| Max Boekbinder | |
| Birth Name: | Kim Boekbinder |
| Birth Place: | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Genre: | Alternative rock Indie Dream pop Wonky pop Experimental Shoegaze |
| Occupation: | Musician |
| Instrument: | Vocals, guitar, percussion, synth, keyboard/piano |
| Associated Acts: | Vermillion Lies Molly Crabapple Amanda Palmer |
| Years Active: | 2005–present |
Max Fractal Boekbinder,[1] born Kim Boekbinder,[2] is a Canadian musician. Their music ranges from dark synth pop to acoustic looping.
A longtime proponent of direct-to-fan marketing and social media, Boekbinder gained publicity for their take on touring/show-booking via a Kickstarter campaign.[3] In early 2012 Kim Boekbinder launched "Mission Control" a fundraising platform to finance the development of their second full-length album. Fans subscribe to a private website where songs and writings of the next album are shared. they previously performed in the band Vermillion Lies with their sibling Zoe.
Boekbinder's first full-length solo album The Impossible Girl was a departure from their earlier acoustic work with Vermillion Lies, the album was produced by Boston producer, Sean Slade, who discovered Max when Vermillion Lies opened for Amanda Palmer. The album was funded by a successful pre-order campaign which raised $20,000 in early 2010. The album was recorded at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, Massachusetts with engineer Benny Grotto.
In June 2011, Boekbinder pre-sold their first show in New York City. The idea of the pre-sold show received a good deal of attention after they wrote an impassioned post for English author, Warren Ellis.[4] The idea was explained further during a radio interview with the BBC News on June 28, 2011.[5]
Boekbinder's second studio album, The Sky is Calling, was co-produced by Grammy-nominated engineer Joel Hamilton at Studio G in Brooklyn, New York. The album is described by Boekbinder as an electro-galactic space epic and features data-bent sounds of NASA data and a collaboration with astronomer Phil Plait.
In 2014 Boekbinder began recording and releasing "Ephemeral Songs" on Bandcamp. They were called "ephemeral" because each song was only made available for a few weeks before being removed.
In 2016, Boekbinder wrote Pussy Grabs Back[6] a response to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's comments during a controversial interview that many commentators and lawyers have described as sexual assault.
In the spring of 2017, Boekbinder announced the launch of their own record label, Golden Glow Records, based in New York City.
Boekbinder's third studio album, Noisewitch,[7] was released on September 8, 2017, on Golden Glow Records.
In 2016, they collaborated with Jay Z, dream hampton, & Molly Crabapple to create a video titled "The War on Drugs is an Epic Fail",[8] which premiered in the New York Times.
In 2017, Boekbinder collaborated with the ACLU, Laverne Cox, Molly Crabapple, and Zackary Drucker, in making a video about transgender history and resistance.[9]
Boekbinder identifies as non-binary and uses they/them, she/her and he/him pronouns.[10]
Boekbinder resides in New York City. In 2014, they announced that they had been granted US citizenship.[11]