Rising Stars: Meet Max Roark of Pasadena

Today we’d like to introduce you to Max Roark.

Hi Max, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Portland, Oregon. I didn’t grow up in a household of musicians but my parents were avid music fans, my father especially. In middle school I had the opportunity to start learning an instrument so I chose clarinet, and started playing in the middle school band. Not long after, I decided that I didn’t like the clarinet, now I know for a fact it was because I wasn’t very good. My middle school band director switched me over to a tenor saxophone and I took to it enthusiastically. My parents were very supportive and not only got me lessons but got me into extra-curricular jazz bands. Playing music was all I did in highschool, to the detriment of my grades, for those two reasons I decided to apply to colleges.

I originally went to Eastman School of music but after a semester I decided that it wasn’t for me and dropped out, moving back to Portland for half a year. The next year I started going to Berklee College of Music and stayed there for five years completing a dual degree in performance and jazz composition. Berklee was exactly what I needed it to be and very much enjoyed it.

After graduating I decided to move to LA for a wide range of genres and work and have lived here for three years. I’m currently almost finished with my first album and will begin promoting it soon.

As far as how I got here today I would say it’s a combination of luck, support from my parents, hard work and willingness to be flexible but unbreaking. Thanks, and I’m happy to answer any further questions.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Life as an artist has had high peaks and low lows in my experience. Some of the best moments of my life have been because of what I do, but also the worst. In highschool I played with an extra-curricular band that was very intense where I learned a lot but also was under more pressure than I probably should have been at that time. Going to Eastman was very rocky for me, not only leaving my parents for the first time but also the environment was not for me. Berklee was amazing but the later years as well as now after graduation has its own new struggles. Thriving as an artist is difficult to say the least, and as a post college adult I have responsibilities that are sometimes non compatible with life as a musician.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Ive been a musician since middle school, only worked one job at a hardware store after dropping out at Eastman. Besides that its been all music, and like Ive been saying in previous paragraphs, it can certainly be difficult sometimes.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
A modified version of “going with the flow”. Life is unpredictable and things don’t always go your way, being able to deal with that while also maintaining goals is what has kept me going.

The social media accounts that Ive linked may look empty but Im preping for an album release so you’ve caught me at a bad time, they’ll have profile pictures and stuff soon.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maxroark.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxemilioroark/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
• Twitter: https://x.com/maxemilioroark
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZYs005_5zOrf2UNBWXlloA

Image Credits
Paul Mardy