Maxim Ludwig & The Santa Fe Seven is an American rock band centered around singer-songwriter Maxim Ludwig (born October 22, 1988), known for his brand of roots rock

Roots rock

Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...

, poetic lyrics and Americana

Americana (music)

Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...

 sentiments. The Santa Fe Seven has taken on many transformations since their first appearance at the Stagecoach Festival

Stagecoach Festival

The Stagecoach Festival is an outdoor country music festival presented by Goldenvoice. The festival is located in Indio, CA, USA. It has various types of artists that attend, whether they be mainstream or almost unknown.-2007:...

 in 2009 with members of Kd Lang's band Josh Grange and Ian Walker, and Daniel Lanois's

Daniel Lanois

Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...

 session drummer Steven Nistor

Steven Nistor

Steven Nistor is an American touring and studio drummer, best known for his work with Daniel Lanois and Danger Mouse. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...

, joining the Santa Fe Seven for a period. The current line-up of Ben Reddell (bass), Chris Vos (steel guitar) and Jorge Balbi (drums) is also the longest running line-up with their appearance at Austin City Limits Music Festival

Austin City Limits Music Festival

The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas at the city's central public park, Zilker Park...

 and SXSW as well as recordings and other touring.

Maxim Ludwig & The Santa Fe Seven has been categorized as being part of the Laurel Canyon sound, whose influences include Crosby, Stills, and Nash and Neil Young

Neil Young

Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...

, in large part because of Maxim's childhood upbringing in the area but expands beyond that as Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

 music critic Randy Lewis points out "is deeply schooled in the art of Americana music stalwarts such as Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

, The Band

The Band

The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...

, Gram Parsons

Gram Parsons

Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...

-era Byrds/Flying Burrito Brothers and the twangiest leanings of the Rolling Stones.

Discography

Albums

• Maxim Ludwig & The Santa Fe Seven (self-tilted) (June 3, 2009) Two Bears Fighting