ABM: Another Big Machine
The next band about to make it big, ABM, or Another Big Machine has a unique sound, and they're confident you'll love their blend of old and new. Lead vocalist Justin McCoy and guitarist Dustin White tell us about getting their big break.
The Star Scoop:
Tell us a little bit about the music that you do. What kind is it?
Justin McCoy:
I guess you could describe our music as...the sound of it is kind of like having one foot in the past of music, and one foot in the future of music. It's just very timeless, kind of like classic music is how we describe it.
The Star Scoop:
How old are you, and how long have you been involved with music?
McCoy:
I'm, 22 years old, and I've been involved with music ever since I was six, seven years old. I've always been influenced, since the time I can remember.
The Star Scoop:
When did you discover that you could sing, and that you liked it? What prompted you to start a band?
McCoy:
My grandfather's always been a huge influence on music to me. He used to put on old tapes and old records of the stuff he used to listen to. He'd put them on and I'd just sing. He'd be like, sing this song, learn the words to this song. He's always influenced me to take music in and do my own thing with it. It's been about, pretty much my whole entire life. I've been surrounded by music.
The Star Scoop:
What are you hoping for when your single is released?
McCoy:
I hope everybody enjoys what we're putting out. How we feel about the record and the single, we're really excited about it. WE hope it does great things. WE enjoy making music together as a band. We just hope that we can continue to make music as a band in the future, you know? It's almost like it's really, really rewarding, to have the chance to be able to do what we do as musicians, and I'm very, very thankful that we have this chance to actually release a record and put a single out on the radio, and just have that whole thing we've been working for so long right there at the tip of your fingertips. I'm excited about it. The band's excited about it. Everybody...is excited about it.
The Star Scoop:
As far as writing songs, and coming up with ideas, what is your involvement? Are you worried about clashes?
McCoy:
Everybody in the band has their foot in writing, everybody kind of has ideas. WE all throw ideas out together. We work on all of the music as a band. I'll do some writing, our bass player does writing, our guitar player does writing. Everybody just kind of does their own thing, and we just kind of get together and jam and we all just put our ideas together and try to come up with something. Mainly life experiences, whatever inspires, you know, everybody in the band is different, we all get our inspiration from different things. I think we all draw from similar ideas and similar inspirations. Life experience is a huge factor in the writing process. Everybody in the band is equal. We're all really, really good friends, outside of what we do business wise. I think we're all just going to have an incredible journey together...looking forward to [it].
The Star Scoop:
There are a lot of great new bands coming out right now. Are there any that you look up to?
McCoy:
I've always been inspired and influenced by people that continue to think outside of the box, and people that have always thought outside the box, like The Beatles, Third Eye Blind.
The Star Scoop:
What do you want to say to the fans?
McCoy:
We're really, really down to earth people. For the fans out there, we just want to thank them. We're very grateful for their support. We couldn't do this without them. Come out to shows, come talk to us after shows, you know? We're into that type of thing. I just want to say thanks to everybody that's been involved.
The Star Scoop:
You're doing guitar, part of a band. How exciting is this right now?
Dustin White:
It's a great feeling, ‘cause, it's been our dream since day one, you know? We're stoked about it; actually get to chase our dreams, which, not many people get to do. It's really exciting.
The Star Scoop:
How long have you been playing guitar for?
White:
I've been playing steady now for seven years. I got my first guitar on my twelfth Christmas though. I didn't really pick it up until seven years ago. When I was twelve, I was playing baseball, doing the sports thing. I've always loved music and my dad inspired me, because he played in bands.
The Star Scoop:
Who are some of the guitarists you look up to?
White:
All sorts. Jimmy Hendrix, to Van Halen to present day. I listen to pretty much any guitar player's work.
The Star Scoop:
How would you describe your band's sound?
White:
It's old school meets new school and we're trying to create a new sound, just good old rock and roll.
The Star Scoop:
Why do you think people will like your music?
White:
It's a breath of fresh air, it's simple and it's easy to relate to. Just good music, I think. Timeless, you know?
The Star Scoop:
How important is the guitar player in a band?
White:
I like to think it's a vital part; just as necessary as the bass and drums. It's just another key to the formula. I try to practice an hour a day, at least.
The Star Scoop:
What are your hopes for your career?
White:
Hopefully, people will like it, and we can sell a lot of records. Hopefully, do this the rest of our lives.
The Star Scoop:
Is there a message you have for your fans? Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?
White:
First of all, thank you for listening. Stay tuned, because we're not finished yet. Hopefully we'll be around for a long time. We're pretty normal people. We enjoy playing music and we're really easy to talk to. At the end of every show, we try to go around and talk to everybody that's there and thank them for their support. A lot of hard work...be very open-minded. Don't think you're selling out if somebody tells you to do something a little bit different. Stay open-minded and just work hard.
The Star Scoop:
To hear ABM's music, check out http://www.myspace.com/anotherbigmachine.