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Vegas band Be Like Max develops an international audience and a harder sound

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Be Like Max
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Three years ago Las Vegas Weekly called Be Like Max one of the city’s bands to watch. But you know how the adage goes: Sometimes slow and steady wins the race.

In the time since that article, the group has been busy representing the Vegas ska scene in the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and elsewhere. With its fourth album Save Us All ready to drop on February 17—celebrated with an all-ages show at Brooklyn Bowl—BLM is continuing its upward trajectory with more eyes on it than ever before.

For one, it has become more political, with songs about the #MeToo movement and bias in the news. And its sound is noticeably more aggressive. Credit David McWane, frontman for seminal Boston ska-punks Big D and the Kids Table, who served as producer, and Jay Maas, formerly of Defeater, who engineered.

“They’re our biggest influence,” BLM frontman Charley Fine says of Big D and the Kids Table. “We flew out to Boston, and we recorded the record there … [Jay] ended up being a great friend and engineer. He’s one of the kings of the Boston hardcore scene. Everything just fell into place, and it was one of the best experiences of my life.”

The relationship didn’t form overnight, Fine admits. It was a process, from sending introductory emails to learning how to promote yourself without overwhelming your audience. “[McWane] was like, ‘Can you send me some demos?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I guess that would help if I want to get a producer, to send [them] music,’” Fine laughs.

As for the sound? “Jay’s touch altered the album, as he’s more of a hardcore guy and we were his first ska band,” Fine says. “It’s kind of a unique step to take, but I love what it came out to be.”

BE LIKE MAX with La Resistencia, Drinking Water, Matamoska!, Desert Island Boys. February 17, 5 p.m., $12-$15. Brooklyn Bowl, 702-862-2695.

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