harms: The Master Translator
“Lord, don’t let me die in California. This place is not my home and I won’t stay. Just give me a room in Reno. I’ll only need it for a day. I’d give my soul if I had it, but I lost it in LA.”
-Max Harms ‘California’
I remember the first time I heard Max Harms’ debut single ‘California.’ It only took 10 seconds for me to immediately hit repeat. The haunting lyrical portrayal of desperate longing provided the backing framework for Harms’ stalwart vocal performance that recalls the vast, arid terrain of the desert. With traditionally minded production matched by a visual that celebrates the landscape of his home in Arizona, it was easy to see that Harms possessed an expansive ability to create striking art across a multitude of mediums.
I first connected with Harms back then as I was navigating my own artistic pursuits. I was genuinely surprised at how immediately supportive he was of my efforts in both writing and music. In country music and beyond, it’s rare to find creators that are as open and inviting as him. He’s genuinely driven by the act of creation and cultivating creativity by any means possible. When I spoke with him, it was evident that this is not just an integral part of his story but an overall mission in life.
At nineteen, Harms first picked up the guitar when he was living in Chicago and enrolled in business school. Though setbacks with drugs and drinking pushed him to reevaluate and confront that he needed to pursue a vocation that truly resonated with him. As luck would have it he reconnected with a friend back home in Arizona that was enrolled in an audio engineer program at the Conservatory of Arts and Sciences. Harms decided to enter the program finding it more connective to his creative outlets and upon successful completion was awarded an internship in Los Angeles at Barefoot Recording. He interned heavily there for a few months and eventually started facilitating as an assistant engineer until he received a call from Rick Rubin’s famed Shangri-La Studios. Harms decided to split his time as an intern between Barefoot Recording and Shangri-La but this arrangement only lasted barely a week. Shangri-La immediately hired him as a full time production assistant though he would eventually become a house engineer by the time that he left in 2020.
At the height of the pandemic closures, Harms left Los Angeles after three successful years and returned home to Camp Verde, Arizona. Being back at square one, he started putting gear together in one of the old, available garage storage units at his homestead before he was able to bring back all of his belongings from his setup in Los Angeles. “I bought a drum kit off of Facebook Marketplace for maybe fifty dollars and set that up with a little interface. I started acquiring more gear and even though it was bare bones I was trying to be really focused on the act of creating,” shares Harms as he reflects on that time. He further notes that, “I didn’t have a big circle, especially in the country and alternative genre I was curious about. I was trying to tap into some local market but it didn’t exist.”
Though Harms persisted by working with local cover bands and any other players in the Camp Verde area that were interested in collaboration in a space that would rightfully become known as The Garage. This led to further experimentation on his part when he decided to create a documentary with his brother about Camp Verde that he lovingly describes as a “wacky town with wacky people.” This spark of interest lit a fire when a recording session evolved into a filming request by a local artist in Harms’ studio. Harms shares, “ I started recording more of these sessions and putting them on YouTube as an experiment. Though it was the session with Katie Mae & the Lubrication that really brought this work to light because she’s so well connected in Phoenix and beyond. Since then, I’ve been shooting multiple live sessions a week with so much more to come.”
This momentum comes directly from Harms ability to ensure that artists feel comfortable in his space and that the focus is always on representing their art in its purest form while hopefully having some fun along the way. He reflects, “When I first started making records, I’d have a pretty concrete idea about what I wanted which might differ with what the artist wanted. I came to a point in understanding that it's not my project. My job is to translate. My main goal is to take somebody’s idea in their head and bring it to life and make it better than they thought it could be.”
This approach to his craft and grassroots community building comes from an authentic desire to truly support artists who might not have the readily available platform of a major label. Harms sees the creation of these clips and recordings as an integral way of supporting deserving artists to expand their reach and to continue to define their brand. When asked where he believes this drive to create comes from, he responds, “Everybody wants to be a part of something. It’s natural to want to have some kind of center. I wanted to try to create something to bring people to Camp Verde. There is something rewarding about seeing the community that has been built especially during the big house shows. What started as something small has certainly grown. Now I’m meeting new people every week and folks keep coming in.”
Though this outcome aligns with Harms overall strategy for The Garage and his associated work. He’s driven to continue the established work with his current base while hopefully finding work on different projects perhaps in other studios that he has long since admired. This naturally lends to the possibilities of launching a label in the future that can focus on artist development, publishing and striving to create the biggest platform for folks that might not otherwise be heard. With Harms’ consistent drive and ample talent, it’s hard not to imagine The Garage as a premiere southwest studio and label in the very near future.
As our conversation comes to a close, I remember our first connection back in 2022 and can’t help but marvel at how much Harms has built in such a short amount of time. Apart from inquiring about new music of his own that he promises is coming, I have to ask that one final critical question: “Like you did for me, what advice would you give to an artist hesitant in starting a project?”
