When singer-songwriter Max Muscato released his punchy single “Valerie” last February, it ended a 5-year drought since he last released music in 2017 with his debut album, “Act One.”

The reason for the extended break was founding Autism Rocks, a non-profit inspired by his brother, Sonny, who is autistic. The organization offers workshops in music, acting, film and other arts careers while also raising funds and awareness for autism.

“I took three to four years off from my music career to make sure my brother was solid and the organization was great,” Muscato said in a recent phone interview, ahead of returning to The Hotel Café in Los Angeles on Feb. 5. “And now that it is where we want it to be — it’s self-sustaining — I told the board, ‘Guys, I’m going to focus back on my music career now. It’s what I’m meant to do.’”

Fans will be hearing new songs from Muscato on a more frequent basis going forward. Muscato, 32, has been writing songs in the interim and plans to release a new single every month or two, while building up his touring schedule.

“It took me a while to kind of understand the new music industry now, where unless you’re a big artist and have a big following, singles are really the way to go because everybody consumes things so quick,” he said. “So if you come out with a single every four-to-eight weeks, it keeps the audience engaged and builds your fan base. And that ultimately triggers the algorithm for Spotify and Facebook and all the social media platforms.”

Muscato, who grew up and continues to live in Buffalo, New York, came to music naturally, as his father was a professional percussionist who toured with Aerosmith. His brother, Sonny, plays drums, too. But for Muscato, guitar was the instrument that got him hooked on music.

He began playing at age 13, learning guitar by playing along to songs by classic rock and blues artists. He also started writing original songs, and by age 16 was playing in a number of local Buffalo bands. He went to the University of Buffalo, where he continued to hone his playing and songwriting skills, sometimes to the detriment of his studies. But upon graduation, he took a detour, moving to Florida where he worked as a personal trainer for a number of professional golfers.

But music stayed with Muscato, and after a few years, he returned to Buffalo to launch his music career. He released “Act One” before founding Rock Autism in 2018 and stepping away from music.

Muscato also found his activities interrupted by the pandemic, after he contracted COVID.

Related Articles

“It was a really tough case,” he said. “I don’t have the best immune system, so it hit me really, really hard and for about, I’d say, two or three months after. I did not get back into anything until after that.”

But 2022 saw Muscato back and busy. He’s been writing new material and re-recording some of those songs from “Act One” for possible release as singles. He also released the songs “Valerie” and “Toxic & Poison.”

Outside of music, Muscato co-wrote and directed a pilot episode for a show called “Setlist” that is being submitted to a number of film festivals. It’s about a band started by two brothers, one of whom is an autistic drummer (Sonny Muscato is featured in that role in the pilot) trying to make it in the music business.

“I have always wanted to get into film as well,” he said. “And I thought this was the perfect opportunity to at least get like a product of the concept that I’m thinking of.”

Muscato has also been playing shows, bringing his music, which ranges from muscular rock to catchy pop and Americana, to audiences across the country. His musical diversity allowed him to open shows for both boy band Backstreet Boys and hard rockers Theory of a Deadman on back-to-back evenings last year.

“It’s great because I love all kinds of music, really. If it’s a good song, it’s a good song,” Muscato said. “But growing up, I loved the Backstreet Boys and I listened to them all the time. I’m such a melody guy. Like if it’s catchy, I’m so hooked. And at the same time, Theory of a Deadman, they’re hard and I love hard rock. I found that across all genres of music, there is an aspect of pop. And those are the types of artists that rise to the top. Even in death metal, they do have certain bands that have catchy melodies and hooks. That’s why I gravitate to these types of bands.”

Max Muscato

When: 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5

Where: The Hotel Café, 1623 Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles

Tickets: $10 at hotelcafe.com; 21-and-older only