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The Suicide Machines
Tonight at 8 p.m. |
The new record "Battle Hymns" is the band's focal point for the moment, but band members say they're not about violence - just starting a war.
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| Courtesy of Hollywood Records Where's Dr. Kevorkian? The Suicide Machines appear without Jack or the legal representation of Jeffrey Feiger at Clutch Cargo's this evening. |
The Machines are incredibly psyched about the new record, and rightly so. The band has perfected its brutal punk-ska flavor, moving leaps and bounds ahead of its 1996 major label debut, "Destruction By Definition."
"Overall, this record is to me, musicianship, songwriting, vocals, the whole band just progressed so much on this recording from the last. The last one's a great record. I like it for what it is, but it's different," said Dan. "We finally refined what we were doing with this record, I think. The style of what we're doing ... it's kinda where we've ended up after seven years of doing this, you know?"
"Sonically, it's different - key thing to remember. It's like, all the elements of Suicide Machines' music is still there. You got the reggae, the hardcore, you got punk, you got ska. It's all there, but sonically, it's a world of difference. We went in there, we knew exactly what equipment we wanted to use. We didn't do a lot of production on it - no horns, no keyboards - We wanted everything up front."
Another thing that has changed is the Machines' lyrical bent. In the past, some songs may have been a little silly, but "Battle Hymns" gets down to business. "Bottom line is, to me, you wanna write songs that mean something lyrically. That's a really good way to get your point across to people. I mean, we're not trying to preach to people or anything like that, but we're saying, 'Here, take it or leave it," Dan said. "If you don't want to hear it, that's fine, too. You can just enjoy the music, enjoy the melody, or whatever ..."
"This band is still about having fun. We might have the serious topics and whatnot on this record ... but when you come to the show, you know it's time to have fun ..."
The Suicide Machines are one of the lucky few to gain some recognition for their years in the underground. With the popularity of punk and ska music right now, the Machines are in a great position. Some people still don't get it, though, and accuse the band of selling out.
"Everyone's always gonna be flying flags and pointing fingers and jumping up and down about everything 'cause it's like people have that need to look at other people's lives and situations rather than focusing on themselves," Dan said. "There's a natural human propensity to do that."
What Dan said he liked best about the punk and ska scene today is "that it's risen up out of the underground and a lot of people have started recognizing it as a bona-fide form of music. It's always been there ... for the people that want it. ... I've seen a lot of guys that I've known for years actually make a living off of it after struggling for so long. ... It's pretty cool."
"A lot of these bands have good messages, too, and a lot of people are getting to hear them 'cause this form of music is so popular right now," Dan added. "But then again ... when something becomes popular, there's a million bands doing it that rise to the surface out of nothing."
Don't accuse the Machines of being one of those fly-by-night curses, though. They've worked too hard and long for that. Just come and see the real deal destroy Clutch Cargo's, and with L.A. Fat Wreck Chords' pop-punkers Limp and Detroit's own ska sensation Telegraph opening up, you couldn't possibly spend $8 or a Friday night anywhere else.
04-17-98
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