Music Interview: Your Machine delve on their creative tastes, musical influences & new single ‘American Money’
Great to have you on Xttrawave. Please, introduce yourself. (artist/band name-any special meaning to it and where you’re from)
Hey everyone! David Woodring, here. I am the executive producer and drummer for the band Your Machine. We are a group of musicians from around the world that met online during the pandemic. I’m based out of the U.S. Mark Obrador is the assistant producer, guitarist, and bassist based out of Austria. We have two official singers: Jessica Robb (also from the U.S.) and for this release of American Money we have Dorah, based out of Brazil.
Over the past year and a half, we all met online through various platforms. I hired Mark and Dorah to perform on projects and we just clicked. I met Jessica on Musicians Friend while ordering a drum set online. I saw (well heard) the potential in these musicians and knew right away that I had to make them part of a team.
I’m so grateful they were receptive! I know we’ve all struggled over the past year and a half thanks to Covid-19. But this is partially (for me largely) how we dealt with the changes in the music industry, both personally and professionally. Social distancing couldn’t hold us back! We pushed through to make great music and form a very unique and talented team that I am honestly so thankful for.
As far as where the band name came from – the name Your Machine comes from people calling me a “machine” my whole life. In all the projects I’ve worked on in my life, people would always say “Dave! You’re a machine!” So I thought that it was just real. But I created the name before we all officially became a remote band, so we’re stuck with it now – sorry guys!
What got you into music and made you realize that it was your chosen path?
David (drummer/producer):
I have been involved in music since I learned to play drums at age 12. While I should have taken it more seriously, I spent more time doing drugs and getting arrested than anything else until I was about 30. At age 30 I went back to school for 10 years and got a BA in criminal justice, MA in sociology/criminology, and a PhD in sociology/criminology, but I still wasn’t fulfilled. Plus I still had a bad drug addiction. So I decided to fundamentally change my life, stop using, and build a recording studio and become a music producer, which had always been my dream. It was the best thing I’ve ever done.
Mark (guitar & bass/producer):
I would say that I am a latecomer. I didn’t touch an instrument until I was 17 years old. My good friend and I at that time started taking guitar lessons in Germany and he showed me some Metallica riffs. It was amazing so I asked my mother to buy me a guitar the next day! I started taking guitar really seriously in 2016 and started taking lessons on music theory and it all just developed from there!
Dorah (vocalist/singer songwriter):
My life in music started by asking my parents for piano lessons when I was about 7, and then I moved to acoustic guitar for a while until I got to singing lessons, which became my biggest passion. But I didn’t actually think music was a professional path for me until I got sick of working as a graphic designer and took some time off to study music theory, start a few bands and see what it was like; so here I am working with music by day for a streaming company and by night as a singer/songwriter. Working with Your Machine is exciting because it’s another avenue to get my music out to the world!
Tell us about your new music? And what’s the story behind it?
David (drummer/producer):
American Money was actually the first song we produced together; but through a chain of events involving finding the right mixing engineer and working out some other kinks in remote production, it was put on hold for a minute. But I’m glad we did! By the time we got to mixing this song, I had gained some much knowledge and experience; and we had found such a great mixing engineer. It was perfect timing!
As far as picking this American Money cover. After spending 2020 teaching myself how to play bass, guitar, and keys in addition to drums and writing a heavy album to get all those demons out from years of addiction and mayhem; I had fundamentally changed as a person. I wanted to write something happier and more upbeat that reflected this change. I had heard Børns for the first time a couple years back; and when searching for inspiration I listened to their album and was like, wow, this is my vibe right now! So I picked my favorite song, tried to have Mark teach me how to play the song (which is how we met) and then realizing that Mark was a musical genius and that I just needed to have him as the core component of the band.
Then, after about 5 singers trying to hit Garrett Clark Borns’ falsetto brilliance, we found Dorah that could actually sing the song! Same process there. I realized how talented she was and since we were in a pandemic I approached them about doing this project. Luckly, they accepted.
Aside from this current release, so far this year we have dropped a cover of Kid Laroi’s Without You on April 4th with a singer from London and a cover of Astronaut In The Ocean on March 1st with a different singer from London – both of which we hired when we were getting the concept of the band together.
We also just released a singer songwriter version of iann dior’s Sick and Tired (feat. Jessica Robb) on April 2nd; but we actually have a really good alt rock version coming out that we also did with Jessica on June 8th.
We have 3-4 songs to be released over the next several months, 8 in the works after that, and then are going to start working some originals in at the end of the year. This will be a very exciting year for us!
What makes your music unique? How would you describe it?
