After three years of grunge-blues noise, constant praise and persistent insults, machineri have made their first full length album featuring art work by the legendary Storm Thorgeson. Over beers, coffee and cigarettes we discussed business, drugs and the state of the nation.
Rock and roll has been proclaimed dead. Aren’t you merely dreamers seeking validation from a departed music genre, well revered and sorely missed– and that ultimately we’re all just playing make believe?
Sannie Fox: I don’t think rock is dead. I don’t think it ever will be. Every artist seeks validation. This is not a dream, this is reality.
Once over breakfast, Mojo Magazine’s Sylvie Simmons gave a similar question to The Black Keys, who simply shook their heads.
Daniel Huxham: People will always latch on to rock. There are bands that are to the point and those who latch on. I think if your heart is in it, it rings true.
The bands that inspire you… greatly influenced the society of their time. Do you think you can?
Sannie: Some of my lyrical ideas have been borrowed from politics. Like Father Gun and Soul People, on the new album. There’s stuff that makes me angry. But whatever you sing about comes from a sincere place.
Roger Young [Mahala] has stated ‘machineri demand a kind of woozy head bobbing attention, in a scene that may not be able to provide it.’ What do you think?
Daniel: A lot of bands make it big here, but you can only go so far before you’ve reached the ceiling. It’s really young here. I think if we go overseas I would like to come back frequently.
Sannie: I grew up in London, but SA is my home. I love this country. The only difficulty is my career. The infrastructure is very limited and everyone is getting competitive. It’s petty. And I need to see other successful musicians. We’re cut off from a very important thing: sharing ideas.
You think you will be as easily forgotten as Tweak, or are you going to do what members of Fuzigish have done; help pioneer alternative music in South Africa?
Daniel: I hope we inspire people.
Sannie: We’ve only been around for three years. You should just go for a certain amount of time. If you work hard, your music will live one. But there’s an element of magic you need, to be in the right place at the right time, and hope the magic swings. Swing it! Swing it!
Sannie, you have been described as a grunge Barbie, drug addict and prima donna. Where is the truth in that, if it’s anywhere at all?
Sannie: I don’t have much of a response. I’m here to do my job. And unless you know me personally, don’t say anything. Fans that listen to my music are there for the music. Those who talk shit are entitled do so. I only care if it’s stuff about music. I can’t wipe the rumours, but I will say one thing: don’t do drugs. It’s bad for your soul.
Well…not to be petty or anything but your live vocals are a bit inaudible.
Daniel: She phrases her lyrics in a very interesting way. Like Brandon Boyd from Incubus. She sings over a bar in such a way that it won’t just start and end in a bar. And if you’re not used to that, it sounds strange.
Sannie: And sound engineers predominately put vocals at the same level of the drums and guitar. If you can’t hear what I say, the lyrics are in the album.
What has the last three years taught you?
Daniel: The industry is much better than it was ten years ago. You can actually make a career. Just give it more time.
Sannie: We work hard, when we rehearse we’re fucking hard and that’s it.
After machineri left the interview, I felt like their lyrics. I arrived with nothing and left the same. They already say what they need to in their music. If things were different, they could refuse, like their idol band, Led Zeppelin, to be interviewed at all – because they would know that people would listen without explanation.
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