Machines of Loving Grace was an American

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...

band from

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, best known for their song "Butterfly Wings".

History

Formation

Named after the

Richard Brautigan Richard Gary Brautigan (January 30, 1935 – c. September 16, 1984) was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. A prolific writer, he wrote throughout his life and published ten novels, two collections of short stories, and four bo ...

poem "

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" is a poem by Richard Brautigan first published in his 1967 collection of the same name, his fifth book of poetry. It presents an enthusiastic description of a technological utopia in which machine ...

", Machines of Loving Grace formed in 1989. The original lineup consisted of Scott Benzel (vocals), Stuart Kupers (guitar and bass), and Mike Fisher (keyboards), with Brad Kemp (drums) added shortly thereafter. They recorded a demo and were picked up by Carrboro, North Carolina-based

Mammoth Records Mammoth Records was an independent record label founded in 1989 by Jay Faires in the Carrboro area of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The majority of the acts on Mammoth were executive-produced by Faires and the label's general manager, Steve Balcom ...

in 1991. The band was unable to re-record their material for their eponymous debut album, as the label released their demo as it was recorded.

''Concentration''

Two years later, the band released ''

Concentration In chemistry, concentration is the abundance of a constituent divided by the total volume of a mixture. Several types of mathematical description can be distinguished: '' mass concentration'', ''molar concentration'', ''number concentration'', an ...

''. Its sound spanned a wide range of styles. The band released two videos, and gained

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

airplay. In 1994 they recorded a new song, "Golgotha Tenement Blues", for the soundtrack to the film ''

The Crow The Crow is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fiancée at t ...

''.

''Gilt''

In 1995, Machines of Loving Grace released their third album, '' Gilt''. This record was marked by an increased guitar presence and a darker overall tone than ''Concentration''. It was produced by

Sylvia Massy Sylvia Lenore Massy is an American record producer, mixer, engineer, instructor and author. Massy is renowned for her multifaceted production/mixing and engineering skills, with her first major breakthrough occurring with 1993's '' Undertow'', th ...

and recorded at the Indigo Ranch studio in Malibu, California. New band members included David Suycott (formerly of Stabbing Westward and Spies Who Surf) on drums, Ray Riendeau (bass) and Tom Coffeen (guitar). A remix of the song "Richest Junkie Still Alive" was included on the soundtrack to ''

Hackers A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...

''. The song "Tryst" was released on the ill-fated ''Mega Man'' soundtrack. That year, various mixes of three songs from ''Concentration'' — "Perfect Tan", "Butterfly Wings", and "Lilith/Eve" — were featured in the horror film '' Devour''. "Butterfly Wings" was also featured on the television show ''

Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 26, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred Pau ...

'', in the episodes "Chicago Holiday" and "Flashback".

Breakup–present

In 1997, the band broke up while working on an album project called ''Love Scenes at the Slave Market''; the project was abandoned. As of 2006, Benzel is involved with an electronic band called

Soulo ''SoulO'' is Nick Lachey's debut album as a solo artist, after leaving the boy band 98 Degrees. The album was released in the US on November 11, 2003 on Universal Records. "Could You Love" was recorded earlier by Youngstown on their second alb ...

. Mike Fisher is currently with Amish Rake Fight. In 2008, "Butterfly Wings" from 1993's ''Concentration'' was featured on the soundtrack of the motion picture '' Punisher: War Zone''. Stuart Kupers died on November 14, 2021 after a long battle with Gaucher and Parkinson’s Diseases.

Members

* Scott Benzel: vocals (1989–1997) * Mike Fisher: keyboards (1989–1997) * Stuart Kupers: guitar and bass (1989–1995) * Brad Kemp: drums (1989–1995) * Jonathan Frank: drums (1996) * Ray Riendeau: bass (1995–1997) * David Suycott: drums (1996–1997) * Tom Coffeen: guitar (1995–1997)

Discography

Albums

*''

Machines of Loving Grace Machines of Loving Grace was an American industrial rock band from Tucson, Arizona, best known for their song "Butterfly Wings". History Formation Named after the Richard Brautigan poem "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace", Machines ...

'' (1991) *''

'' (1993) *'' Gilt'' (1995)

Singles

Music videos

* "X-Insurrection" ** Directed by Kevin Borque * "Butterfly Wings" ** Directed by Julie Hermelin * "Perfect Tan (Bikini Atoll)" ** Directed by Julie Hermelin * "Golgotha Tenement Blues" * "Richest Junkie Still Alive" ** Directed by John Reece

References

External links

Interview @ Chaos Control Digizine
{{Authority control Musical groups from Tucson, Arizona Rock music groups from Arizona American industrial rock musical groups