The prog-rock supergroup features Simon Phillips, Matt Bissonette, Mohini Dey, Greg Howe, Derek Sherinian and others
Prog-rock supergroup DarWin releases its new single “Man vs. Machine” via Origin Of Species/Alliance Entertainment.
Musically, the song bursts with spirited grooves, impassioned vocals and luxurious instrumental passages that zig where others might zag. Guitarist DarWin and bassist Mohini Dey lock into bracing unison lines in flowing cadence with Matt Bissonette’s purposeful lyrics, and Greg Howe’s sustained guitar solo outro is a corker interweaving around drummer Simon Phillips’ dynamic, driving rhythms.
“We encourage people to ask big questions about what’s happening around them, such as with AI and humanoid robotics in the case of this song. But our lyrics and concepts are impressionistic. We don’t try to spoon feed our own answers to the audience. The power is in the courage to consider the question. It goes on for a while longer than most end solos, but that’s because we didn’t want it to end,” the group shares.
DarWin is an ongoing musical exploration led by songwriter/guitarist DarWin and drumming legend Simon Phillips (Toto, Jeff Beck, The Who, Judas Priest, Tears for Fears). Since forming in 2015, the duo has collaborated with vocalist Matt Bissonette (Joe Satriani, Ringo Starr, Elton John) and has steadily established themselves as a true original. Bass sensation Mohini Dey (Steve Vai, Willow Smith, Guthrie Govan), who has been with the group since 2022, contributes her fiery power along with virtuoso guitarist Greg Howe (Michael Jackson, Protocol, Justin Timberlake) providing jaw-dropping performances. Joining up with a hall of fame of musicians over the years, including Derek Sherinian, Billy Sheehan, Guthrie Govan, Julian Pollack (J3PO), Jesse Siebenberg, Andy Timmons, and many more, the group seeks to celebrate a shared love for musicianship and virtuosity. The result is something that must be experienced, and preferably at high volume.
The music of DarWin, which is all produced by Phillips and DarWin, has its own identity – nothing quite sounds like it; it seems to exist in its own orbit – and the second you think you’ve got the band figured out, they go somewhere fresh and new.
Since forming in 2015, the group has steadily established itself as a true original, issuing a series of studio albums that represent personal, visionary music making at its very best. The group got started when drumming and production legend Simon Phillips and DarWin started working on a few songs without any real plan, and the project just kept growing. Phillips’ career follows the arch of the evolution of modern-day rock music, with his vast credits including Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, Big Country, Tears for Fears, the Chemical Brothers, Pete Townshend, and the Who. He was a member of Toto for nearly two decades, and in recent years he’s been leading his own Grammy-nominated jazz fusion outfit, Protocol. Goodness knows that’s just scratching the surface.
Next up is singer and co-writer Matt Bissonette. He’s worked with everyone from Elton John and Ringo Starr to Joe Satriani and Leon Russell. Those pipes are majestic and magical things, and when he opens up that golden throat, he doesn’t just sing – he lets you in on a feeling. In most settings, he doubles on bass, but in DarWin there’s the virtuoso sensation Mohini Dey. Born and raised in Mumbai, Dey has the kind of explosive talent that makes people like Steve Vai and Narada Michael Walden take notice. In DarWin, Dey helps drive the music in ways that are powerful and hypnotic, seismic and thrilling. The team is joined by veritable guitar monster Greg Howe – a six-string force of nature who, in addition to his own albums, has worked with a diverse group of artists that includes Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake and T. Pain. And those rapturous keyboards – this is Gershwin by way of Van Halen – could only come from Derek Sherinian, the go-to guy for Dream Theater, Sons of Apollo and Black Country Communion.
The band takes the name of guitarist, songwriter and all-around creative driver DarWin, an absurdly gifted musical visionary who wants the focus to stay on the delight of the listeners and fans, and definitely not about himself. Additional veteran players have lent their talents to DarWin including keyboardist Julian Pollack (J3PO), singer and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Seibenberg, legendary guitarist Andy Timmons, percussionist Lenny Castro, and singers Andrew Freeman and Chariya Bissonette.
