Palm Springs, CA native, Matt McJunkins has become quite familiar amongst music fans everywhere – and for good reason. Matt has played, and still plays, for several bands including A Perfect Circle, Ashes Divide, Puscifer, The Beta Machine, Eagles of Death Metal, the list goes on. In 2008, Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle, Ashes Divide) approached Matt with an offer to join Ashes Divide, which he kindly accepted. After extensive touring in support of their debut album ‘Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright’, as well as touring with Puscifer, Matt was asked to hit the road with A Perfect Circle following the announcement of the band’s reunion in 2010. Matt has also sparked his own project alongside Jeff Friedl (A Perfect Circle, Puscifer), The Beta Machine, who joined A Perfect Circle on their recent tour in 2017.
Matt was kind enough to spare a few minutes with us at Rock on the Range and hang out for a bit among all the craziness of the festival. We talked about quite a few different topics ranging from his feelings on being a “hired gun”, keeping a relationship with fans, and A Perfect Circle’s notorious “no cell-phone” policy. We also touched on the events that occurred at the Bataclan where Matt was playing with Eagles of Death Metal the night of the terror attacks in Paris and how unity in the face of adversity played a role in getting through such a tragedy. Matt also lets us in on the progress of the new Beta Machine album which I, personally, am really excited to hear! Check out the full interview below!
