Ubiquity Machine is Dan Marsh (the Rabbit) and Howard Rabach. They have been writing and performing alternative and indie music for more than a decade in the DC Metro area. Howard has played all over the DC music scene and is a highly trained veteran musician and producer with over 25 years of performing, touring, and recording experience. He is also an active member of the bands The Grey A and Finster. Dan worked on multiple projects in the UK before emigrating to the USA, and after taking time out for a successful business career and kids, he is now back to music full time! The two have been writing together for more than a decade and have a catalog of more than 100 songs. Both are multi-instrumentalists, producers, and songwriters.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Ubiquity Machine, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Dan: Music is something that has always been a giant influence, theme, safe harbor, place to express and understand the world… The first songs I remember writing were aged 6 or 7 and I’d sing them in the car on the way to school with my cousins Richard and Andy.
Howard: My dad's record collection is my earliest connection to music. In some form, music was always playing in my home. I vividly recall Sundays where I sat with my parents in the living room, each of us with a section of the newspaper, and either classical or jazz playing on my dad's stereo. I'd already taken piano lessons for a few years, then saxophone to play in the elementary school band. My first loved band was KISS - for a 9-year-old boy, blood + fire + loud guitars = AWESOME! Picked up the guitar as a high school freshman.
Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.
Dan: Favorite: Losing yourself in a song or singing… being ‘at one’ with music, if only for a minute. That time when you forget the song you are performing and come back to yourself and can’t remember the last minute. Worst part: Feeling so inadequate or overwhelmed by the talent and capabilities of the people around you… there are so many incredible musicians in the world.
Howard: Favorite - being on stage making beautiful sounds with people I love and respect; also the epiphany moments when a song I'm composing finally comes together. Least Favorite: first, that I'm my own worst critic, always finding fault or mistakes in my performance; additionally, like Sisyphus, always wanting to achieve creating a record that I believe is as good as my favorites of my heroes...then falling short.
Your latest song is 'Radio'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
Dan: Radio is a song that started as a dare. I was driving with a buddy and he challenged me to come up with some lyrics, and the first verse was born! The rest developed from our (Ubiquity Machine) discussions about the world and how influenced we are all by media.
Howard: After Dan brought the bare-bones concept of the song into the studio, we began to "morph" it into this angry, pessimistic world-view, with a beastly distorted bass line, and some carefully culled beat samples. The only unusual moment was when Dan was attempting to record his lead vocal, I kept telling him to scream and shout it rather than sing it. I kept trying to piss him off while we were tracking. Seemed to work!
How do you differ from most other artists?
Well… one way is that we don’t have a lot of love songs! Ha! I also think we have so much different music and genres we love that we want to experiment with using them *all*. For example, the first album has an 80’s/90’s vibe/production, but is still quite modern. The next album will be more modern production, but still retain our themes about the modern world, mental health, dealing with life.
Howard: Also, we don't set out road maps - meaning, we kind of allow the creation and assembly process direct us. More often than not, songs end up a far cry from the demo versions. The arrangement process is one of my favorites, and "no" is nearly never the response to anything until the song is near completion.
Where are you from and do you have a stable home or do you prefer travelling?
Dan: I love travelling, but I have a stable home... now. There was a lot of moving when I was a kid, so having one place to call home feels strange but also comforting.
Howard: I was born in New York City, and currently live in Arlington, VA, just outside of Washington, DC. As a generality, I adore traveling; as a history nerd, I find it very humbling - puts things in perspective very quickly. However, as an introvert, I relish time alone at home to recharge - especially after a heavily social evening, like after I've played a show, I most often want to pack up and leave straight away!
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Dan: Catchy, thoughtful, insightful, modern
Howard: Reflective, self-effacing, creating the finest line between pessimism and hopefulness.
How do you nurture your own creativity?
Dan: It’s about doing something creative every day. For a while I believed the hype and thought that drinking or substances helped, but that wasn’t what happened. In fact, sometimes those things give you a different perspective, but that only helps inform creativity, not drive it. Recently I started writing a song a day, just to see what I’d come up with – it was nice to prove to myself that I really can write 2-3 songs a day, but most of the time I wait for the feeling of pressure inside me to occur before being creative.
Howard: Most often it's through some combination of listening to music I adore, and getting lost in nature, like taking a nice long hike so I can clear my mind and think more freely. Beyond that, I pick up at least one instrument to play every day, even if only for a few minutes. In those moments, sometimes a random chord progression or melodic line spills out that might be the catalyst for some future new song.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
Dan: someone asked me that recently and I said The Weeknd, simply for the exposure it would bring our story and messages. You can write the greatest song of all time, but if no one hears it….
Howard: tough question! Not sure I can offer a single artist answer, but any/all of the following: Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Spoon, Wilco, The New Pornographers.
Who's your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?
Dan: I’d say Gorillaz or Radiohead… and why? Because they are so creative and *know* how to make a great song.
Howard: assuming this question is looking for someone most people would know, if the "world is my oyster", I'd say Paul McCartney, REM, and A.C. Newman (main songwriter for the New Pornographers).
What are your plans for the future?
Dan: Finish releasing the first album, then our second album releasing the second half of this year. After that we’ll do a proper tour and go to a song a month. We have a lot of songs to finish and get out there!
Howard: Agreed with what Dan wrote - but we'll need to look at what he means by a "proper tour". Maybe we should consider an improper tour - like playing shows in random peoples living rooms unannounced. *knock-knock* "Hello! Where can we set up?"