Hiya These dead machines, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
From hitting my first guitar through a distortion pedal, I think! I partly grew up in my Dad’s record shop so had always been around music but when you get to make your own noise, however bad it starts, it triggers something
Introduce us to you all and your musical history.
My name’s Dan and I make music under the name These Dead Machines, so kind of a one-man band. I’ve been in bands since I was 16, mainly playing guitar until the most recent (Mark of 1000 Evils) where I built up confidence with vocals and writing my own songs.
I’ve seen a lot of people struggling for support recently online. What’s your view on the industry?
I think we’re in the space of realising that the changes that’ve unfolded since the Napster days and widespread access are a double-edged sword. Pretty much anyone can make music, blog, have their own radio show/podcast but there’s always gatekeepers of one kind or another, so the value of music itself has decreased massively. A different thing has happened with the press where there aren’t the same kind of big players that people might rely on for editorial. Maybe it’ll turn out that the decades of the classic record industry model and success was just a blip? Where we are at the moment sucks as much as it can be empowering!
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
Just an individual that’s happy to be making music and putting it out into the world, building an audience one person at a time.
Tell us two truths and a lie about you.
I used to be really quiet and yet briefly hosted a radio show and wrote for fanzines so I interviewed bands for it, I bumped in on Michael Jackson using the toilet backstage at a massive venue, in a previous band we ended up playing naked twice and I don’t remember much about why,
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
Not at all. People have the freedom to say whatever they want. Being able to say anything doesn’t mean that people have to like it or that you avoid any consequences, so many these days those consequences are more obvious?
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories? If not, why not?
Man…these questions!
No, I don’t think so. They fascinate me though. Not that not believing means you fully believe any official line on anything either. Truth is a complicated thing!
What was your best experience on stage?
I don’t know about best but I really enjoyed in my previous band supporting My Vitriol and seeing local folks The Empty Page. I’d been a fan of MV since the beginning so very cool to get to do that but then finding a local band you play with that absolutely smash it is always a bonus
What was your worst experience on stage?
Most of those revolve around the fact I used to be too aggressive with my guitar and broke strings or worse so would either heavily improvise or borrow another guitar. Lesson very much learned!
Tell us something about you / each member that you think people would be surprised about.
As there’s just me…possibly that my album was recorded in my dining room (except vocals) and that I’ve only recently got (almost) good enough with drums to doing it all myself
What are the next steps you plan to take as a band to reach the next level?
I’m a believer that you have to earn your audience one person at a time, so I just want to keep up the momentum, spend time with people, spread the work and keep putting out new material to keep evolving my sound – maybe recording somewhere other than my dining room?
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
Yup! My first album ‘Any Minute Now’ is out from 2nd December on BandCamp and streaming platforms so that’s massively exciting for me! I started putting out my own stuff from Sept ‘23 and has always happened, kept generating ideas for tracks but I struggle to finish anything but found ways to trick myself into getting there and this batch of songs seemed to gel for me. That goes from acoustic with lofi beats on Heartstrings (even a little spoken word in there) to something a little heavier on Illuminate. There’s a load of deeply personal stuff in there but I like mashing up themes in lyrics so it’s not too obvious or literal, which hopefully means people can find their own meanings
What was the recording process like?
With the bulk being done at home, it was about not trying to finish things but just jam around and if the mood related, pull-back up one of these tracks to move on and evolve. I try and capture the idea and name it right away, like capturing that spark so I’m clear on the theme of it. I’m sure my neightbours were pleased when the drum parts were perfected even with an electric kit!
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
Kind of letting stuff happen more. Not being a band, you miss the input from others and the ability to play live but it meant I had less creative constraints, with me not second guessing myself if it’d be right for a 3-piece rock band. Gaining confidence with drums was liberating especially when you find how you play differently with more electronic sounds.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Absolutely – but I think with creative stuff you have to be happy that it summed up that moment in time and it is what it is for any positive or negative stuff. The main thing is that it exists and that alone makes me happy
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Just check out local venue, local/small touring acts. Those tickets aren’t expensive, you get closer to the band/artist and might find someone before they get bigger. When you find someone you’re into, spread the word! Word of mouth is the best way of showing support!
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