District 97, Maschine

District 97 is undoubtedly the most musically adventurous rock band in the world to feature an American Idol Top 10 Female Finalist. Formed in the Fall of 2006 by drummer/primary composer Jonathan Schang, keyboardist Rob Clearfield, bassist Patrick Mulcahy and guitarist Sam Krahn, the band drew upon influences from heavy metal to avant-garde jazz. The foursome from Chicago honed a no-holds barred style of eclectic and intricate Instrumental Rock before deciding the right vocalist was needed to complement their sound: enter 2007 American Idol Top 10 Female Finalist, Leslie Hunt.

With a look, sound, and stage presence comparable to a young Ann Wilson from Heart, Leslie's dynamic performances pushed the band into a new direction that forged a unique marriage between accessible, catchy vocal melodies and an adventurous instrumental prowess. She was followed shortly thereafter by one of Chicago's finest guitarists, Jim Tashjian. With this new blend of charisma and stellar musicianship in place, their live shows over the past several years at festivals such as RoSfest, Prog Dreams II and V, and numerous appearances across the USA, UK and Europe cemented the band as a force to be reckoned with onstage as well as in the recording studio.

Maschine are a progressive band without boundaries. The UK-based group seamlessly fuses their rock roots with modern and innovative textures shaping their sound into its own unique statement, reflecting the unflinching vision of composer, lead guitarist and vocalist, Luke Machin.

The band have in recent years have received “Best new/unsigned band” award in Prog Magazine, also voted Prog Mag’s “No.1 tip”, Classic Rock Societies “Best New Band” Award, as well as numerous top album reviews and quotes from Ross Jennings (Haken) - “Despite tough competition, Naturalis stood shoulder to shoulder with the most exception albums released”, Acle Kahney (Tesseract) - “Great use of dynamics and great melodies. “Make Believe” stands out as personal favourite”. Francis Dunnery (IT BITES) - “There are thousands of guitar players around the planet that can play reasonably well, they know a few scales and even know a few jazz chords, but once in a while a guitarist shows up who is more than that, once in a while nature creates some one important. Luke Machin is one of those guitar players. Tasteful and stylish, dexterous and inventive, I am truly interested to see where this kid ends up. An important album from an important guitarist. I can't recommend it highly enough."

Machin has also been in the top 10 “Best Guitarist” list in Prog Magazine four years running reaching #5 in 2018, collaborated and worked with Jeff Beck, Francis Dunnery (It Bites), Pain of Salvation, Guthrie Govan, Chris Difford (Squeeze), Steve Hogarth (Marillion), Tom Brislin (YES) and Robert Plant.