Two Tongues

Max Bemis comments on the genesis of the project: “Chris has been my favorite songwriter since I was 15. Ten years later he is now is one of my closest friends. The Two Tongues record is really an expression of the yin and yang; how two "opposite" souls stimulate and battle each other in any truly loving relationship. Chris inspired me as a mentor, hero and friend, and I inspired him as someone who truly cherishes his work that he can respect in his own right. Chris sometimes looks down on himself but is inside a very strong, almost Buddha-like centered soul; I have that whole Steven Tyler/Jerry Lewis extrovert personality onstage but I'm a totally neurotic, restless soul inside. We as two people, therefore, express two sides of a coin. Making the record, and it being the first band either of us has ever been in outside of Say Anything or Saves the Day, was sort of like falling in love for the second time; you have to look outside of yourself and learn to communicate with and trust someone who operates in a totally different manner. Ironically, while making this record I met the girl I am now in love with, so I was experiencing the same thing in the form of friendship with Chris as I was in getting to know this female person. So whether you want to look at the record as songs about two people starting a romantic relationship or this dynamic of how inspiration operates between two people, that's your choice. We hope it functions on both levels. Either way, it's a dream come true for me, and a true labor of love.”

Chris Conley says of the collaboration: “Working with Max was a dream come true for me. I have never met another musician as inspiring and talented. During a dark period in my life, Max's music lifted my heart, and for that I am forever in his debt. When he approached me about doing this side project together, my immediate thought was, "I would do it with no one else." So my heart was in it from the moment of inception. The process of songwriting and recording was exciting and fluid. As it turns out, we work together quite well! I look forward to our next project together so our learning and growing can continue.”

say anything, saves the day