Empire Machines Close Out Stonewall

By Allison Johnson
Blog Content Contributor

Empire Machines is the last band to play at Stonewall for the 10th anniversary of MR Fest. The band took the stage around 7 p.m., and it could not have been a better time. Right before Empire Machines began to play, the sky got cloudy and dark. That can best describe the band’s sound. They are indeed indie rock. The guitar riffs empower their music, and slow drum patterns give it a dark mood. If you’ve ever listened to the beginning of “Gimme Shelter” by The Rolling Stones and listen to the guitar riff at the beginning and the eerie background sounds in it, you’ll understand the feeling The Machines give off.

After the show, Empire Machines’ Kevin told me what makes them unique is their diverse range of influence. Two bands Empire Machines finds influential are Spoon and Radiohead. Another thing to tie into what I mentioned about the background sounds is what a fan told me. Christian told me his favorite thing about Empire Machines’ performance was that “their sound was way out there, and it blended together.”

Since the band does have a wide range of influences, each of the members brings a different style to their music. When I paid attention to the drums, I thought of Depeche Mode, listening to the guitars reminded me of bands Jack White would be associated with and the powerful vocals reminded me of The Silversun Pickups. At the end of the day what Christian said was right: “it blended together.” It was a wonderful band to wrap up the shows at Stonewall Warehouse.

Featured image by Allison Johnson.