bio // pics // (free) downloads
recent press:
turntabling.net 7/31/08
psu vanguard interview 5/28/08
two ghosts review- buko mag 5/08
misc. quotes:
“one of 2007’s best local albums”
the oregonian 12/28/07
“Boy Eats Drum Machine has become one of Portland’s favorite local acts, and for very good reason. Frontman Jon Ragel brings impressive turntable skills to a live band setting in a way that never sounds forced, gimmicky, or like those nü-metal DJs. His soulful, steady vocals weave in and out of the evolving, fluid arrangements”
portland mercury - 12/27/07
“Imagine Beck feeling nostalgic for his Queen albums, and you’re on the right track in a quest to pin down the idiosyncratic appeal of Two Ghosts. BEDM singer-songwriter Jon Ragel adorns his indie-boy anxieties with turntable twists and majestic flourishes-backing vocal choruses, stately strings-resulting in 15 songs that consistently engage and challenge the eardrums. Aside from a knack for hooks and splashes of vivid electronic color, Ragel has a dramatic voice that covers alot of ground, from sweet soul man to beleaguered bohemian to near operatic peaks of impassioned pop. Highly recommended.”
portland monthly - best of the city ‘07 - 8/07
“Quarky indie rock in the vein of Barsuk Records (think John Vanderslice) gets a 10-count pin-down on the electropop dancefloor. a juicy mélange”
village voice - 7/06
archive:
features:
the oregonian 12/28/07
portland mercury 7/19/07
willamette week 7/11/07
puremusic june 07
pulseTC.com 6/15/06 (scroll to ’sunday’)
northwest noise 4/11/06
willamette week 12/3/05
‘two ghosts’ (2007) cd reviews:
buko mag 5/08
portland mercury 7/19/07
portland tribune 7/20/07
the oregonian 7/20/07
northwest bands.com 9/28/07
puremusic 8/07
‘pleasure’ (2006) cd reviews:
northwest bands.com 8/28/06
75 or less 8/14/06
illinois entertainer 6/14/06
willamette week 11/2/05
gotriad.com 7/20/06
powpowpow 8/25/06
the PhiLL(er)
interviews:
psu vanguard 5/28/08
northwest noise 8/03/07, 9/11/06
pampelmoose 2/12/07
gearwire 3/7/07
musicGeek.org 1/14/06
blog appearances:
portland mercury blogtown 1/3/07 show preview, 7/10/07 vid, 6/26/07 oregon shore
localcut 3/06/08 free demo, 7/11/07 vid, 7/11/07 feature, 1/08/07 mexican food, 11/07/06 eunuch vid
pampelmoose nemo party, 3000F vid, two ghosts interview
Lisa Wood’s KEXP blog
Indie Soup 10/10/07
Jenny Tatone’s MOG page 7/18/07
PDX pole 7/30/07
nadamucho.com 1/31/08
worthmywhile 7/07
jason gears minniapolis summer 06′
joezilla 3/17/06
garzbarg 3/19/06
termie 7/06
zimbio / jchamber1 7/23/07
zay’z- [den o’ slack] 2/25/08
lots more misc. quotes:
aquarian (nyc) 6/21/06
Poison control officials discover faint traces of Portishead, the Strokes, Peter Gabriel. Amazingly, nobody hurt.