David (drummer/producer):
Even though we do covers of top 100 songs, each song gets transformed because we end up blending multiple genres together. From a marketing standpoint, this can be problematic, but from the perspective of creating unique art, it actually works well. We’re never sure exactly how the song will turn out in the end, we just know that we are going to reinvision each one in a new way. Take our Astronaut In The Ocean cover… Is it alt rock, is it hip-hop? I mean it rocks but I’m not even sure what it is, lol. But it’s nice to make stuff that doesn’t just fit in one genre.
Who are your biggest musical influences? And any particular artist/band you would like to collaborate with in the future?
David (drummer/producer):
Each of us has a unique background along with musical interests. I (David) grew up listening to Korn, Tool, NIN, Incubus, Led Zeppelin and was ultimately a 90s and 2000s rocker.
What I will say is that the diversity from bringing in people from all over the world with different backgrounds has been very beneficial in multiple ways. We each teach each other something everyday and it pushes us to continually evolve as musicians and become better.
Mark (guitar & bass/producer):
My early influences were prog metal/alternative bands, such as Metallica, Megadeth, Alter Bridge, Tool, Creed, Pantera, Dream Theater, Meshuggah, etc. Once I started taking music theory I also got into some 70s/80s stuff. At the moment I have been digging into jazz and the blues.
Dorah (vocalist/singer songwriter):
My (Dorah’s) favorite band in the world is Incubus, but I grew up listening to pop music and discovered more soulful stuff over the years, so I really like Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, Leon Bridges but also Paramore, Flyleaf. It would be a dream to collaborate with Maggie Rogers or Charlotte Cardin!
Which is the best moment in your musical career that you’re most proud of?
David (drummer/producer):
We’re brand new, so, honestly, right here, right now, writing this for you guys. We released our first song in Feb of this year and we’ve worked really hard to get our music out there with almost no budget, so just the fact that I’m able to share a little of our music and our story right here, right now, is making my day 🙂
Mark (guitar & bass/producer):
I’m just excited to be involved in music and share it with the world.
Dorah (vocalist/singer songwriter):
Well I’ve been working a lot in the pandemic and I got to connect to all kinds of people online so I would say right now is a great moment for me in terms of believing in myself and discovering new ways of doing things.
How do you balance your music with other obligations – family, friends or work?
David (drummer/producer):
It’s tough. Especially with a studio at home. I get up at 4:30a everyday so I can get as much done before my family wakes up. Then I work like a madman while they’re all at work/school, and then I just try to flip the roles to husband and father as soon as they come home. But honestly, with a studio just right there, I would be lying if I said it was easy… My family has gotten used to saying, “where’d dad go?” “Prolly in the studio…” But I’m driven. This musical journey has completely fulfilled my life on top of having such a great family. And it has given me a permanent way to make the “voices” in my head stop lol.
I know Mark (guitarist/bassist) Dorah (vocalist), and Jessica (vocalist) are in the same boat. Mark has a newborn and in Europe they are undergoing some crazy restrictions and lockdowns at times. And honestly, I don’t see how he’s so productive but I’m so thankful he is! Dorah works for a record label in Brazil, so she never has a shortage of things to do. And Jessica also has a family and a home studio and I know it’s tough because she has to clear out the house before she can record. You just become resourceful and work with what you have when you can have it.
Mark (guitar & bass/producer):
I work 38 hours a week for my main job and have a newborn. So needless to say balancing things at the moment is extremely difficult. But I am fortunate enough that my wife lets me have some time to produce music on the weekends.
Dorah (vocalist/singer songwriter):
I work at a music streaming company during the day, write/record music at night and also rehearse with a cover band that I’m the lead singer once a week. Sometimes it’s too much to balance and there’s a lot going on but music gives me the fuel I need, because it’s what I really love. My main goal is to eventually work only as a singer/songwriter.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
David (drummer/producer):
Umm.. it’s not just about good music, you have to learn the business and marketing side to be successful. And you have to be willing to learn something new every day and not become content where you’re at.
Mark (guitar & bass/producer):
Be kind to others because the music business is all about connections!
Dorah (vocalist/singer songwriter):
If this is what you really want, don’t let anyone talk you out of it, believe in yourself and just go for it, it’s a job like any other.
If you had one message to give to your fans, what would it be?
David (drummer/producer):
Thank you so much for your support! This obviously isn’t about us; it’s about the people who enjoy good music. It’s really about them, you! Our goal is to just make music that people love and that can enhance their lives in some way.
Mark (guitar & bass/producer):
Thank you ever so much for supporting us! We will definitely be putting in hard work to give you the best music possible for years to come.
Dorah (vocalist/singer songwriter):
To work with music it’s already a dream and to connect with other people through it is what keeps the dream alive, so thanks for letting us be a part of your life.
