Unum Machina Live at The Frequency

The journey to finally getting this video done is a long and sordid tale of stupid computer problems, which I am happy to announce are (mostly) behind me.

Unum Machina is the type of band I started Wisconsin Sickness for – amazingly talented musicians whose art is truly moving. After having the privilege to feature them on the Wisconsin Sickness Vol. 2 free mp3 compilation, and use their melodic and abrasive “Infected” as the anthem for the movement, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to film and preserve their October 29th, 2009 performance at The Frequency in Madison.

The show, a now historic work of underground Wisconsin art, was well worth the four hours of road time. With an eclectic range of styles from metal to blues, chunky breakdowns and harmonized, dueling solos, Unum Machina’s set was epic, despite singer/guitarist Mike Brady‘s claims that his performance suffered due to a current bout of the flu he was trying to fend off at a time when fear of a swine flu pandemic was at an all-time high.

I had given up fighting with the video files altogether until Tyler Peterson, Unum Machina bass player, emailed me a few weeks ago with the news that Mike Brady had recently passed.

My brief encounter with Mike left me with nothing but respect and admiration. He seemed like a great guy – laid back, easy going, great sense of humor and overflowing with talent. He poured huge amounts of emotion, intensity, brutality and beautiful melody into the strings of his outrageously flamboyant Minarik Medusa guitar.

There is interview footage about the origins of the band and the release of their full-length independent album Towers, and the entire set from that night still to be dusted off, but this video was difficult enough to scrape off the harddrive and get online. I hope it becomes a lasting piece of Mike’s memorial and helps keep his memory alive for many years to come.

My partner is crime was Luke Barstow, who manned the low-res cam footage and all still photos from that night.

Unum Machina will be playing a goodbye show at The Frequency in February. They will be performing with recordings of Mike’s vocals and guitar work.

Listen and “like” them on Facebook right here: Unum Machina