Maxs Kansas City Project

10/12/2026

“May you always do for others, and let others do for you.”

In honor of my birthday and Max’s 60th anniversary, I’m asking you to give back. For over 25 years, Max’s nonprofit has been there for artists in need. Maybe you made a life-changing connection at Max’s. Maybe you discovered a band that inspired your own music. Whatever Max’s has meant to you, now is the time to give back.
Together, we can continue supporting artists of all disciplines when life takes an unexpected turn. None of us knows when we might be the one who needs a helping hand. Make a commitment of $25 or more a year!

Home Our Mission The Max’s Kansas Project embraces the philosophy of Mickey Ruskin, the creator of Max’s Kansas City, and was established in his memory in 2001. The foundation for the Max’s Kansas Project was laid when Mickey Ruskin opened the doors to the legendary restaurant/bar/club in New ...

10/05/2026

Make sure to check out our most recent teen driven MAXS FEARLESS YOUth teen driven video podcast on our YouTube channel. And PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!!

✅ Stay Connected With Us.👉Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/max...

10/01/2026

Exactly 50 years ago tonight (October 1, 1973), Eric Andersen took the tiny upstairs stage at the legendary Max’s Kansas City.
Before it became the definitive launchpad for NYC punk, Mickey Ruskin’s iconic Park Avenue South haven was the ultimate crossroads for Greenwich Village folk poets, Andy Warhol’s superstars, and glam rock royalty. Andersen—a definitive voice of the ’60s folk revival whose songs were covered by everyone from Bob Dylan to the Grateful Dead—stepped right into that electric fusion of art and grit.
If these walls could talk, they’d tell you about a night where folk brilliance met the underground underground. 🎙️✨
City

Photo credit to Eric Andersen on Facebook

09/28/2026

On this exact day in 1978—48 years ago today—two volatile forces in punk history collided on stage at Max’s Kansas City in NYC. Fresh off the collapse of the S*x Pistols, Sid Vicious took the mic, backed by the raw, explosive power of Philadelphia’s Pure Hell.
Why This Moment Matters: Pure Hell carved out a crucial, pioneering legacy as the first all-Black punk band, breaking barriers in a predominantly white subculture while delivering a faster, heavier sound that predated the hardcore movement. Their undeniable stage presence and raw proto-punk thrash made them an essential bridge between Philadelphia’s underground rock scene and NYC’s punk epicenter. Meanwhile, Sid Vicious embodied the raw, nihilistic intensity and chaotic aesthetic that defined late-70s British punk during its initial global explosion. Despite his brief and tragic life, his magnetic, volatile performance style made him an enduring icon of punk rebellion and cultural notoriety.
The Setlist: • Search and Destroy
• Chatterbox
• I Wanna Be Your Dog
• Somethin’ Else
• I’m Not Your Stepping Stone
• Don’t Give Me No Lip Child
• Belsen Was a Gas
• Take a Chance With Me
• Chinese Rocks
Nearly five decades later, the noise, collision, and sheer energy of that legendary stage still echoes through punk lore. ⚡️🖤🔥

Video credit to AntiBonez

09/25/2026

Hello Max’s Kansas City family. Today we would like to highlight Michael Dederick. Michael was one of our interviewees for a grant last year. And he has some powerful thoughts about MAXS.

Max’s Kansas City Project wants to let everyone know that we are passionate about empowering our youth and providing them with safe spaces to never be alone.

Please read his testimonial on the right when you swipe here or in the post and consider sharing it to a loved one.

Thank you Michael.

Testimonial to a better world!!

The world doesn’t hand you a manual on how to survive the darkness. It just drops you in it, and most of us claw our way out or we don’t. For a lot of kids, that’s the choice—numb it, burn out, or disappear. What Max’s Fearless Youth does is give them another way. It takes the poison and shows you how to spit it out in color, in sound, in words. It doesn’t pretend the pain isn’t real—it shows you how to make it mean something.

When you’re young, the loneliness is like a blade. Addiction promises to dull it, but it only cuts deeper. Depression whispers that you’re not worth saving..

This program doesn’t lie about any of that.
It walks straight into the shadows with these kids and says: Yeah, it hurts. Yeah, it’s heavy. But here—take this mic, take this paintbrush, take this stage—and show the world your scars instead of hiding them.

You don’t have to go under.
You don’t have to disappear.
Turn your scars into a song,
your rage into a canvas,
your fear into something meaningful

What I love about it is that it’s not afraid of the darkness. It walks right into it with these kids and says, you’re not alone. That’s how you break the cycle—not with fear, not with lectures, but with connection. With creation. With truth.