What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects?
Right now our recording schedule is packed. We have at least 3-4 new songs releasing over the next several months with 8 more on our current schedule after that. We are going to start producing some originals in Sept/Oct. Cheers!
Stream/download “Without You” below:
Your Machine
David Woodring is a music producer/drummer from Rogers, AR who created the group Your Machine, which primarily covers current top 100 songs across various genres. After spending 10 years in college getting a PhD and 25 years battling drug/alcohol addiction, David gave up both his career in academia and his addiction in 2019, taught himself bass, guitar, keys, and audio engineering and began to produce music, which ultimately gave him the life of his dreams. However, as soon as his studio was built and functional, covid hit the U.S. in March 2020 and David was forced to adapt to a new way of producing music remotely with artists from all around the world.
The backbone of Your Machine is David and Mark Obrador, from Austria. Mark is also a producer for Your Machine, as well as the bassist/guitarist. David hired Mark for a guitar and bass project in fall of 2019 and immediately saw Mark’s raw talent for music. Their musical styles and interests were so much alike that David knew he had to create a production team with Mark as a core component. David and Mark began producing covers together, because let’s face it, trying to get your original music heard when 60,000 songs a day are being submitted to Spotify is a statistical feat to say the least.
With David and Mark producing the core instrumentals, David began building a network of vocalists and other musicians to hire and perform on the tracks. Your Machine tries to give each song they cover a new life and at this point they have primarily used female vocalists when transforming pop/hip-hop songs into rock, alt rock, and singer-songwriter style covers.
“I look for music that’s popular and that can be transformed to have more emotion than the original, whether it’s slowing the music down to make it more dramatic, or taking a hip-hop song and replacing the electronic arrangement with high energy, live bass, drums, and guitar.”
“I like to put female vocals at the front of these songs because I honestly like female voices better; I also feel it’s empowering to have women sing some of this songs that are made popular by male singers. It adds dimension and depth, especially when you can shape it take on more meaning than the original.”
After hiring singers from the U.S., the U.K. and Brazil, David has brought some of these singers on his team to produce music more organically than just a pay-for-hire relationship. Your Machine is now a “remote band”/”global band” that consists of many different vocalists from around the world, which is a super cool concept. David even recruited the latest vocalist Jessica Robb from a sales call he made into Musician’s Friend to order a drum set.
David’s Life
Aside from Your Machine, David has an interesting life-story to say the least.
From a life of drugs/crime starting in 1994, to a PhD in criminology in 2019, David went from a life of crime/deviance to getting 3 degrees in criminal justice, sociology, and criminology, to not only better understand the world around him but also to make some sense of his own life.
While waning somewhat in his 30’s, David’s antisocial behavior continued with him throughout adulthood and even during his career in academia studying crime/deviance. While going to school in Arkansas, he actually spent one of his Christmas Holidays in jail in Texas during his Master’s program and timed it just right with his attorney so that he would be back in time before the semester started again.
“It was interesting studying the criminal mind and behavior while I had pending court cases, bought and dealt drugs, and otherwise risked my life, safety, and freedom on a daily basis. It was like I was my own case study. It actually gave me a lot more insight than many of the other students because I was experiencing these social processes that lead to crime on a daily basis.I was able to see what theories applied and didn’t apply to my own life and situation.”
David would eventually discover his trip through academia was largely a defense mechanism, trying to irrationally prove to himself and others that he was intelligent and successful, despite his behavior problems. David also learned after getting sober and through much treatment and counseling that he had never learned very basic coping skills and rational thought processes that allow you to function as a normal person in society.
“Before getting sober, I began writing a book about all of this; however, it would have really thrown my family under the bus and I didn’t really want to live with that for the rest of my life.”
In 2019, David gave up his addiction to alcohol/xanax along with his own self-destructive and irrational narrative that had been guiding him through one disaster after another. He always knew that music had been calling him, but he never knew how to get back to it. Aside from counseling and rewiring his brain to interact with the world in different ways, David put his musical goals as the vital and absorbing creative interest that would help him maintain his sobriety and live a more balanced life.
“Getting sober is not easy. You come face to face with a broken mind and psyche for the first time and you are forced to face it without drugs and push through each day by replacing old antisocial coping habits with new prosocial ones. And playing/creating music is like a drug. A drug that doesn’t destroy relationships and the life I have around me. When I’m rocking out on the bass or guitar all the voices in my head are gone and I’m focused on the present and accessing this energy that’s stored all around us. It really is amazing that any of us can tap into this energy and express ourselves and create art.”
After about 6 months of learning guitar, bass, and keys, David had written over 30 original songs and he had found his new life.
Follow Your Machine:
