Josh Garza and the Secret Machines: Their Impact and Legacy

The Secret Machines are a band that you will have heard of if you like alternative rock music.

This group was originally formed in Dallas, Texas by three passionate musicians – Benjamin Curtis on guitar and backing vocals, his brother Brandon Curtis on vocals, bass guitar and keyboards, and Josh Garza on drums.

The Secret Machines made a strong name for themselves in the local music scene from 2000 to 2010. The Secret Machines released three albums, “Now Here is Nowhere,” and “Ten Silver Cops.” They also recorded the self-titled album “Secret Machines,” earning the 12th spot on the United States Heatseekers List upon its release in 2008.

The Secret Machines would release this album as their last. Benjamin Curtis, a guitarist in the band, left to focus his efforts with School of Seven Bells. Phil Karnats replaced Benjamin Curtis on the guitar. He is an accomplished musician. 

Josh Garza’s Journey Continues

Both at the same time with The Secret MachinesJosh Garza, even at a young age was focused on perfectioning his craft.

He had always wanted to become a musician, and he was immediately drawn to this instrument by the sound of John Bonham and Led Zeppelin.

You rarely heard the signature sounds of any particular instrument. The drumming is often secondary to vocals and guitar in a lot situations.

Nobody is responsible for this. It’s not that there aren’t talented, passionate drummers out on the planet – this is just how a lot songs are made.

Not Led Zeppelin, however. Bonham’s unique style and fiery personality could be heard in the very first seconds or so of any song.

Josh Garza had the exact same goal.

All in all, Josh GarzaJohn Bonham had been John Bonham’s teacher for more than two decades. Garza thought that Bonham was a drummer with as much skill as Hendrix, and that he played his drums with as much passion as Hendrix did when he sang on the guitar. The same praise was due to him, as well. Garza was determined to discover the secrets of Bonham and improve his craft.

John Bonham has a lot of credit for Garza’s musical style. He helped to design his drum kit and was a key contributor to Garza’s ability play. For example, he uses a 28 inch bass drum. This is exactly the size Bonham preferred. A 14-inch rack drum tom is his.

He relies on his two floor toms (16-inches in length), one being tuned lower than the others. His Tama kit also includes two 16-inch floor toms, one tuned lower than the other. Josh Garza also wanted to try this technique.

Garza does not pretend to imitate John Bonham and Led Zeppelin. It’s far from the truth. Instead, he used the knowledge he’d learned throughout his years to create something entirely new. Although he is a John Bonham graduate, he has long since used that knowledge to create his own path. This has certainly paid off handsomely for him so far.

Josh Garza took the opportunity to continue his education and keep busy after The Secret Machines members went on their own. He performed a number of shows live in New York City as well as Miami Beach, at some of the most prestigious venues. For example, he played in New York City’s Mercury Lounge and in Miami Beach at the Standard Hotel.

John McBain was his guitarist of choice, and he also contributed his drumming skills to the tracks.

Garza started his own band, EFG, just one year after The Secret Machines had disbanded. The group was joined by Imaad Wasif, guitarist, and vocalist, who released an EP that November. A few months later, in the middle of 2012 they released another EP. In September 2016, they would release a 7-inch single, untitled, and a digital EP that contained six tracks.

Josh Garza, an experimental psych rock band known for his contributions to The Warlocks tracks in 2016, was also heard on these songs.

Josh Garza’s passion has been recognized over the years. The musical professionals at Esquire Magazine awarded him the Esky Award in 2005 for Best Drummer. He was featured in Modern Drummer Magazine both 2009 und 2011.

In the movie “Across the Universe,” Josh Garza can be heard playing his trademark drum beat. The movie, which pays tribute to The Beatles music, featured Garza performing “I Am the Walrus” along with Bono as lead vocals. He contributed instrumentally to “Flying” as well as “Blue Jay Way.”

From 2010 to 2010, Josh Garza was certainly a successful person. His success with his rock band had earned him a reputation and he showed that he was capable of creating those successes on his own. But he could not help but remember The Secret Machines and what they accomplished. He began to consider the possibilities, much like all fans. It occurred to him that he wondered if his old bandmates were feeling the same.

A Triumphant Return

In January 2018, if you loved The Secret Machines you will be thrilled to know that you can still watch it. Brandon Curtis shared a clip on social media of Josh Garza recording in studio.

The Secret Machine fans were almost instantly swept into an avalanche of speculation. What if the band had finally returned after eight years?

It was June that same year when the band made it clear that they were releasing new music via both digital and limited edition vinyl runs of 500 copies. The Secret Machines were reborn in a flash. 

A complete album is also available. Josh Garza and The Secret MachinesThe band would release several companion EPs very quickly. The “Day 21” EP was entirely composed of previously unreleased music. The second is called “Dreaming of Dreaming” and it’s a remixed version of their EP that they released back in 2008.

The Secret Machines remain strong despite being affected by the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020. The Secret Machines are looking forward to recording music and touring the globe to bring their music to as many people as possible.

They announced their opening support for Doomscroller in the United States on September 20, 2022.

Many musicians would take The Secret Machines’ initial success and say, “That’s enough.” But not Josh Garza. Josh Garza is an artist. He doesn’t allow anything to stop him.

A man who is willing, after more than a decade, to bring his original work back in a stronger form. He may have made the most significant contribution to music with this alone, more so than his unique drum sound. Garza won’t give up. Garza will not give up. He won’t stop giving all he has to his craft.