Ryota Machida had a monster idea for a song. J. Henry liked it. It is good to have a three-time Grammy nominee in your corner.

Henry invited Machida and his musical partner Aki Takamoto into the Southwestern College studio to record. Now the 24 year olds are hoping for a monster hit.

Machida played his song “MONSTER” to classmate Jesus Aaron Rodriguez, 23, a recording arts major in an SWC music business class. Rodriguez said it was the best rock song he had heard that year and had Professor of Commercial Music Henry listen to it.

“J. Henry was just blown away with it,” said Rodriguez. “He wanted them right away.”

Henry has worked with major recording labels for more than 35 years and is notoriously hard to impress. He said Sounddrug has a unique approach to music.

“They are an original band,” said Henry. “That’s all that’s necessary.”

“MONSTER” starts with the beat of the drums and a ringing strum of an electric guitar. Machida sings “I’m running I’m running, running from the Monster/ Reflection of her eyes/ I thought I was more than who I am, but nevermind.”

It tells of running from a Godzilla-like creature, a bit of analogy for the Japanese-American. His monster may be a woman, or the narrator, whose own symbolic hideousness he sees through the reflection of her eyes.
Takamoto said he has been to other recording studios but nothing like the $6 million SWC facility.

“The studio in SWC is incomparable in terms of what they can do with sounds,” said Takamoto. “The SWC studio definitely has top-class equipment and engineers for making great productions.”
Machida agreed.

“They are very supportive and will treat you like a rock star,” he said. “It was really relaxing working with them since I’ve taken music classes with most of them.”

For their first recording at the SWC studio and live performances, Machida and Takamoto enlisted the help of friends Henry Vasquez, 23, to play rhythm guitar and Chase Lansdale, 24, as the bassist. Sounddrug has recorded three songs so far and Rodriguez said the band will be back for more.

In the meantime, Sounddrug has played at Club Nokia in Los Angeles and San Diego’s 4th & B. Machida and Takamoto were named 2011 Musicians of the Year by the indie arts organization RAW. “Music from Apartment,” the band’s first EP, is eponymous. After enduring complaints by neighbors and a visit from the police, Sounddrug decided to start recording in the studio.

Singer/guitarist Machida is influenced by Afro-Cuban, jazz and bossa nova music while Takamoto lists Eurobeat and techno as his inspirations.

Machida said music composition classes give them an edge.

“We actually study music so we know how to write music,” he said. “We actually know how music works.”