DarWin – an ongoing musical exploration project led by songwriter and guitarist DarWin and drumming legend Simon Phillips(Toto, Jeff Beck, The Who, Judas Priest, Tears For Fears) – has released their new single ‘Man Vs. Machine’ via Origin Of Species/Alliance Entertainment.
Since forming in 2015, the duo has collaborated with vocalist Matt Bissonette (Joe Satriani, Ringo Starr, Elton John) and steadily established themselves as true originals in their progressive rock field.
Bass sensation Mohini Dey(Steve Vai, Willow Smith, Guthrie Govan), who has been with the group since 2022, contributes her fiery power along with virtuoso guitarist Greg Howe (Michael Jackson, Protocol, Justin Timberlake) providing jaw-dropping performances. Joining up with a hall of fame of musicians over the years, including Derek Sherinian, Billy Sheehan, Guthrie Govan, Julian Pollack(J3PO), Jesse Siebenberg, Andy Timmons, and many more, the group seeks to celebrate a shared love for musicianship and virtuosity. The result is something that must be experienced, and preferably at high volume.
The music of DarWin, that is all produced by Phillips and DarWin, has its own identity – nothing quite sounds like it; it seems to exist in its own orbit – and the second you think you’ve got the band figured out, they go somewhere fresh and new.
Since forming in 2015, the group has steadily established itself as a true original, issuing a series of studio albums that represent personal, visionary music making at its very best. The group got started when drumming and production legend Simon Phillips and DarWin started working on a few songs without any real plan, and the project just kept growing. Phillips’ career follows the arch of the evolution of modern-day rock music, with his vast credits including Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, Big Country, Tears For Fears, The Chemical Brothers, Pete Townshend, and The Who. He was a member of Toto for nearly two decades, and in recent years he’s been leading his own Grammy-nominated jazz fusion outfit, Protocol.
Musically, the new song bursts with spirited grooves, impassioned vocals and luxurious instrumental passages that zig where others might zag.
Says DarWin, “We encourage people to ask big questions about what’s happening around them, such as with AI and humanoid robotics in the case of this song. But our lyrics and concepts are impressionistic. We don’t try to spoon feed our own answers to the audience. The power is in the courage to consider the question. It goes on for a while longer than most end solos, but that’s because we didn’t want it to end.”
Singer and co-writer Matt Bissonette has worked with everyone from Elton John and Ringo Starr to Joe Satriani and Leon Russell. In most other settings, he doubles on bass, but in DarWin there’s Mohini Dey takes that role. Born and raised in Mumbai, Dey has the kind of explosive talent that makes people like Steve Vai and Narada Michael Walden take notice. In DarWin, Dey helps drive the music in ways that are powerful and hypnotic, seismic and thrilling. The team is joined by veritable guitar monster Greg Howe – a six-string force of nature who, in addition to his own albums, has worked with a diverse group of artists that includes Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake and T. Pain. While on keyboards there’s Derek Sherinian, the go-to guy for Dream Theater, Sons Of Apollo and Black Country Communion.
The band takes the name of guitarist, songwriter and all-around creative driver DarWin, an absurdly gifted musical visionary who wants the focus to stay on the delight of the listeners and fans, and definitely not about himself. Additional veteran players have lent their talents to DarWin including keyboardist Julian Pollack (J3PO), singer and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Seibenberg, legendary guitarist Andy Timmons, percussionist Lenny Castro, and singers Andrew Freeman and Chariya Bissonette.
You can stream/share ‘Man Vs. Machine’ here and watch the official video here at RAMzine.
Watch and listen to more of DarWin here.
