Max Finkelstein
“When I was nine years old, I knew I would never be good enough”. That’s what Max’s mindset was as a kid and that’s what he thought about his music skills. He grew up in the shadow of his younger brother Sam, who was/is an awesome guitar talent. That all changed when he was handed a bass guitar. All the things that weren’t working for him as a guitar player seemed to click when he played the bass. Within about a month of picking up the bass, he became quite proficient. Max and his brother Sam began hitting local bars with open mics.
By the time they were 8 and 10, they had a regular slot at an open mic just outside of Boston. At nine and eleven, Max and Sam formed a band, Brotherhood of Grace. What began as a blues cover band evolved into a progressive instrumental rock band, with shades of jazz and metal. They have played every bar, club and s%#thole from Rhode Island to New Hampshire, as well as some in NYC.
Max is not only a talented bass player, he is also a great songwriter, having written the lion’s share of their first record, the self-titled, Brotherhood of Grace. Max has an affinity for any type of deep-thinking complex music. His writing is often avant-garde and his playing is unique, melodic, and engaging. He is headed to Brandeis University this fall to study music and pre-med studies. If you have the opportunity to catch his band live, it’s well worth the price of admission.
Max’s Elrick story:
I was probably 12 years old at the time. We were at Rudy’s Music Stop in NYC and I saw this high priced used bass guitar hanging on the wall. I was immediately drawn to it because of all the brand’s hype. Next to it was this fantastic looking bass guitar with the letter e on it. I had never seen one before, it felt great in my hands and sounded amazing. The other bass guitar was thick and clunky, as well as overpriced. Nevertheless, my insane father, wrapped up in the mystique of this brand, bought the thing. I looked back at the other guitar as we walked out and felt a sadness in my heart.
Two years later I was talking to a bass buddy of mine, an amazing player who also teaches at the Berklee College of Music. Completely out of the blue and without coercion, he told me, “I don’t own one, but Elrick is the best bass I have ever played”. I look up to this guy and felt that I needed to look into these Elrick basses. To my shock, it was that bass I had left behind in NYC two years prior. Now I was determined to get my hands on an Elrick bass.
I found a stunning buckeye singlecut five string platinum bass guitar. Here is a link to a YouTube video that I made for that bass guitar a while ago.
Anyway, I love this bass. To this day she still feels and plays amazing. It’s so smooth and so well built and just delivers. She has never let me down. Since then I have purchased a Standard Series five-string and two other Elrick bass guitars. I had Rob make me a beautiful custom six-string Gold Series bass with a Macassar ebony top and a crazy beautiful figured maple fretboard.
I was also lucky enough to score an awesome fretless Gold Series SLC with a sick maple top and pink ivory fingerboard. These basses all play unbelievably, their build quality is like no other. I have played and owned many bass guitars and I will tell you that nothing sounds and plays like an Elrick. Rob builds these basses one at a time, by hand. There is no factory, it’s one man building every bass. They are not only instruments, they are works of art. There will never be two that are alike.
I’m a better musician with an Elrick in my hands. I am thankful each and every day that I found Rob Elrick. Thanks Rob!!!
Max Finkelstein plays Platinum, Gold and Standard Series Elrick Bass Guitars
Brotherhood of Grace YouTube channel where you can see Max in action.
Brotherhood of Grace’s full record is available on: iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and most other music services
