Bust a shape

Shape Machine is a new campus band co-founded by Jackson Greenberg '12 and Matt Wong '10. Street sat down with Jackson and Matt - as well their guitarist Rafael Klein-Cloud '11, drummer Leo Lester '11 and lead singer Adam Hyndman '12 - to talk about the band's diverse roots, the evolution of their live show and what you can expect to hear at their live shows at Tiger Inn on Saturday and at Terrace Club next Thursday.

Q How did Shape Machine come together?

A Jackson Greenberg: Matt and I played in a cover band together called "Where's Waldo." After a while, our concerts together started to get more improvisational. And we decided that we wanted to try and make our own music.

Matt Wong: When Jackson and I were doing some jamming, we met Rafi and Leo, who play guitar and drums. Then we were looking for a singer, and we found Adam.

Q For those who aren't familiar with Shape Machine, what is your sound and how do you fit in to the on-campus music scene?

A MW: What I envision for Shape Machine is for people to see us one time and then want to see us again because our live show is so much fun. We're not trying to go out and be cool. We want to make really fun music and want people to have a good time when they come and see us.

Leo Lester: The stuff that I do on the drums sometimes has a dance/rock feel, but at other times it's more funky. And I think that our synth element is really important - not a lot of other bands here have that.

Q How have your musical backgrounds influenced the music that Shape Machine creates?

A JG: When I came here, I was set on becoming a jazz musician. Then I started composing, and last summer I went to Los Angeles and worked with some film composers. So while I want to pursue composition professionally, there's something about playing live music that can't be reproduced.

Rafael Klein-Cloud: My background is with classical and acoustic guitar, and I wrote some songs for solo performance on the acoustic guitar that were very vocal-heavy.

Adam Hyndman: My background is in vocal performance, all-state choir, musical theatre and a cappella. My voice is all over the place, especially when it's thrown into the unique sound that we have.

LL: I played a lot of jazz when I was younger, but I didn't love it. I was looking for bands that were more in line with what I was into: groove-oriented, more traditional rock, and even a bit of reggae. I couldn't find anyone else whom I really enjoyed playing with, and then these guys called me up.

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Q What can we expect to hear from Shape Machine in the future?

A JG: In the past few weeks, we've been getting together, having nothing planned, and just seeing what happens. So we improvise, see what we like and put those pieces together into a song.

MW: We're tightening those improvisational elements. The four songs on our website sound nothing like the last few songs that we've written. It's all about groove hitting you from all different directions. Get ready to dance and not know why you're dancing; Shape Machine is on.

Shape Machine will play on Saturday at TI and next Thursday at Terrace. Check them out online at shapemachine.com and download their free EP. Later in the year, listen out for their song "The Street" to be featured in an upcoming yet-to-be-titled series on Showtime.

Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Guy Wood ‘13.