4Man Machine, a California-based band, was originally founded back in 1992, under the name CYBERPUNK 2019. According to many music fans, CYBERPUNK 2019 was the greatest band that never was. After a deal with Giant Records fell through, the two founding members, John Foreman and Tate Bryan along with producer David Glover, kept recording. In the midst of recording, they found the missing link, Michael Bernard, who is now considered the Pro Tools King of the Recording Industry, working with artists like Pink, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Brian Wilson, Cher, and many, many, more.
John Foreman contacted Tate Bryan and they decided to get together and release the CYBERPUNK 2019 EP to the public, along with the never seen video for “On The Autobahn”, under the new name for the band: 4Man Machine. Everyone can download the 4 songs for free on their website!
Read on below to learn more about 4Man Machine and what makes them tick … and listen for a track played every hour during the week of June 6, 2011 as part of the MER Independent Band Of The Week Promotion!
MER: How did you come up with the band name?
4Man Machine:
We call ourselves 4Man Machine because we are men with genuine musicianship, who have an affinity with, utilize, and interact with technology.
We are headed by John Foreman (4man), Tate Bryan, Michael Bernard, and lots of machines. We incorporate a combination of industrial guitars, computerization, and a grinding frustration.
MER: What are 3 bands that you feel were most influential to your band, and why?
4Man Machine:
Nine Inch Nails for the raw, intense industrial side.
Guns N’ Roses for Axl’s raw anger.
Ozzy Osbourne (Blizzard of Oz era) for Randy Rhodes’ guitar work. Tate Bryan had seen Quiet Riot in the Hollywood club scene for years, and while not impressed with the Glam scene at the time, he watched Randy voraciously.
MER: What are the 5 best Metal/Hard Rock albums of all times, and why?
4Man Machine:
Judas Priest: Unleashed In The East – It awakened the raw power of Metal in my guitar playing
Metallica: Metallica – Unrelenting crunch
Guns N’ Roses: Appetite For Destruction – Great angst written songs!
Van Halen – Van Halen – It broke the mold away from Glam Rock of the late ’70s and was an inspiration to a lot of upcoming bands.
Toto: … just to make sure you’re paying attention John 🙂
MER: What is the best concert you’ve ever attended, and why?
4Man Machine:
Most memorable was an incident at the San Bernardino Swing Auditorium for a Judas Priest concert. Tate and his high school band mate Brent ran into a guy in the partying crowd outside wearing a denim jacket with all sorts of relatively unknown Euro Metal bands. We had seen repeated ads in The Recycler paper “drummer seeks to form Metal band – call Lars” – approached him, and Brent asked “Is your name Lars?”
Taken aback, he looked down to his jacket like he was looking for a name tag and said “how did you know?” We told him we had repeatedly seen his ads, and references to bands few knew about. He went on to form a revolutionary band called Metallica.
MER: What was the most memorable gig your band ever played, and why?
4Man Machine:
Back when we were Cyberpunk 2019 we opened for several acts in South America and most of those gigs were very memorable.
MER: What is the craziest thing any member of your band has ever done for the sake of Metal/Hard Rock?
4Man Machine:
At one of the gigs in South America John did a stage dive and broke his nose, but got back onstage and kept rockin’ as his blood spattered all over him and the stage and audience (not to worry, he is HIV negative!).
MER: If your band was appointed Rulers of the Metal World, what is the first law you’d make?
4Man Machine:
Cut off Justin Bieber’s head!
MER: If you could tour with any band, who would that be, and why?
4Man Machine:
AC/DC because every show would be sold out … and that’s our audience.
MER: What do you think your fans and the music industry will say about your band in 10 years?
4Man Machine:
“Why didn’t they come out sooner?” And we’d answer, WE TRIED for decades, but A&R execs (which many are nothing more than frustrated “never weres”) didn’t get it back then. Now we’ve bypassed them in favor of the Internet.
MER: If you could have any wish fulfilled for the band, what would it be?
4Man Machine:
To be known as not being ahead of our time, but ahead of YOUR time.
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