Artist description "A band with integrity is quite a rarity these days, never mind one as precociously talented as The High Ceilings; they have nearly limitless potential, and their best truly is ahead of them. This is one of the best bands that Boston has to offer." -Mike Baldino, Yoursound

Music Style Modern/Hard Rock

Musical Influences U2, Sunny Day Real Estate, Soundgarden, Jeff Buckley, Wheat, The Gloria Record, Smashing Pumpkins

Similar Artists U2, Jeff Buckley, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cult, Soundgarden, Fuel, Our Lady Peace, Ours

Artist History With a sound that ranges from aggressive guitar-driven pop to all out rock jams The High Ceilings are a compelling hard rock quartet who have established themselves as one of Boston's hottest up and coming acts. Formed in 1999 by singer/guitarist Max Heinegg and guitarist Chris Blackburn the band has progressed at a rapid pace while coming into their own. Max Hienegg's distinct voice and vocal melodies seem to wrap themselves around the wall of sound forged by Blackburn's patchwork of guitars, creating swirling sonic compositions that can be both tough and fragile at the same time. Fronted by Heinegg, an accomplished and published poet, his approach to a song can give it the ability to sound more like a poem that is carefully set to music. "I used to write poems and thought you could turn poems into song lyrics. But songs are a different animal. You want to be able to pore over it and find different layers, but you also want people to listen to it once and get it." (Max) This approach to songwriting gives the band's songs a memorable quality that the listener can hold onto. "The choruses demand singing along, and the verses tell beautiful, heart felt stories." (Luke Pyles/NE Performer) The High Ceilings burst upon the Boston music scene in 1999 with their debut release "Pass Right Through" and quickly became a popular Boston act establishing their reputation through their energetic live performances. With a fast growing fan-base the band returned to the studio to record a follow up to "Pass Right Through" in the fall of 2000. The release of 2001's "Wavelength" would debut their new and more aggressive sound which has now become their trademark. Working with renowned producer, David Minehan, "Wavelength" would go on to bring The High Ceilings increased popularity in the Boston music scene receiving airplay on local top 40 radio stations, WBCN, WAAF and WFNX. "Wavelength" was also licensed to MTV and used for the soundtrack of their popular television show "Undressed." Their hard work paid off when they were invited to play in the coveted WBCN Rumble in 2001 which is put on annually to display the best of Boston's thriving rock scene. A band driven by progress and creativity The High Ceilings have recently completed the recording of their third release and first full-length album "The Edge is as Safe as the Ground" scheduled for release in February 2003. The band continues to gain attention and build on it's growing fan-base playing regular gigs throughout the Northeast, and has plans of more extensive touring as 2003 begins. With the creative forces of Max Heinegg and Chris Blackburn anchored by the driving rhythm section of Ron Riley (bass) and John Farrell (drums), The High Ceilings hope to create music that is fresh and new while establishing their place in popular music. "A band with integrity is quite a rarity these days, never mind one as precociously talented as The High Ceilings; they have nearly limitless potential, and their best truly is ahead of them. This is one of the best bands that Boston has to offer. These guys don't do anything but play good old American rock. Remember what that sounded like? When bands wrote straight-ahead songs that had loud guitars and big choruses everyone could sing along to? That's The High Ceilings." (Mike Baldino/Sound Check Magazine)

Group Members Max Heinegg (VOX/Guitar), Chris Blackburn (Guitar), John Ferrell (Drums), Ron Riley (Bass/Guitar)

