CCM 13 1 DANCE DIRECTION “I knew I wanted to release [last year’s EP] Crashing Gates as a fuller production model and the remix thing with Pop Will Eat Itself came about. I also am big on the conceptual project and I believe Cotes d’ Armor will have that, including spoken word bits, remixes, new tunes and electronic vignettes. ” 2 ARTISTS OF INSPIRATION “Vile Evils, Pop Will Eat Itself, 3kStatic, Trentemoller, Portishead and Nine Inch Nails are some of the artists [that inspired the album].” 3 MONIKER MEANING “It’s a section of the Brittany Coast in France... I have always been enchanted by that area. Plus I love the imagery of Coats of Armor.” 4 NEW TUNES’ THEME “I would say the theme is finding some small hope amidst the impending doom of the future. Even the poem ‘Cotes d’ Armor,’ which will be included, is lifted from my obsession with the novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy. In order to paint a beautiful picture, sometimes the subject matter has to be quite ugly.” 5 HITTING THE ROAD “I am doing a show with PWEI in New York City at The Knitting Factory. We’ll play a couple songs from Things You need To Know AbouT former dcTAlK member Kevin mAx By Andy Argyrakis 8 the project at The Viper Room [in Hollywood] and then I am over in Finland for a few gigs. There is also talk of me hooking up with my friend Derek Webb and doing a run in the States.” 6 FAVORITE TOUR OF ALL TIME “It’s hands down the tour of Europe with Luna Halo, which had some of the most memorable and odd road stories you could imagine including staying overnight in haunted Nazi German school houses, wrestling with English soccer hooligans in hotel lobbies and being abandoned by a promoter in the middle of Holland.” 7 MUSIC VIDEO MEMORIES “Oh that’s easy. As a solo artist I’ve only made a couple. ‘Existence’ so far and next up is ‘On Yer Bike,’ which I promise will have a David Lynch vibe to it.” 8 REINVENTION REASONS “I guess the fact that I am consistently bored with popular culture [inspires me to reinvent myself]. I enjoy going after an idea no matter how far out it might appear at first. I am quite anti-status quo by nature, but I know that a good idea takes time and commitment to make a worthwhile creative statement.” Three Grammy awards, countless Doves, multi-platinum, platinum… you name it, dcTalk probably did it. And today, the former members of the legendary trio are still out there and still making waves. tobyMac has forged a dizzyingly successful solo career, Michael Tait is the newest frontman for the newsboys and Kevin Max? Well, Kevin is doing what only Kevin can do. From alternative rock to poetry and even old school Gospel, Kevin’s latest endeavor takes him out on the dance floor and is sure to expand his audience even more. Cotes d’Armor is a re-mix record with European flair enough to ensure his place as a multi-cultural chameleon. The new album from Kevin Max, Cotes d’ Armor (dPulse), releases April 27. For more info, visit www.kevinmax.com. Photo by Allen Clark