NATHAN MAXWELL, 30
MBA ’02
Songwriter/Musician and Co-Founder,
Hoodoo Music

“Getting a business degree doesn’t necessarily mean you have to work on Wall Street,” says Nathan Maxwell. A songwriter who co-founded an independent record label, he’s the living embodiment of that fact. Originally from Virginia, Maxwell came to New York and Baruch in 2000 after getting a BA in English literature from the University of Virginia. Though he worked for his family’s home-building company, his heart was always in music.

In 2003, armed with his MBA, he co-founded Hoodoo Music—a Web-based label that specializes in blues, folk, and alt-country music—with Anja Wodsak, the label’s president. “I started my own label because this was the only way to pursue ideas that were not in line with the industry,” he says, alluding to the tendency of major labels to sign mainstream acts. Hoodoo’s first release, Maxwell’s own four-song CD, Undone, is a rootsy, soulful set of songs that recall music of a bygone era, specifically early Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. The album’s excellent sound and musicianship are no accident—it was recorded in Nashville with veteran producer Bob Johnston (who’s worked with Dylan and Johnny Cash) and a host of local studio musicians, including Motown’s Bob Babbitt.

The CD has been getting airplay on several non-commercial radio stations, and Maxwell plans to play some live gigs in New York this spring and summer. Eventually, he’d like to record more of his own music and sign like-minded musicians to Hoodoo. For more information and to hear Maxwell’s music, go to www.hoodoomusic.com/.

—Marina Zogbi

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