Composer & pianist Maxx McGathey’s immersive sound-world is dark, energetic, epic and adventurous. Mixing elements of cinematic jazz, modern classical, and his love for heavy groove-based music, McGathey crafts instrumental stories that pull you in to their vast worlds using a large ensemble of strings, winds and rhythm section to give the music grand scope. His most recent album “Imaginary Eyes” released in 2024 on Nudie Records, is a deep dive into this cavernous twilight zone, which uses the sounds of mid-20th century suspense cinema as a jumping off point for more modern experimentation. Many of McGathey’s previous composing projects have also had a cinematic element, whether the 12+ year running b-horror-funk band Gramps The Vamp or the spaghetti western themed album Dark Canyon (for which McGathey was a co-writer). McGathey has also written and performed 9 feature-length live film scores for clients like WBEZ, The Music Box Theater and the Chicago Park District’s “Movies in the Parks”, as well as various independent theaters around the midwest. These past experiences give all of McGathey’s music a strong sense of story and setting that adds to their immersive feel. 

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In addition to his own music, Maxx is a prolific collaborator on the Chicago music scene, having performed or recorded with Chicago acts like Divino Niño, V.V. Lightbody, Ric Wilson, David Quinn, Secret Colours, and Wills McKenna’s Path. McGathey’s grants and awards include a 2023 Illinois Arts Council Grant for recording, two composer’s residencies at I-Park Foundation in Connecticut (2021 & 2025), and a 2020 grant for recording from DCASE (the City of Chicago’s Cultural Affairs Department). Gramps The Vamp has been named Best New Band (2013) and was included in the Best Chicago Albums of the Decade list by Chicago Reader. McGathey is also a passionate educator, having introduced dozens of students to the piano, improvisation, and composition.