Seth Boulton & The Dream Machine
9 p.m. Sept. 28
Jacoby's, Detroit
8 p.m. Sept. 30
Xhedos Cafe, Ferndale
8 p.m. Oct. 3
The Berkley Front, Berkley
Poor Laura Witkowski.
As a recent addition to Seth Boulton & The Dream Machine (she joined the group in April) the least the band could've done would be to add Witkowski to their MySpace page.
But they didn't.
"He's (Boulton) just afraid if I get too much attention that I'll steal all the hot chicks away from him, so he hasn't posted it. Yeah, that's it," says Witkowski, who thinks the band should be called, "Seth Boulton & The Dream Machine (Plus A Drummer)."
Michigan-native Witkowski met cello and keyboard player Nicolette Emanuelle and Seth Boulton during a charity performance of "The Vagina Monologues" in Charlotte, N.C. Despite not picking up a set of sticks in six years, Witkowski wanted a part in their band and she wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Thankfully I didn't have to sink so low as to threaten, unless all those 'Laura should be your drummer!' notes that I anonymously mailed them (made out of letters cut from magazines) count," she laughs. "Sorry you had to find out this way guys – that was me."
Witkowski, a lesbian, was the missing link in the trio's sexuality continuum. Emanuelle is bisexual; Boulton is straight, but very gay-friendly.
"He often wears more make up than me," Witkowski says.
Boulton, who describes himself as an androgynous straight guy, adds, "Rock and roll is all about breaking down the walls that divide us and questioning the norm and that's exactly what we're doing. … The more you can shake off the stereotypes of gender and race, the more universal your message becomes."
When Boulton, the lead singer and guitarist, was a freshman in high school, he persuaded his father to buy him a Peavey Tracer (an electric guitar) and an Envoy 110 amp. He learned chords, wrote lyrics and weaved through several bands. He and Emanuelle have played in coffee shops, churches, bars and festivals across the southeast for the past three years. But Emanuelle has been playing the cello since she was a child.
"I have always been an over-achiever and I guess to a 9-year-old the biggest (musical instrument) qualified as the most challenging," Emanuelle says. "I would like to think that my mind set now is a bit more mature. But as an adult (I use the term 'adult' loosley) I find that I do gravitate toward the low end of things. … So since in the world of music 'bigger means lower,' I guess in a way size does still matter."
Seth Boulton & The Dream Machine's tunes (they're recording new material now that will have a classic '80s vibe) explores two concepts: love and acceptance.
"I really want to let people know that they're not alone," Boulton says. "Given the political and social climate surrounding the gay community today it seems like this is a message they could use and I hope it helps.
"The themes in the songs are universal and anyone can relate to them but I think that's one of the most relevant points for the gay community, that ultimately we are all the same and desire the same basic things in this world."