“Take the leap if you have a project that is something you are proud of. Reach out. You always have to do something for the first time and it's always going to be a little uncomfortable. Don’t fear mistakes or failure. Fucking up is a huge part of art. I spent a lot of time making mistakes and learning. That’s part of the fun. Besides figuring it out and what it means to you is where you find your own creative process.”
Sara Bug: Charting Her Course to Paradise
“When you lose yourself is when you find the key to paradise.”
-Jimmy Buffett
When she answers my call, I apologize to Sara Bug for being a few minutes early as timezones have consistently befuddled me. Whether she was located in the south of France or in Arizona, I’d have the same trouble internally agreeing upon the correct time to dial in. With an understanding laugh, Bug immediately chimes in, displaying an ease of understanding and a casual confidence found throughout our conversation about her work.
Bug comes by these traits naturally though having grown up in South Louisiana. An area of the country deeply tied to the water, known for preserving tradition for the sake of community and all those luscious musical landscapes. Throughout her childhood, Bug’s household was filled with all the above. She remembers being in the presence of everything from blues to country, and of course, beloved Jimmy Buffett. All genres and artists that seek truth through fearless authenticity. This foundation inspired her to pursue music through her youth and eventually to leave her hometown for it while exploring Nashville and New York.
Though her travels left her with the understanding that she was without a doubt a Southern girl through and through which is why she has now returned to the South, spending time in both Nashville and South Louisiana. Her experiences have encouraged her to create broadly with her two passions: music and seafood. Alongside a new album, Bug has supported the opening of Spicy Boy’s, a cajun restaurant in East Nashville, with her brother and even sourcing seafood from back home into the city as a licensed meat distributor. Though her pursuits haven’t come without reflection and creative redirection as learned from her early experiences with music.
While her self-titled debut through Egghunt Records was labeled indie, Bug would describe it as “country coated.” She explains, “The process in development on that record was completely experimental and covered songs written from high school up until that point in my life. All the instruments were either myself or one of my close friends who was a homebased producer.” She shares further that this approach allowed her to not attach expectations to the project but to allow herself to find the fun in the act of creation. This in turn let her discover that while she felt pushed to remain in an indie space she understood in her heart that she was without a doubt a country artist. This is why she ultimately decided to make the strategic decision to leave the comfort of the label to pursue that sonic landscape, one that aligned with her roots. When asked about that critical decision, she laments, “The label was very kind and supportive. Creatively, I just felt there was a ceiling to it with the indie space. While it certainly felt like a friendly break up, it’s so much harder to leave when no one is angry.”
Hearing her speak about this critical juncture, I could sense her drive comes from a deeper place than following a trend or making a casual business decision. It’s clear that Bug truly listens to her heart and is considerate towards her artistry in a way that many other artists sometimes are not. When asked where she believed this sense of self comes from she proudly shares, “Being part of the Deep South there is so much natural disaster, people go through losing everything so as a people we focus on our emotions, family and talents. There is such an innate instinct of resilience and to keep pursuing happiness no matter what. This is what I do. This is part of me, so I’m going to keep going.” This fierce, mission branded statement is noticeable across all of Bug’s work as it appears that everything she creates is a true extension of herself. Though this is particularly evident on her upcoming album Into the Blue off her own label Lonely Girl Records.
Bug speaks several times of her admiration for the late, great Jimmy Buffett. From his failed Nashville attempts to genre-less global domination, he ultimately succeeded by choosing to not imitate others and sing about what he knew and loved. Bug describes Into the Blue as a “break up and recovery record” though after a few listens it’s easy to see Buffett’s influences on an album, with its glorious tropical meets traditional country sounds, that is about much more than just heartbreak. It’s about an artist not just sharing but celebrating their ability in choosing to move forward in life and already loving wherever that might lead them next. From the sun in the rearview mirror charm of ‘No Man, No Kids’ to the razor sharp take-down of ‘Send Me an Angel,’ Bug’s honest and humorous point of view is fully representative of who she is at this juncture in life. Further through subtle and often delicate movements, she finds ways to even share her life on the water with resonant production choices.
After we end our time together, I take pause to reflect on our conversation with a walk down by the water. It only seemed fitting. Watching the sport and working boats buzz by, I think about Bug’s charted path forward and how guided it is by home grown entrepreneurship. From the restaurant to music to seafood distribution she has created a structure that’s not based on trends but her own creative instincts. Each artistic and business decision alike is fully aligned with the desires of her authentically, free spirit. Her ultimate destination doesn’t matter because it will always be where her heart fully belongs.
Somewhere up there in paradise, Jimmy Buffett must be so proud.
