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| Machinist! / Photo credit: Mollie Taylor |
Machinist! was first formed in 2011 when drummer Jeremy McGuire and former guitarist Ashley Scanlon "started jamming silly fast hardcore stuff" together. Guitarist Blake Meeks, bassist Jesse Brady, and vocalist Jeff Hill joined up shortly thereafter, and together they began writing songs and touring. "We wanted to just have fun and see stuff," Hill mentioned. "So we did that."
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| Birthright by Machinist! (2013) |
Machinist! released two extended plays on Speedowax Records in 2012 and 2013, Black List and Birthright. Hill mentioned that while he still loves both records, he isn't wholly satisfied with them. "I've never been super stoked on my vocals on recordings in Machinist!," he said. "I don't hate them, and they were in no way altered, it just isn't how I sound live. Live it's a lot more snarky and punky."
In the three years since its inception, Machinist! went through several lineup changes. Now, with bassist Cameron Donnelly and guitarist Matt Marshall joining McGuire and Hill, the attitude towards the music has begun changing as well. "Stylistically I think the changes that have happened are definitely an evolution," Hill said. "Like a sharpening of the ideas we were going for. Having Matt and Camo in the band now has definitely brought the song writing to the next level."
Hill went on to mention that the upcoming record, Pronegative, "flows" much more than the band's earlier releases: "It's written as an idea unto itself," he said, rather than their earlier mindset of "'whelp, here's the best tunes we've got from over the past year.' This music was all written over two months as a planned cohesive thing."
Despite the growth in style, the new lineup came with its own difficulties: the band members are now spread out over four cities in two states, with Hill the only member still in Valdosta. The songwriting process became a balancing act of solo demos, digital exchanges, scheduling, and driving to rehearse and write together. "Frankly," he said, there was "a lot of nail biting and hair pulling over those demos." Marshall in particular had difficulty with his computer ("with skynet taking over") though it was tough for the band overall to work on their own before getting together to write.
The upcoming record is the band's first full-length album and is set to be released on Eulogy Recordings. Hill said working with them has been "super chill" thus far, and he was excited to see where the relationship would take them. "It's crazy to think a lot of stuff I listened to as a teenager came out on this label," he said. The relationship with Eulogy came about through their friends in Florida punk band Everymen, who are currently under the management of Eulogy founder John Wylie.
The record itself was announced only recently and the title, Pronegative, already has people talking: "The name has a number of meanings and ideas going around it," Hill said. "For me it's just a super fun idea for a title. I like that it makes people have to stop and think. So many folks have already been discussing what 'pronegative' means... I like that it tickles people's curiosity."
Machinist! has always made it a point to make a statement with their music, and this record will be no different. Hill said that, lyrically, he drew inspiration from "everything that upsets me on the regular." He went on to list some points: "Homelessness, the continued fucking of our planet into oblivion, being away from my partner and dog for extended amounts of time." Musically, he said that "Matt probably took a lot of inspiration from the mountains and how cold it is on them."
His sense of humor continued when I asked about his favorite song from the new record. He replied with the title "Dadbro." "It's the shortest song on the record," he said, "and in it I talk about how big dicks, big engines, and money are super important to dominating the entire world. It's raw and fast and goofy."
At the conclusion of the interview, I asked what he hoped would be the one single message his music left with listeners. "Be critical of the world around you," he said. "Don't settle for how anyone tells you it should be. Have fun." When asked if he had anything else he wanted to add for the readers, he said this:
"To anyone thinking about giving up on the thing that you love. Don't you fucking dare. Thanks to anyone who gives a damn about this band. See you on the road."
Pronegative is estimated for a spring 2015 release, though fans will be able to get a taste of the new music in January, when Machinist! hits the road with Post Nothing and Wolves. Machinist! is made up of Jeff Hill on vocals, Jeremy McGuire on drums, Matt Marshall on guitar, and Cameron Donnelly on bass. You can get their music in digital download format here or on vinyl here. Machinist! can be found elsewhere on the web at these locations:
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| Upcoming tour dates |
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