The Majestic is gearing up for a night of raw sound and dance music Thursday as Digital Tape Machine and Umphrey’s McGee team up for a live concert.
A rather new band on the scene, Digital Tape Machine has been together for a less than a year.
“We really just started at the end of 2010. We’ve done about ten shows now, and the popularity is increasing,” keyboardist Joel Cummins said. “It’s kept us focused on writing new material and playing shows.”
Digital Tape Machine is an electronic band with a sound that can be best described, according to Cummins, as a “progressive video game dance party.”
“It’s definitely very enjoyable, and it’s definitely something that the kids out there want to hear right now,” Cummins said.
The group, which includes members Cummins, Kris Myers, Kevin Barry, Joel Hettinga, David Arredondo, Dan Rucinski and Marcus Rezak, got together to record songs, many of which channeled video games. The band then branched out from its studio projects to live performances after getting an offer to do a show.
“We started playing the songs live and realized that these were just really fun tunes for people to get dancing,” Cummins said. “Always a good thing if you ask me.”
Cummins, who is also the keyboardist and vocalist for Umphrey’s McGee, has been playing music for almost 30 years. He started learning classical piano when he was seven or eight years old and earned a music degree with a concentration in piano performance from Notre Dame.
Before helping to start Digital Tape Machine, Cummins was a part of the formation of Umphrey’s McGee, a Notre Dame band that quickly grew in popularity throughout Notre Dame and beyond.
According to Cummins, Umphrey’s McGee has a rawer, edgier sound than Digital Tape Machine. Both bands, however, have a goal of getting the audience out on the dance floor.
At its show tonight, Digital Tape Machine will be playing a lot of original music (the band has released 15-17 original songs to date), a few cover songs and some improvisation.
The band recently finished recording a new album, Elephant in the Room, but it has not yet been released.
Both bands are continuing to write new material and develop new sounds. Cummins has noted he would like to bring some of the electronic quality of Digital Tape Machine to Umphrey’s McGee in the future.
For right now, though, both bands are in Madison to have a good time and play some great music.
When asked what he would like to say to the Madison audience, Cummins said, “If you are thinking about coming, definitely do it. It’s going to be an amazing show. This is the first time that Digital Tape Machine and Umphrey’s Magee have gone together. We’ve got a lot of great musicians in [both bands], and it’s all about throwing a party and having a good time. Madison is a great place for that.”
Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. The doors will open at 8 p.m. for the 9 p.m. concert at the Majestic Theater. For more information, visit majesticmadison.com.
