Biography

As the name implies, MACH22’s rise is set to mach speed, with no turning back. Their presence, attitude, and sound, are winning audiences over at every show. It is with no surprise that they were chosen by Slash to win the Grand Prize in Guitar Center’s Onstage with Slash contest.

MACH22 is as authentic as you can get in a pure rock and roll band. Their songs span the emotional spectrum, capturing that classic feel with a modern rock edge. With their killer riffs, bluesy rhythms, and soulful delivery, they keep their audiences hooked for the entire set. The MACH22 sound is steeped in classic rock influences. There’s a hint of Guns N Roses, Lenny Kravitz, AC/DC, and Aerosmith, but it’s all MACH22, and it speaks for itself.

They may be young, but they’ve already racked up some impressive credentials: opening for Slash, Steel Panther, Tom Keifer with Cinderella’s Jeff LaBar, and performing in front an audience of 75,000 at “Jay-Z’s Made in America Festival, to name a few. And their talents have definitely been noticed: they’ve picked up several product endorsements, most notably Ted Merrill’s endorsement by PRS Guitars.

When MACH22 hits the stage, they perform and sound like seasoned professionals. Each member has a remarkable history in music that makes this possible. Lamont is an all around musical force, with several instruments and bands under his belt. In 2001 he was asked to join the band of soul singer Bilal Oliver as a saxophonist. That was quickly followed by tours with Erykah Badu, Common, Kirk Franklin, Dave Matthews Band, The Roots, and most recently Jay-Z. Sebastian was born into a life of Rock and Roll. As the son of legendary guitarist Jeff Labar, of Cinderella fame, he was personally trained by his father and soon after broke out on his own as he toured the east coast. Jaron is not only a well trained musician; he spent a few years on the road playing in thrash and death metal bands, until he formed his own band, On Top. After a few years of touring, he gained a respectable amount of worldwide press with the band’s debut album. Recently he did a few fill in dates on bass for the Charm City Devils. Ted is the youngest of the group, but his credits are long and impressive. Ted’s previous band The Euphorics played Baltimore’s premier venues, providing direct support for such national acts as Dizzy Reed of Guns N Roses, Smile Empty Soul, Uli Jon Roth, Ionia and The Charm City Devils. Baltimore’s 98 Rock listeners selected Ted as a finalist in the Mark Tremonti shredding contest. Ted has prestigious musical education under his belt, and is officially sponsored by PRS Guitars. Music has been in Damian‘s life for as long as he can remember. Multi-talented, he has performed on all parts of the stage. As a drummer he opened for many of the bands he grew up listening to, such as Vince Neil, Ratt, Skid Row, Warrant, and Dokken. Before joining MACH22, Damian fronted and played guitar in many bands, as well as self-producing three full-length albums and one EP.

The band is currently shopping their just completed debut album, Sweet Talk Intervention and getting rave reviews. The album was recorded at Sound Dragon Studios in Nashville, TN, engineered by Ronnie Honeycutt, and produced by Jeff LaBar. It was mastered at Sterling Sound in NYC by UE Nastasi, whose credits include AC/DC, The Ramones, and Led Zeppelin.

MACH22 is currently gearing up to tour North America to support Sweet Talk Intervention. Their live show is where it’s at, so catch them as they head to your town, and hear the unmistakable sound, of MACH22.