Max’s Fearless Youth isn’t just saving lives—it’s giving them back. It’s reminding kids that their pain doesn’t have to be their ending. It can be their song. It can be their light. It can be the reason somebody else decides to keep breathing.

Max’s Fearless Youth is hope with a heartbeat. Its survival turned into art. And in a world where too many young lives are slipping away, that makes it not just important—but vital...

And that

09/23/2026

Happy birthday Loudon Wainwright III!
“You couldn’t play Max’s Kansas City and fake it.” ⚡
On September 23, 1972, The New York Times dropped a prominent review celebrating Loudon Wainwright III’s iconic residency at Max’s Kansas City. It was a golden era: acoustic guitars carrying as much punch as electric amps, with Bob Dylan and Doug Sahm strolling backstage in cowboy hats just to tell Loudon how much they loved “Dead Skunk.”
Proclaimed early on as “the first of the new Bob Dylans” (a title that helped get him signed, even if it became a “pain in the ass”), Loudon spent decades crafting a legacy entirely his own. He worked with legendary producers like Bob Johnston and Nashville icons Kenny Buttrey, Ron Cornelius, and Pig Robbins, alongside friends like Christopher Guest and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. His songs went on to be covered by everyone from Johnny Cash and Bonnie Raitt to his son Rufus.
With a sprawling catalog—including Attempted Mustache, Therapy, History, and his Grammy-winning High, Wide And Handsome—plus iconic film/TV roles in MASH*, The Aviator, and Knocked Up, Loudon stands as one of our greatest storytellers.
Fresh off celebrating his 80th birthday at Town Hall with Rufus and friends for cancer awareness, Loudon reminds us why he’s still the undisputed master of folk satire and heart. 🎶✨


Photo credit: Wikipedia and Loudon Wainwright III and Leon Redbone, 9/27/73 “Riffs” column (links to nearby ad).

09/17/2026

50 years ago today, Cheap Trick took the stage at Max’s Kansas City—the legendary intersection of rock ’n’ roll and NYC’s avant-garde art scene. ⚡️🎸
Max’s wasn’t just a venue; it was where Andy Warhol’s Factory crowd, downtown poets, and punk pioneers redefined culture. Cheap Trick brought a relentless mix of power-pop hooks, heavy riffs, and visual theatricality that proved fine art and loud amplifiers speak the exact same language. Half a century later, their influence still echoes through rock, pop, and visual culture alike.
Max’s Kansas City wasn’t just a legendary nightclub—it was the vibrant, beating heart of New York’s avant-garde art scene, where painters, poets, musicians, and visionaries gathered to shape modern culture. By supporting Max’s Kansas City, you are directly investing in the preservation of an irreplaceable artistic legacy and empowering the next generation of creative minds. The arts thrive when bold, experimental spaces exist to give voice to new ideas and rising talent, and keeping this iconic spirit alive ensures that underground art, original music, and radical creativity continue to have a home. Your support does more than honor history; it keeps the fiery, uncompromising pulse of independent art beating strong for years to come. Click our bio to learn more!

Photo credit to Best Classic Bands, 2 Loud 2 Old Music, and Instagram: todaysnew

09/14/2026

A Tribute to an Architect of Punk

There are guitarists who play notes, and then there are legends like Cheetah Chrome who tore right through the speaker cones and reshaped rock ’n’ roll forever. When the Dead Boys hit the stage at Max’s Kansas City, it wasn’t just a show—it was a sonic explosion that captured the raw, unfiltered spirit of New York punk. Cheetah’s ferocious riffs, unmistakable attitude, and electric presence helped define an era and set the standard for generations of musicians to follow.

On behalf of the Max’s Kansas City Project, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Cheetah’s family, friends, bandmates, and millions of fans across the globe. We are deeply honored to have witnessed his brilliance and to hold his unforgettable mark on our community close to our hearts.

Fly high, Cheetah. The noise you made will echo forever. 💔🎸⚡️

Photo credit to Tom Hill, Roberta Bayley, and Lehigh Valley High

09/10/2026

Wishing a massive happy birthday to Joe Perry from the entire Max’s Kansas City Project team! 🎸⚡️ On a legendary night in 1972, Aerosmith took the stage for their debut performance at Max’s, bringing a raw, electrifying energy that blew the roof off the iconic venue. Following their set, legendary Columbia Records executive Clive Davis—who famously witnessed the performance—went upstairs and offered the band a deal right on the spot. Joe’s fiery guitar riffs and unmistakable swagger that night didn’t just capture Clive Davis’s attention; they launched Aerosmith into international stardom and cemented Max’s Kansas City as a birthplace of rock history. Here’s to the ultimate guitar hero—happy birthday, Joe! 🎉🔥

Photo credit to Joe Perry’s website and Spotify!