My Sister's Machine

My Sister's Machine
From left to right: Chris Gohde, Owen Wright, Nick Pollock, and Chris Ivanovich
Background information
Origin	Seattle, Washington, USA
Genres	Grunge, heavy metal, alternative metal[1]
Years active	1989 (1989)–1994, 2010-present
Labels	Caroline, Chameleon, Elektra
Associated acts	Alice N' Chains Mistrust Soulbender Tanks of Zen
Past members
Nick Pollock Owen Wright Chris Ivanovich Chris Gohde

My Sister's Machine was a grunge band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989.^[2] Its members were Nick Pollock (lead vocals, guitar), Owen Wright (guitar), Chris Ivanovich (bass guitar), and Chris Gohde (drums).^[2][3]

This band recorded and released two albums, Diva and Wallflower, before they broke up in 1994. They reunited in 2010 to headline the Layne Staley Tribute and Benefit Concert that year as Pollock had previously played guitar in an early incarnation of Alice in Chains that also included Staley.^[2]

History

Background (1984-1989)

Before the formation of My Sister's Machine, guitarist Owen Wright and drummer Chris Gohde were involved in a band called Mistrust in 1984.^[4] They recorded one album called Spin the World, which was released on CD in 2009 by Heart of Steel records.^[5] This band did an extensive amount of touring before they broke up in 1988.

Meanwhile, Nick Pollock played guitar in a glam metal band called Alice N' Chains, a precursor to Alice in Chains that also included Layne Staley on vocals.^[6] The band recorded two demos and toured throughout the Seattle area for roughly one year before they broke up on friendly terms^[2] in 1987.

Formation (1989-1991)

After the demise of their previous bands, Pollock joined Wright and Gohde to form My Sister's Machine along with bassist Chris Ivanovich. Since none of the other members had ever been a lead singer, Pollock got the job by default as he was also their primary lyricist.^[2]

In 1990, My Sister's Machine received the "Best New Band" award from the Northwest Music Association. They continued to garner much interest from the major record labels but ultimately chose to sign with a smaller label Caroline Records.^[2]

Diva and Wallflower (1992-1994)

In 1992, they released their debut album, Diva to much critical acclaim. Steve Kurutz of Allmusic gave the album four and a half stars, calling it "a surprisingly strong record musically...Though the lyrics are, for the most part, ridiculously poor, they are delivered with enough attitude that the listener will hardly notice unless he reads the album booklet."^[7]

Mike Boehm of Los Angeles Times wrote:

"'Diva' moves at a more rapid gait than either Alice in Chains or Soundgarden, and it dispenses with the leaden grunge that characterized the Seattle sound until a year or so ago (recent efforts out of the city, including, 'Diva,' tend to be far more melodic and better written). It's in lyrical outlook that MSM differs most from its Seattle hard-rock kin. Typically, the Seattle bands are a markedly angry, doom-laden bunch, sticking to the dark side and giving shape to feelings that come with being part of a generation that faces the likelihood of being materially worse off than its parents."^[2]

Lonn Friend (editor of the heavy metal/rock music magazine RIP) who did a weekly segment called "Friend At Large" on Headbangers Ball on MTV, talked about how much he loved Diva. He also wore their shirt for two weeks on the show. The band later thanked Friend for his support in the liner notes of their next album Wallflower. Over the next year they did a tour with Pantera and White Zombie. They toured the United States and Europe. They did in-studio interviews on Headbangers Ball promoting their video on MTV for their single, I'm Sorry. They also co-headlined a tour with Pantera.

In 1993, they moved to Chameleon a division of Elektra Entertainment and released Wallflower in 1993. They toured the United States with King's X.

Just a couple months after releasing the album Elektra Entertainment folded the Chameleon division dropping all bands that were signed leaving the album and band unpromoted. After a string of bad luck, My Sister's Machine split up in 1994.

Post-break-up (1994-present)

Since the break-up of My Sister's Machine, Nick Pollock has fronted the bands Tanks of Zen^[3] and Soulbender^[8]; the latter also features longtime Queensryche guitarist Michael Wilton.^[8] Meanwhile, Wright has played guitar in a band called Old Lady Litterbug^[9] and Gohde has played drums for a band called Hot Rod Lunatics and Call for the Priest, the latter is a Judas Priest cover band.

Reunion (2010-present)

On June 4, 2010, the Layne Staley Fund announced that My Sister's Machine will be reuniting for the Layne Staley Tribute, held on August 21 of that year. My Sister's Machine has continued to play shows into 2011.^[10]

Members

• Nick Pollock - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Owen Wright - lead guitar, backing vocals
• Chris Ivanovich - bass, backing vocals
• Chris Gohde - drums

Discography

Albums

Year	Album details
1992	Diva Released: January 24, 1992 Label: Caroline
1993	Wallflower Released: August 10, 1993 Label: Chamelon

Singles

• "I'm Sorry"
• "I Hate You"
• "Enemy"

B-sides/Unreleased tracks

• "Bring You Down" (B-side of "Enemy")^[11]
• "Green Eyed Lady"

References

1. ^ Torreano, Bradley (2001-11-21). "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/my-sisters-machine-p13742. Retrieved 2011-10-16. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Boehm,Mike MSM: Newest Vein of Gold in Seattle's Hard-Rock Quarry, "Los Angeles Times" May 15, 1992. Retrieved on 28 April 2011.
3. ^ ^{a b} http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p13742
4. ^ Mistrust at Encyclopaedia Metallum Retrieved on 27 April 2011.
5. ^ "Spin the World". Metal-archives.com. 2011-07-19. http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=14683&PHPSESSID=9bed3514b4f238c05e38cf18e4fa7bad. Retrieved 2011-10-16. 
6. ^ "Lip Lock Rock: The Alice 'N Chainz Story". Lamestainnorthwest.blogspot.com. 2006-09-28. http://lamestainnorthwest.blogspot.com/2006/09/lip-lock-rock-alice-n-chainz-story_28.html. Retrieved 2011-10-16. 
7. ^ Diva Review
8. ^ ^{a b} http://www.allmusic.com/album/-r1157876
9. ^ "Old Lady Litterbug". Giantradio.com. http://www.giantradio.com/old.html. Retrieved 2011-10-16. 
10. ^ Written by luigilinguini (2010-08-18). "Full Circle’s Comin’ Round: My Sister’s Machine Reunites After 16 Years". Westseattlefunblog.com. http://www.westseattlefunblog.com/entertainment/full-circles-comin-round-my-sisters-machine. Retrieved 2011-10-16. 
11. ^ Valalik, Jason (2010-09-13). "Tanks of Zen Pledge Drive". Kickstarter.com. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1628509020/tanks-of-zen-needs-your-pledge-to-mix-their-album. Retrieved 2011-10-16. 

External links

• My Sister's Machine on Myspace
• Interview with My Sister's Machine