Deus Machina at Winterfest 2008

The local rock scene in Houston is very underground. People are too lazy or gas prices are too high to drive across town to see local bands. They would rather wait until they played a venue closer to their neck of the woods. Thus, when good bands get together, it's hard to find an audience. It seems there is more support in the suburbs than in the city, as it's the opposite for hip-hop. Hip-hop thrives, where rock drindles. However, there are good rock bands here. It's just a matter of promotions and finding them.



Last June, Deus Machina was the local opening act for Black Light Burns. I caught only the last song, but it was surprisingly better than most of the bands that take that local opening slot. Jeremy Lee, lead singer, started Deus Machina on his computer. Later, he found a live band to play and record. They got some radio buzz and that's their story. They are steadily working on new music. In their 2006 debut, you hear inspirations of NIN and Tool, which are quite obvious. Anyways, I missed many shows, and only knew what they sounded like on Myspace. But this time, for Winterfest, I was ready to hear what they sounded like live.



The small audience was a devoted audience. I met a couple who have not missed a show in at least a year. Friends had their cameras ready. The small stage was just big enough for all the gear. The band started to play while Jeremy stood in the back of the audience, waiting for his cue. When he got on stage, he poured out his vocals and the music ripped. Everyone was nodding their heads. The guitarists, Christian and Abi, stayed in their spots on stage. Jeremy's brother, drummer, Nathan, stayed in his zone. Despite the muffled sound of the vocals, of which could have been turned up, the band sounded solid. At certain points during the performance, Jeremy, without a roadie or tech, started fidgeting with the computer, attached to the drum set. He came back to front stage to finish the songs. They debuted a new song, which I can not recall the name. Also, they covered NIN, Wish, one of my favorite live NIN songs. All I know, is that it was purely hard rock. When the short set was over, the audience cheered and dispersed.



I left that night wondering why such a good band never tours or has more of a following. For locals, this band is real good. Most good bands would have left by now to achieve higher heights. I definitely would like to see this band grow and I can't wait to hear the new songs.

Listen and Download:

Syzygy.mp3
Intentional.mp3