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THE LIGHT MACHINES
“The Light Machines are 2010's answer to what rock 'n' roll used to be.”
– Jonathan Fluevog, producer, Vogville Recording.
It's not everyday that three Lower Mainland twenty-year-olds appear fresh on the scene
with a fleshed-out modern Brit-pop sound, a sharp, smart look, a keen business sense and
representation any young band would envy, but The Light Machines are not your
everyday band.
All natural experimenters, Jeff Zipp (guitar), Tylor Rolyt (vocals, guitar) and Nick
Beddow (bass) each contribute unique but complimentary musical sensibilities. Zipp is a
fan of Chuck Berry's sloppy rhythm licks and plays with an easy looseness, and Tylor's
cranking vocals are reminiscent of a young Jagger with undertones of David Bowie.
Beddow pulls from the inimitable baselines of bands like Sonic Youth and the Rolling
Stones and is unafraid to infuse a classic blues riff with disco beats or a reggae baseline.
Together the trio blends genres as disparate as southern rock, blues, glam and disco. It's
an artful mix of electronic beats, powerful vocals and alternately delicate and shredding
guitar. And though the band regularly draws comparisons to names like Jet, LCD
Soundsystem and Kings of Leon, The Light Machines are impossible to pigeon-hole –
they have a sound all their own.
Onstage, the band's shared passion for classic Brit-pop rock 'n' roll trumps all. It's no
surprise that The Light Machines can take a live show from a slow-dance lovers pace
(Come One, Come All) to a rattle-your-brains, hide-your-grandparents-and-children
frenzy (Criminal) in a matter of minutes. It's impossible not to sense the raw passion of
these boys, and the crowd is always along for the ride, up and dancing within the first few
chords (it's not unusual for Rolyt to put down his guitar and join them).
No one would have thought two years ago that Zipp, Rolyt and Beddow would end up
where they are today, making contagious music that regularly draws hundreds of eager
fans to shows across the province. The trio's tumultuous start is the stuff of legends –
Zipp thought Rolyt was trying to steal his girl and was ready to tear him to shreds. All it
took was one listen to Rolyt on the guitar, and Zipp knew he wanted to team up. “I wasn’t
too inclined to start swinging my fists when I realized how talented he was,” says Zipp.
Beddow joined the line-up shortly after and the three gelled immediately, practicing six
days a week often until four in the morning as their high school years wound down.
It wasn't long before Vancouver producer Jonathan Fluevog caught wind of their talent
and invited them into the Vogville family. Fluevog provided the guiding voice the young
musicians needed to enter the business as professionals, and the band cut their debut selftitled
album. Their single Skin2Skin was immediately popular and featured on the
Province Playlist in June 2010.
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