Darrel profile picture

Darrel

Bassist Wanted. See blog.

About Me


Here is MGM doing "Pour Some Sugar On Me" @ Cubby Bear North.



Here is the crowd doing our work for us on "You Give Love A Bad Name" @ Cubby Bear North.

Here is some video of MGM @ the Avon Walk.


My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 12/19/2005
Band Website: machinesgonemad.com
Band Members: Save Me:
Written by Lenny V
Vocals-Darrel Kathan
Guitars, Bass-Lenny V

Two Just Like Her:
Written by Lenny V & Darrel Kathan
Vocals-Darrel Kathan
Guitars, Bass-Lenny V

Mother Nature:
(Wishing Well)
Vocals-Darrel Kathan
Guitars-Geoff Siebold
Bass-Matt Rendl
Drums-Dan Heim

Just Because & Drivin:
(Wishing Well)
Vocals-Darrel Kathan
Guitars-Geoff Siebold
Bass-Chris Siebold
Drums-Dan Heim
Influences: I Dig (in no particular order)...:
Kevin Reeves (My new favorite)
Jellyfish
Cheap Trick
Foo Fighters
Queen
Bleu
Derek Cintron
Big Wreck
Jet
The Click Five
Maroon 5
DelAmitri
Enuff Z'nuff
Third Eye Blind
My Chemical Romance
Sheryl Crow
Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
Fuzzbubble
Rage Against The Machine
Imperial Drag
Led Zeppelin
Marvelous 3
Butch Walker
Audioslave
Paul Gilbert
The Police
Span
Jason Falkner
Stevie Wonder
Tonic
...and other shit that rocks
Sounds Like: Also visit MachinesGoneMad.com

Who I'd like to meet:
Anyone who is goofy and spontaneous but not combustable. Cool Myspacers in the Chicago area who are down to earth and maybe, occasionally like to rock out.

All of the people in my Top Friends are people I gave birth to!

About Me:
I'm happily married with 4 kids. Having fun is the name of the game but I'm a total geek. I have been programming computers since I was nine. I have a network and a server in my house. I make my wife back up her files to the server. Yes, it's that bad. To make things worse, I'm a Mac user. Good lord, protect your children!I spend my days programming computers for a 5 billion company but at night I take my pocket protector and pants off to sing in a party cover band called Machines Gone Mad! . I get to act like a nut and play with some really great performers. The songs on Myspace are old Wishing Well originals that were recorded in 1998. I'm currently working on some new solo material as well as re-mixing some old tracks. I'm also a total clutz but I manage to play soccer on a regular schedule without seriously injuring myself.

Interests:
: Singing, attemping to play guitar, playing soccer, working out, inventing drinks, drinking the drinks I invent, cooking, eating, computer hacking and doing super-geeky programming projects, developing elaborate and impossible stories and then actually acting them out, generally being ridiculous. I also have a frightful coffee problem. (See blog)

My Official Musician's Bio:

I have been performing since the late eighties all around Chicago. I played in a Band called Wishing Well between '91-'00. We may have played your birthday party or Bah/Bar Mitzvah. When people say "Have you ever played at..." I just blurt out "yes" before they can finish. I don't really know what they are going to ask but I can't remember the names of every place I've ever played so it's safer to just say "Yes, I've played there" because I probably have. It's also possible that you have seen me in a Karoke bar in the early ninties or an episode of Law And Order.

I have opened for Tora Tora, Gary Richrath (Reo Speedwagon) and Night Ranger, but not all at once. I was nominated for "Best Rock Vocalist" in the Chicago Rocker magazine in 1992. "Whip-a-de-do" you say. Where is that rag today? It's true that it's an honor just to be nominated. Recently, I invented the left-handed pencil. Just kidding, but not really.

I actually have no musical education, whatsoever. It's almost as if I have no business being in music at all. I was too scared to sing in front of people until I was in high school when someone told me I had a nice voice. At the time they were wrong but it was a nice gesture.
Record Label: Not for me
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Another Successful Avon Walk in Chicago

Most people believe that being in a rock band is all about depravity and hedonism. While that is true, every once in a while we get a chance to do something constructive. This weekend we were given th...
Posted by Darrel on Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:04:00 PST

Bass Player Wanted

Lenny V and I are looking for a bass player with solid background vocals to complete our original/cover project. We have been working for about a month and we have two recorded originals and about fiv...
Posted by Darrel on Sat, 05 May 2007 10:22:00 PST

Singer/Songwriter/Frontman Available

I have been performing since 1988. I also play rhythm guitar and some keys. I can cover nearly 4 octave range. Great stage presence. Very reliable and stable. Influences include (not limited to) Jelly...
Posted by Darrel on Thu, 01 Mar 2007 09:23:00 PST

MGM Needs Your Vote in "Best of the Burbs" Contest

Thanks to all our friends, Machines Gone Mad has made the finals in 3 categories in the Nitelife.org "Best of the 'Burbs" contest.-Best Cover Band -Best Rock Band -Best Male Front for Band: Darrel Kat...
Posted by Darrel on Mon, 05 Feb 2007 11:45:00 PST

Machines Gone Mad! @ Eddie McCann's is Cancelled

First, this Friday's show (9/8/06) at Eddie McCann's in North Aurora has been cancelled. Randy has decided not to continue performing with Machines Gone Mad. Good luck, Randy. However, Machines Gone M...
Posted by Darrel on Fri, 08 Sep 2006 07:40:00 PST

Fancy Name of the Day

It's important to say them the name out loud. Here is today's name.***************** Fantasia Plotkin *****************
Posted by Darrel on Fri, 18 Aug 2006 07:27:00 PST

Bon Jovi "Have a Nice Gig" Update

Everybody has been sending me these great messages like, "we voted for you", "we hope you open for Bon Jovi", "when do you find out if you're opening for Bon Jovi. I think it is only fair that since a...
Posted by Darrel on Sat, 15 Jul 2006 08:50:00 PST

Vote For MACHINES GONE MAD! To Open For Bon Jovi!

101.9 FM WTMX in Chicago has selected MACHINES GONE MAD! as one of 10 bands to compete to for an opening gig with Bon Jovi. The top five bands will compete at HAVE A NICE GIG at the Aragon Ballroom on...
Posted by Darrel on Fri, 23 Jun 2006 03:49:00 PST

Machines Gone Mad! Goes Pink

This weekend, MGM was given the honor of performing at the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in Chicago. Chicago hosts the biggest Avon Walk in the country and this year was the biggest one to date. More than 3...
Posted by Darrel on Tue, 06 Jun 2006 08:32:00 PST

Big June for Machines Gone Mad!

MGM has several shows lined up for June and it can be confusing so we assembled, what is called, a list. We are always thinking of you. See you in June...moon, hewn, baboon, I can't stop rhyming, fest...
Posted by Darrel on Thu, 01 Jun 2006 05:13:00 PST