EMQ’s with STONE MACHINE ELECTRIC
EMQ’s with STONE MACHINE ELECTRIC
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Fort Worth, TX based Stoner Rock/Doom Jazz duo Stone Machine Electric. Huge thanks to Dub and Kitchens for taking part!
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Kitchens: I’m Kitchens, I play drums, keyboard, theremin, and I also sing. We’ve been a band for 10 years now, but Dub and I have been in other bands together throughout the years and have known each other since I was in high school.
Dub: My name is Dub, and I play guitar and vocalize.
How did you come up with your band name?
We were listening to a lot of Electric Wizard and Black Pyramid back then. It was hard trying to find a name that sounded original and wasn’t already used. Stone Machine was taken, so we added the Electric to make it ours. Sounds weird to me sometimes still!
What Region/Country are you from and what is the Rock/Metal scene like there?
We’re in the United States. In Texas, specifically the Dallas/Fort Worth area, there’s a pretty rich metal scene for all different genres. It’s actually a bit saturated with bands, so it’s a bit hard to stand out.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
We released our last album “Darkness Dimensions Disillusion” last year on Sludgelord Records. We put it out on CD and cassette, as well as on all the digital platforms. It has got all the stoner, doom, and jazzy psychedelic metal sounds you need.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Kitchens: My personal influences range a great bit. I’m a big fan of Frank Zappa and the many drummers he’s used over the years. I’m also a big Dave Lombardo fan, even though I pretty much suck at anything fast, ha!
Dub: Whatever I hear is going to influence me in some way, but going back it started with The Allman Brothers and recording them off the radio.
What first got you into music?
Kitchens: I grew up with MTV, and the biggest thing I remember from being a kid is Van Halen’s Jump video. I was so stoked when I was able to get this short sleeve Van Halen shirt from K-Mart. It was all music from that point.
Dub: It’s just in my blood, and it’s always been there since I was a kid.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Kitchens: That’s a tough one. We’ve done some collab shows and jams with Wo Fat in the past. I’d love to do something with Here Lies Man or Elder. Would love to get some heavy funky weird psych shit going for hours and put on some weird shows!
Dub: I’d like to do some collaboration with Michael Walter of Wo Fat on some original material not necessarily in the heavy realm of music.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
That’s another tough one. There are so many, and we’re starting to get some really good ones in the States. I’d have to go with Roadburn just because they always seem to have a good eclectic mix of music that just makes sense together. And I’ve never been; it just always looks epic.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Can’t say we’ve ever received anything weird. I guess we’ve failed as musicians.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Kitchens: Explore, open your mind, discover as much as you can and enjoy it.
Dub: Thank you so much, we wouldn’t exist without you all supporting us.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Kitchens: Frank Zappa, because I want to see him perform his music because I missed out, dammit!
Dub: Agreed! On top of being a musical genius, he’s a smart Mother!
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Kitchens: I love creating and performing, it is just so satisfying. I want to do it all the time, and it would be cool to make a living doing only that. Moving gear around and the business side aren’t fun, but I wouldn’t say I hate any of it.
Dub: It’s a creative outlet. I hate that bands don’t really get paid anymore. It’s the difference in cost to perform (gear, practice, time, and travel) versus what is provided in return.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Kitchens: Not sure it is the industry, but it would be nice if more people liked listening to new music or discovering new music. There’s so much out there that people don’t know about. People and the music industry need to be more adventurous.
Dub: See my last answer.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Kitchens: Firehose – “If’n”. That album has it all for me. I could listen to that non-stop. Mike Watt is awesome, and I recently got to see him live and fall down on stage. Dude got right back up and didn’t stop.
Dub: It’s hard to narrow it down to one album, but I can narrow it down to Led Zeppelin.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Kitchens: I don’t think it matters as long as you support what you like. I do all of the above in some form or fashion. Unfortunately I end up downloading a lot of music from bands that are outside of the country because shipping gets expensive!
Dub: I prefer vinyl for the sound and experience, but I do CDs for the convenience. Downloads sound like shit and aren’t convenient for me personally.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Kitchens: We recently played the Lost Well in Austin, TX. It was awesome to actually play there on a night that didn’t have a bigger show going on that sucked up the crowd. They had a great crowd and staff. It was also awesome to play with our friends in Temptress from Dallas and our buds in Abject Terror made up of dudes from Destroyer of Light and Monte Luna. Gravitoyd Presents puts on some good heavy shows in Austin.
Dub: I agree. But I also dug our show in 2015 with Wo Fat where we all got on stage together and jammed as Whoa! Fat Machine. It was completely improvised, and that is always cool!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Kitchens: By day I’m an architect, but I’d probably be doing art more if I wasn’t playing music. I love messing with watercolours and markers and drawing weird shit.
Dub: I’d probably be dead, or living in a van down by the river. Except for the fact the river is dried up too.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Kitchens: Sam Adams, Colonel Sanders, Little Debbie, and Ben & Jerry. Every party needs food and drink.
Dub: Uh….. That’s a private affair!
What’s next for the band?
We’re working on something special for the 10th anniversary of our first show in March. Other than that, we’re working on booking shows regionally around Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://stonemachineelectric.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/StoneMachineElectric
https://www.instagram.com/stonemachineelectric/ https://twitter.com/SME_band
https://www.youtube.com/user/StoneMachineElectric
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Kitchens: Can it be a biscuit cake or a cake biscuit? A biscake?
Dub: What’s a Jaffa cake?
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for the opportunity to be heard on your platform, we appreciate it very much! We hope you and everyone reading really dig this and our music
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