The Secret Machines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Secret Machines
Background information
Origin	Dallas, Texas, United States
Genre(s)	Indie rock Space rock Neo-prog
Years active	2000–present
Label(s)	Reprise
Website	http://www.thesecretmachines.com/
Members
Brandon Curtis Josh Garza
Former members
Benjamin Curtis

The Secret Machines are a three-piece American rock band originally from Dallas, Texas, before moving to New York City. They consist of two brothers, Brandon and Benjamin Curtis, and Josh Garza. In March 2007 Benjamin Curtis left the band. The remaining members have said they will continue work on their third album but it is unknown yet exactly how Benjamin's departure will affect the future of the band.

1 History
2 Style
3 Members
- 3.1 Former Members
4 Discography
5 External links

[edit] History

Before forming The Secret Machines the members played in various Dallas bands such as: UFOFU, Tripping Daisy, Comet, and When Babies Eat Pennies, but perhaps the most significant was Captain Audio. Captain Audio was formed by Garza and vocalist/guitarist/chief songwriter Regina Chellew in the late 90's as a two-piece noise duo. Brandon and occasionally, Ben Curtis joined shortly thereafter as the original duo began to head toward a more standard rock sound. In a few months the band was already getting regular local press and within a little over a year they had recorded and released the EP My Ears Are Ringing But My Heart's OK in 1999 and the full-length LUXURY or Whether It Is Better To Be Loved than Feared in 2000 to positive reviews. Shortly After the release of LUXURY the band went on an extended hiatus and eventually disbanded when the boys headed for New York, leaving Chellew behind in Dallas to form the band Chao.

As far as the line-up goes, Captain Audio is essentially the same band as the Secret Machines, with the exception of Chellew. Sonically the groups are similar as well, much more so than any of the members other former bands. Although Captain Audio is a bit more prone to experimentation and sound collage and the Secret Machines are much more a standard indie rock band in comparison, the Captain Audio records form the template that the Curtis brothers built on when they headed for New York. In the liner notes for Captain Audio's LUXURY, all of the additional musicians other than the core band who played on the album are credited simply as "Secret Machines".

The band went to Chicago first, where they recorded their EP, September 000, six weeks after forming, before continuing to New York. In 2004, The Secret Machines released their first full length CD - "Now Here Is Nowhere". Their second EP, The Road Leads Where It's Led, was released on 7 June 2005. The song "Nowhere Again", from the their debut album, was used in promotional spots for American television network The WB's drama Jack & Bobby during its launch, and will appear in the 2006 videogame Driver: Parallel Lines. [1]

Ten Silver Drops, their sophomore album, leaked onto file sharing websites following the release of their lead single "Alone, Jealous and Stoned" in the UK. Benjamin Curtis left the band on March 3, 2007 to focus full time on his new band, School of Seven Bells. The news was posted by Brandon Curtis on the Secret Machines' messageboard.[2]

[edit] Style

Their music could be best described as progressive rock with some krautrock influences mixed in. They describe themselves as space rock. Many have also cited the Secret Machines as a style of shoegaze, as a lot of their songs on Now Here Is Nowhere have samples that mimic that of shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine and Ride. Listeners can also hear hints of Procol Harum, U2, and The Flaming Lips.

"They take Pink Floyd psychedelia, Led Zeppelin stomp, and The Who-inspired choruses and charge them full of big-rock beats, atmospheric keyboards and all kinds of electronic whooshes." — Rolling Stone

They have toured with Foo Fighters, Spiritualized, Oasis, Interpol, M83, among others, including the Kings of Leon, this past summer. They also supported the British rock trio Muse at Londons Earl's Court, December 2004. In February 2006 they did the opening act for U2's Vertigo Tour in Mexico. They appeared at Lollapalooza 2006 in Chicago and the Carling Leeds and Reading Festivals in England in the same year, as well as the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, TX.