The Whips. (From left to right) Max Cooper, Miles Patterson, Max Indiveri, and Quinn Cosgrove.
Courtesy Max Cooper
When Max Cooper of Olathe was just two years old, his parents began to notice something extraordinary—he had an uncanny knack for rhythm. Using pots, pans, and anything else he could get his hands on, he turned everyday objects into makeshift musical instruments.
After watching his sister at her piano lessons, Cooper learned to repeat the sounds all on his own. Being self-taught on the piano up until the age of seven, he began to take private lessons with local piano instructor Scott Smith with the Kansas City School of Music.
“I learned how to play classical and jazz music for my teacher, Scott Smith,” said Cooper. “That kind of made me the player I am today. I didn’t really start singing until middle school or high school and I honestly found a lot of my influences later in life.”
Now 23, Cooper has transformed that early sense of beat into a remarkable musical journey, earning widespread recognition for his talent and dedication.
Max Cooper Courtesy Max Cooper
Social media sensation
There’s no doubt that social media plays a huge role in providing platforms for exposure.
“So 2019, I was kind of bored and I was just posting some piano TikTok videos and one of them happened to blow up,” said Cooper. “It got 3.5 million likes and 16 million views. That kind of started my social media career.”
“Social media has been a huge game changer. It’s really fun because I post a lot of covers, but I like unique twists. Like I’ll play songs from a video game but I play them in a different key. I try to put my own unique twists on songs.”
That unique twist is exactly what caught the attention of Quinn Cosgrove, bass player for local Kansas band The Whips.
Joining The Whips
In December of 2020, Cooper had gained a mass following on his social media accounts under the handle @themrpianoman. Not only did his talents captivate lovers of music, but also creators of music.
“December after the pandemic, the bass player of this band [The Whips] DMS me. He was like ‘Hey, do you want to jam with us for a little bit?’ and I said sure,” Cooper told the Star.
“I jammed with them and it kind of instantly clicked. I’ve been in the band ever since and they’re some of my closest friends. They really helped me get into different styles of music. They helped me find my groove.”
All members of the band are graduates of the University of Kansas’s jazz and music composition programs, with band mates including Max Cooper on vocals and keyboards, Quinn Cosgrove on the bass, Max Indiveri on vocals and guitar and Miles Patterson on the drums.
Kick starting their live shows in the college town of Lawrence, Kansas, Cooper shares insight on their slow but steady rise to popularity.
“We used to play very small shows,” said Cooper. “Gaining a following in Lawrence really came from social media, but also came from opening for bigger bands than us and also playing at this bar called Bullwinkles. We started playing there on Tuesdays and people are already there, there’s automatically a big crowd and so we kind of get their attention. And now in Lawrence, we usually always get a pretty nice show going.”
The band’s debut EP, “Never Change, or Do” released in August of 2021 and in March of 2023, Cooper and his band mates embarked on their New Friends Tour, hitting cities across the Midwest such as Lawrence, Tulsa and Lincoln.
The Whips funk-rock music with jazz-soul infusion is available to stream on all platforms. Cooper also shared that with the band back in the studio, fans and followers can anticipate new music from them this year.
While creating new music with his band mates and aiming for another tour, Cooper still explores his talents as a solo artist. Making headway on his musical journey once again, Cooper told the Star about his newest upcoming project.
“I released my first EP in February that’s out on all platforms as well,” said Cooper. “I’m still in the band but I have some stuff that I write that fits me more than them so I just have that on the side as well.”
The EP is just the beginning for Cooper’s solo musical journey as he was recently chosen for an unforgettable opportunity.
“I had a connection and someone asked if I wanted to write music for an indie game called Inpulse,” said Cooper. As someone who studied music composition at the University of Kansas, Cooper was thrilled for the opportunity to create a new soundtrack for video game players everywhere.
With the release date of the new game yet to be announced, online market-place for video games Steam is still in the creation process for the movement-based actions game.
“It’s a platform game like Super Mario Bros but super hard. There are other people writing for it as well, but I’m one of the main composers for the game.”
Ramal was an intern on The Star’s breaking news team in 2025. She was a rising senior at the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas. Ramal has previously written for campus ledgers at Johnson County Community College’s “CavMag” as well as the University of Kansas’s “The Daily Kansan.”