-chris richards / washington post
If Ben Gibbard’s Postal Service were to go through some kind of space time wormhole whatsit and separate into an “evil” and “good” version (a la old Star Trek episodes) BEDM would totally be the evil one. In such a good way
-portland mercury
(oregonian A&E)
nightcrawler
Friday, April 07, 2006
By NATHAN SKIDMORE
Tip-top tempo The headline says it all: Boy Eats Drum Machine. Except it’s not a comical medical scenario, it’s a band. A Portland band to be precise, consisting of “Bridgetown Breaks” creator Jonny Ragel, Peter Swenson and Ben Rickard. While the latter two were assembled to help bring Ragel’s solo work “Pleasure” to life, the addition hasn’t gone unnoticed. Fans of Ragel’s sample-laden electro-pop have been turning up in increasing numbers, dancing and grinning as “Pleasure” is translated from disc to stage. 10 p.m. Friday, Towne Lounge, 714 S.W. 20th Place; $5; 503-241-869
(PDX Magazine)
Boy Eats Drum Machine
Acme Bar
March 16, 9pm
BEDM’s first release, “Pleasure”, is just that. Recorded and mastered in Jonny Ragel’s basement space and hand packaged on his kitchen table, the album spans a wide range of genres including indie-rock, IDM, and hip-hop. Upon carrying out all the “studio” work, Ragel enlisted two friends to fill out his live operation. On “Pleasure”, Ragel serves as turntablist, guitarist, keyboardist and songwriter. Ironically enough, the group is void of an actual drum machine. The variance between live show and album is evident, but not overwhelming. Both productions bestow the audience with crisp beats, searing riffs and bouncy, infectious melodies.—AD
March 2006/PDXmagazine.com 41
(portland mercury)
BOY EATS DRUM MACHINE, SIMPL, PAINT AND COPTER
(Berbati’s Pan, 10 SW 3rd) With its groove-heavy, funked-up beats and yowling howl, Boy Eats Drum Machine is the Prince—as in “Purple Rain”—of Portland IDM. And maybe someday it’ll be its prince—as in crown prince of ‘em all—but right now the potential royal is still an up and comer. Which is why the group fits perfectly in a Mercury Up and Coming! (See how this works?) Their CD Pleasure is a big, complex electro-pop rocker with drums that skate between hiphop and post-rock while shifty bass slinks down booze alley, and singer Jonny Ragel’s soulful, dead-serious voice switches between a gravely croon and a great, tremulous falsetto. AG
(willamette week)
[ELECTRONIC ROCK] Boy Eats Drum Machine sounds like a heroic, feel-good cybernetic story (think Small Wonder), but no actual drum machines are harmed in the making of this one-man band turned trio’s music. Its triumphant songs deftly blend DJ turntable mixing—courtesy of Portlander Jonny Ragel, who recorded BEDM’s self-released Pleasure all by himself before enlisting two additional members to help with the live show—with the energy of a live show, resulting in an exciting and refreshing sound. Vocalist-turntablist-guitarist and songwriter, Ragel applies his bevy of talents to achieve catchy pop anthems that never sound like simple electronica or standard rock alone. DAVE CLIFFORD. Berbati’s Pan. 9:30 pm. Cover. 21+.
(portland tribune)
By BARBARA MITCHELL Issue date: Fri, Dec 23, 2005
The Tribune
ELECTRONIC POP
Boy Eats Drum Machine
Just one listen to “Let’s Get Lost Some,” off Boy Eats Drum Machine’s latest album, “Pleasure,” and not only will you have it permanently stuck in your head — you’ll be happy about it. Bouncy, bubbly electro-pop, it actually does make you wonder if this is what it would sound like if DJ Shadow produced Neil Diamond. Other tracks call to mind Portishead and the Postal Service — sometimes at the same time.
Although the album is the work of just one man (and a turntable, a Casio and a microphone, to quote another BEDM song), the live show is fleshed out by two additional members and extra instrumentation for maximum impact.
9:30 p.m. FRIDAY, Dec. 23, Tonic Lounge, 3100 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 503-238-0543, $5
(willamette week)
[ELECTRO-POP] Dance-aholics, take note: Boy Eats Drum Machine just might be your bum’s favorite new thing to shake to. Full of deep bass, rocky guitar riffs, plenty of electro-fun and Jonny Ragel’s turntablist skills, BEDM has a little something for everyone. Trust me, all it’s gonna take is one listen to “Why Don’t We Get Lost Sometime” and you’ll be sold, sold, sold. The only bummer about the live show is that you’ll almost wish you were at a sweaty basement house party, keeping this band all to yourself.
AMY MCCULLOUGH. Tonic Lounge. 9 pm. $5. 21+.