Albums Pass Right Through, Wavelength, Mayfly, The Edge is as Safe as the Ground

Press Reviews Mayfly EP Yoursound.com- Steve Ricardo- 4/2002 Sometimes a producer's influence on an artist can speak for miles. That is certainly the case on this three song EP from The High Ceilings. Producer and ex touring rocker David Minehan (The Neighborhoods) has definitely put his stamp on this band of American Roots rockers. With a pair of fine EP's ("Pass Right Through", "Wavelength") released in 1999 and 2000, the band has been improving at a rapid pace with Minehan playing a key role. The title track on "Mayfly" comes out and slams you hard. Powerhouse vocals, big guitars, solid bass and a steady beat. Kind of like The Cult meets U2. It doesn't let up from there either, track two "Momentary", a real driving number, features some outstanding singing by Max Heinegg. With some real momentum behind them, "Let It Be Now", which unleashes a wall of guitar tracks rounds out this three song gem. This is where Minehan's influences are heard more than ever. The fact that the Ceilings can actually play their guitars well doesn't hurt the cause one bit either. "Mayfly" is a pretty exciting EP, with a nice collaboration between the band and producer. The only downside being that there is only three songs here. However, it looks like we won't have to wait to long as the band plans to release their first full length later this year. Wavelength EP Northeast Performer- Luke Pyles- 1/2001 The cover art of this one is very appropriate-the image of an airplane- in the heroic process of take-off perfectly mirrors the mood of this album. It's great stuff-big, open, and soaring melodic rock that is, somehow, also very simple. The choruses demand singing along, the verses tell beautiful, heartfelt stories, and it all comes across as the easiest thing anybody could do. The simplicity of the disc, and consequently its predictability, are far from detrimental- if anything they serve to make the whole package that much more satisfying, and the melodies are all beautifully natural. Frontman Max Heinegg definitely fits the bill for this type of rock and roll, but there are times that his voice sounds strained or stressed. But matters of technique are easy to fix. If it is their only flaw (and it probably is), they're bound to go far. The better tracks include the first three, "Speak Easy", "Look My Way," and "Overwhelmed," all three of which contain awesome lyrics expressing thoughts on various aspects of love and such things, and "Interesting Times" is also very good, with its Rush-esque verses and highly tight and catchy Seattle-ish chorus. The High Ceilings are a great rock and roll band. Soundcheck- Ma-c I.- 2/2001 This is a weird CD. Not weird like experimental or different ...it's more like a Jekyll and Hyde sort of oddity. The first three songs on this album were pretty perky, in a 98.5 sort of way. Typically trite lyrics that became catchy. Guitar licks and bass lines drowning in detailed simplicity. They were okay, in a very Lisa Loeb sort of way. Then at the end of song three, "Overwhelmed," something snapped in the minds of Max, Chris, Brian and John. Singer Max Heinegg's once wavering, whining voice had become raw, gnarled, sincere. The band became one cohesive unit and the trite lyrics put on glass slippers and transformed into a poetic storm of wisdom, pain, and dense regret. In vocal training my teacher used to tell me to find a point on the wall and hit it with sound. It's like THC did this exact same thing. They targeted the point, and for the last 15 minutes of the album they were dead-on balls accurate in hitting it. The transition was so subtle, yet so drastic, like a Jenny Jones make-over. When the f*ck did they get so good? I wasn't going to like them, but now I love them. The Noise- Jami Renee- 12/2000 How exciting is it to hear a band who are into creating cool sounds instead of chord progressions experimenting with sounds, twisting and bending them. Wavelength, the 2000 release from The High Ceilings does just this. This CD is meant to be listened to very loud. "Speakeasy," track one, starts in one channel; Max Heinegg's vocals drip with effects, sucking you in, while ghostly background vocals echo in and out of his impassioned lyrics. It then kicks in clean to a whole new plane...and doesn't let go. "In Interesting Times," track five blows me away. It's laden with edgy guitar feed back that seems to hover overhead throughout the song. It moves along, in and out of cleaner, psychedelic guitar sounds, climbing and building, with trippy sounds here and there, entering and leaving left and right, swirling around, unrelenting. Then, everything drops out for a moment. It's quiet, one note sustaining...then it crashes in and up, full and orchestral, guitars screaming. God, I love this song! I listen to this CD like you would eat really good food. With each bite you taste something different. Although I hate to say a band sounds like anyone else, I do hear possible influences by Sound Garden and some vocal influence by Bob Mould of Husker Du, and especially in his days with the band Sugar. Check this one out. Pass Right Through EP What's Up- 7/2000 Are you ready to take on the ethereal sounds of The High Ceilings? Their songs are not typical rock songs; the same way Pink Floyd is not your typical rock band. The band has a Big Head Todd and the Monsters feel in that the emphasis of the song writing tries to capture the mood of lyrics rather than wowing the listener with a flashy guitar solo. Each song is more like a poem carefully set to music. Singer Max Heinegg and guitarist Chris Blackburn have created music that is both delicate and soulful. "Luck to Last," the opening track, reminds me of the winding melodies put forth by Doors frontman and poet, Jim Morrison, in "The End." My favorite song on the EP was the title track, "Pass Right Through." Like a perfect ocean wave, cresting then crashing on the shore, The High Ceilings built this song into a powerful crescendo. I bet these songs would make for a great live show too. The Noise- 8/2000 These songs are chock-full of interesting guitar parts. The overall sound is kind of emo, without the core component. Except for the final track, "Pass Right Through," the guitars start clean and stay that way. The opening track "Luck to Last" has the stately self-confidence of "Pillars" by Sunny Day Real Estate. The forceful, clear vocals remind me of Bruce Grover of the local group Little A. Here as well as in "Yard Sale," the real tension is built by two guitars feeding off each other with clever offbeat riffs and arpeggios. In "Resolve," the bass takes control with a long line that defines the feel of the verses. It sounds like something Mike Watt would have done in a Firehose ballad, such as "Walking the Cow." As the song progresses, one of the guitars begins to minor the bass, and it sounds refreshing and quite good. The final two tracks are more stylistically conventional, sounding more like Pink Floyd ballads, with large choruses, apt backing vocals, some tambourine, and more freedom with guitar licks and little solos here and there. All the songs are rife with brooding, high-minded lyrics that like the Pixies, concentrate more on imagery than succinct meaning.

Location Boston, MA - USA

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