This section is dedicated to Joe Pascarell, our brother, friend, maestro, and teacher. 

His life and death is best represented in his work; both as a performing artist and composer. To watch him on stage or to hear his own music encapsulated so much of his being.

Joe was many things to many people. To The Machine he was: our friend, a co-founder, an inspiration and an inexorable force that propelled us since 1988. He was also a teacher, espousing wisdom that was often beyond our comprehension. Like many great artists and teachers, his wisdom became clearer after his passing.

Joe was steeped in so much music which he brought to life on stage. His earliest influences came from his family which included The Beatles and Glen Campbell playing on his family’s stereo. As he grew older, prog rock came into focus and deeply affected Joe. ELP, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, and of course Pink Floyd all made their mark. The punk era also influenced Joe, starting off with the brash attitudes of The Pretenders, Suicidal Tendencies and Henry Rollin’s Black Flag.  All the while, he was also an avid listener of Mozart. In the 90’s Joe was heavily influenced by The Grateful Dead & Jerry Garcia;  which informed his his band “Some Idiots in the Basement.” The last phase of musical interests was electronic music which he composed on his Buchla synthesizers. He loved Apex Twin, Autechre, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and his favorite - Square Pusher.

The following is a collection of stories and memories from friends and collaborators of The Machine and Joe Pascarell. We will be adding more as they come in. We encourage you to share your memories and stories, as each and every one of you is a member of The Machine’s extended family and we are so thankful for you.