Machine 22 interview By Lisa Booth 
Do you have anything to say to the readers & fans?
- We’re excited to share our music with all of you and play shows near your homes. Thanks for listening!
Please introduce yourself to our readers that dont know you, Who are you all & where are you all from.
- We’re Machine 22, a rock band from Minneapolis.
Jack Swagger (Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Percussion) from Apple Valley, MN,
Ben Pelowski (Guitar, Backup Vocals) from Rochester, MN,
Nick Pelowski (Bass, Backup Vocals) from Rochester, MN,
Devin Farlow (Drums, Percussion, Backup Vocals) from Rochester, MN,
and Karl Schmidt (Live guitar/backup vocals) from Belle Plaine, MN.
Tell us some history,
- Jack Swagger played in the band The Soviet Machines for over 2 years.
Ben and Nick saw Jack’s band open for Quietdrive on a few occasions and drew a liking towards the music.
Eventually, Ben, Nick and Devin’s band, Spies, started playing shows with The Soviet Machines.
Jack, Ben, Nick, and Devin got to become really good friends and Jack soon moved in with Ben and Nick
and Machine 22 was born. We quickly learned a set of tunes and then headed out on our first tour not
one month after forming the band. Karl joined the mix recently to give the band more depth for live performances.
How did you get to know each other, and how & when did you form The Band.. any funny memorys?,
- We all first met each other at shows in 2008. Eventually our two bands (The Soviet Machines and Spies)
started playing gigs together in the winter of 2008 and through the spring of 2009.
Jack, Ben, Nick, and Devin hung out a lot during and after these shows and in time, formed Machine 22.
Jack ended up moving in with Ben and Nick and the four-piece went on a Midwest tour in July of 2009.
After four months of playing shows, writing, and recording the band began taking shape.
Karl was the added to the line-up and the five-piece Machine 22 was complete.
Are you in any other Side Bands?
- None of us are “in” any other side bands, but Jack recently toured with Quietdrive
as a guitarist/back-up vocalist, and we all frequently jam with other musicians in the Twin Cities area.
What age did you all start to realise you wanted to play music and pick up an instrument - do you play any other instruments?
- Jack started playing drums when he was four, he started playing guitar and writing songs when he was twelve.
Ben got his first guitar in high school and taught himself how to play while listening to music, shortly after Nick
bought his first bass so he could jam cover songs with Ben. Devin’s dad has played drums since he was young and got
Devin his first kit when he was in the second grade. Karl got his first guitar when he was twelve years old shortly after
the movie School Of Rock came out and saw it in school.
This one is to the Lead Singer. How did you find your singing voice. -
ie: did you sing alot as a child who told you you could sing,?
- I come from a background of singers (Father, Grandfather)
and the first song I ever sang was “Hey, Jude.” My friends and family always told me I had a good voice.
I got my voice by singing along to all the music I liked and eventually molded my own style out of
everything that influenced me.
Back to the music, How & where can the Fans and Readers find you.
-You can find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Machine22
Myspace: www.myspace.com/machine22music
Purevolume: www.purevolume.com/machine22
What are your Band inspirations through life so far, have they influenced your band/music in any way??
- Music is our lives. We all listen to music everywhere we go and our passion is playing together.
We like to have fun and try to find music in everything we do.
What Music are you listening to in the car or at home right now?
- Jack: The Riverboat Gamblers’ To The Confusion of Our Enemies, Ben: Brand New’s The Devil and God
Are Raging Inside Me, Nick: Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity , Devin: The Mars Volta’s Octahedron Karl: All Time
Low’s Nothing Personal
What Bands did you grow up listening to?
- The Rolling Stones, Brand New, Blink-182, The Beatles, Box Car Racer, The Who, Green Day,
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Marley
Do you all contribute to the writing/music - Who mainly writes the Songs and Music.
- The majority of our songs now were originally written by Jack for his old band.
But as Machine 22 formed, Ben, Nick, and Devin added in their own style and taste
on their respective instruments while in the studio and the songs evolved into what they are now.
Who would you like to do a Collaboration with if you had the chance. & Why?
- Jesse Lacey because he is an amazing song writer and Brand New is one of the bands
that really brought all of us together musically.
The Band are currently signed to Dc Jam Records,
Please Tell us - How did you find your experience with Dc Jam Records
& What were your feelings when they Signed You & You recorded The first session.
- We felt as though we were finally “doing it.” This has been all of our dreams
since diapers and we felt as though we were taking that next step to follow our goals
and really make this thing happen. The recording process was hard, long, and incredibly
addicting. All we want to do is record and release more music!
Where do you see your self in 10 years do you have any Big Ambitions?
- The sky is the limit. We want to get our music out there so that everyone can hear it.
We are all very ambitious people and hope our lives can be filled with music. It’s impossible
to say where we will be in 10 years, but we hope to be playing music together for the next 50 years.
Please tell the readers about any Current Projects and News you would like to share,
- Our debut CD will drop in April 2010 on DC Jam records and we hope to tour across the country after that.
What can we look forward to from you for 2010?
- Our debut CD will drop in April 2010 on DC Jam records and we hope to tour across the country after that.
We will continue writing and producing new songs to share with everyone.
Thanks Guys for your time.
Lisa Booth
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