Sweeney Photography
The newspaper’s mononymous founder has a lot on his plate.
For the past 20 years, the colorful and provocative covers of Maximum Ink — a free music newspaper distributed monthly in the Madison area — have compelled readers to pick it up for profiles of local bands and national artists on tour in Wisconsin, as well as comprehensive listings of upcoming gigs at venues large and small.
To celebrate two decades in print, select covers will be on display April 14 (5-10 p.m.) at the Gallery at Yahara Bay. Additionally, all 242 issues will be available for public perusal.
“It’s a music-scene history of the past 20 years, and it really brings back a lot of memories,” says mononymous publisher Rökker, who started the paper in March 1996 with Black n’ Tan, his longtime business partner. Maximum Ink debuted around the same time as the demise of Night Sites & Sounds, a similar publication for which Rökker worked as a graphic artist.
Bands featured on Maximum Ink covers over the years include such local and regional heroes as Die Kreuzen, Robert J., Sexy Ester, Ottoman Empire and PHOX, as well as national acts ranging from Slayer to Rat Dog, Cowboy Mouth to Luther Allison, Puddle of Mudd to Beastie Boys, and Slipknot to Sevendust.
The first cover featured Chicago-based industrial metal band Ministry.
On April 16, “Bomblastica 2016” — a free 20th anniversary bash at the Frequency — will feature live performances by local bands that have been part of the paper’s diverse history, including Cold Black River, Motherhive, subatomic and Droids Attack.
Maximum Ink’s name was derived from the intent to use as much ink as possible for the cover images, according to Rökker, a former art student at the UW. In fact, some of the paper’s earliest covers doubled as class projects.
The paper’s first issue featured a murky image of Ministry on the cover and a masthead that included Paul Gargano (who became executive editor of Metal Edge magazine) and yours truly. Another contributor to the paper, Sarah Grant, now writes for Rolling Stone. Many other Maximum Ink writers have contributed for years, sharing their passion for new music.
“I could name countless people who at the time they came to me had no platform to get things published, and I helped them get to another place,” Rökker says.
While many other publications folded during the recession, Maximum Ink survived with small 16-page issues, a reduced coverage area (it formerly went to many corners of Wisconsin) and dedicated advertisers who recognize the niche the paper fills.
About five years ago, Rökker introduced two new layers to the Maximum Ink brand: Max Ink Radio, a freeform online station that promotes Wisconsin artists, and Rökker Vodka, a gluten-free spirit handcrafted at Yahara Bay Distillers that has created a new revenue stream.
“The alcohol industry is 20 times more brutal than the newspaper industry,” Rökker laughs. “So I must be a glutton for punishment. I find what’s super-hard for other people but easy for me, and I do that.”
As if all this weren’t challenging enough, Rökker books bands for AtwoodFest, the long-running Madison block party and community festival that takes place every July and is known for its musical lineup, which in the past has featured Last Crack (a band Rökker managed), SIMO, Beatallica, Canned Heat and Deadstring Brothers.
“I’m like the Ted Thompson of AtwoodFest,” says Rökker, referring to the Green Bay Packers general manager who’s known for piecing together winning teams via the NFL draft and the waiver wire. “My job is to find the best talent for the right prices and create a stellar lineup every year.”
In a way, that might be Rökker’s formula for success with Maximum Ink, too. Using limited resources, he continues to create a grassroots publication with broad impact.
“People come up to me and say, ‘Rökker, thank you for doing all this,’” he says. “That’s what I cherish the most.”
