Los Angeles, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Raven Ridge Media) - Sometimes location isn't everything, as the bucolic city of Tucson has emerged as the unlikely birthing ground for one of the most formidable rising punk-metal bands in the nation, known simply, as Sin Machine. Spearheaded in 2004 by the brothers Singleton and Tuscano, this fiercely intelligent foursome's intent was to channel their creative energies into playing music, directing their own videos, and enjoying the ride. But according to their burgeoning international fanbase and promoters who book the band's concerts, Sin Machine is forging a new music genre coupled with a highly touted multimedia stage show, which confirms the rumor that a signature band has indeed surfaced in Tucson. Sin Machine headlines at The Rock at 8:00 PM on July 14 with special guest, Legions in Exile. The Rock is located at 136 N. Park Ave, Tucson, AZ . Phone: (520) 629-9211. Tickets are $10.00 at the door.
From its inception, Sin Machine's roguish band of brothers merged their diverse musical backgrounds, visual inclinations, and fondness for tongue-in-cheek horror films into a viscerally insightful vision. Sin Machine's line-up is comprised of Dan Singleton, 24, (songwriter, guitarist and synthesizers), Gabriel Singleton, 27, (lead vocals) Pablo Toscano, 27, (percussionist and drummer), and Antonio Toscano, 21, (bass).
Sin Machine's sound is a scorching, though meticulously powerful synthesis of metal, rock, and punk, which is showcased within a dynamic stage show influenced by the campy antics and sarcastic wit often depicted in horror classics by John Carpenter, George Romero, and the European cult director, Dario Argento.
"A lot of our influence comes from movies as much as music" said Dan, from his home in Tucson. The band's lurid but compelling video "Formaldehyde Kiss" which has a German Expressionist feel and was written by Gabriel gives a nod to the Vincent Price classic, the "Abominable Doctor Phibes." "We liked the idea of a man who was obsessed with his wife, and in a sense, never let her die" said Gabriel. Indeed, the humorous, albeit realistically gory Sin Machine video was co-directed and photographed by Dan's film school friend and shot in the band's starkly cloistered rehearsal room. "I didn't want a sleek hospital," Dan added wryly, "I wanted it to be gritty."
As to the band's magnetic attraction to medical procedures gone horribly wrong, Pablo quickly points out that for young bands in particular, necessity is still the mother of invention: "A lot of it has to do with our resources here in Tucson. Certain resources are easily accessible," he says, "like a gurney that we can easily cover with sheets and so on." He continued, "Medical (themes) first popped in our music, and because it went over so well with the audiences, some of those theatrics (are present) in our initial album and performances," Pablo said.
On the subject of creative inspiration, across the board, band members say that while they admire artists like Marilyn Manson, Mike Patton and Trent Reznor, and bands such as Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Mindless Self Indulgence, and the Deftones among others, they immediately add that they are not interested in identifying with any one band or being limited to any one genre. Rather, their approach to the band's sound is to draw on a multi-genre musical melange which has inspired Sin Machine's members throughout their lives.
"When I was a kid, the Beatles opened my ears to different avenues of the rock genre, added Pablo. "When I was old enough to purchase my own CDs, I bought a lot of progressive jazz. Even rock guitarist Joe Satriani plays a wonderful jazz guitar. You realize it's okay to think outside the box." The sentiment must be in the genes, as Pablo's brother Antonio put it another way: "You can have a well-written song and still be credible; that doesn't mean you sold out."
Perhaps Dan put the band's stellar success in true perspective when he said, "You can be influenced and inspired but you don't want to necessarily sound like that person. We draw on a lot influences, but I wouldn't say we sound like them. I think it's important for me, and for us as a band, to strive for that individuality, instead of just striving for technical 'amazing-ness'. It's expressing who you truly are individually and finding that voice that's important to me and Sin Machine."
