Supersonic Blues Machine

Supersonic Blues Machine

Supersonic Blues Machine is a Los Angeles-based blues rock group formed in 2012. Its core line-up centres on Texas guitarist and singer-songwriter Lance Lopez, producer, bassist and multi-instrumentalist Fabrizio Grossi, and drummer Kenny Aronoff. The group is active from 2012 to the present and works across blues rock, electric blues, hard rock and rock.

Formation and line-up

The project begins when Lopez plans a recording visit to Los Angeles and Grossi suggests that they work together on new ideas. A short studio session produces three songs that become the basis of the band. Grossi then develops the project further through his network of musicians and collaborators. Aronoff joins after Grossi introduces him to the idea of the band, and the three become the central members.

Lopez brings a Texas blues background to the group, while Grossi contributes as producer, mixer and bass player. Aronoff adds experience from work with artists including John Mellencamp, Smashing Pumpkins, Meat Loaf, Brandon Flowers, John Fogerty, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Joe Cocker. Grossi has also worked with a wide range of artists including Steve Vai, Tina Arena, Nina Hagen, Alice Cooper, Glenn Hughes, Dave Navarro, George Clinton, Joe Bonamassa, Leslie West, Zakk Wylde, Ice-T, Slash and Paul Stanley.

Sound and approach

The band presents itself as a collaborative project rather than a standard guest-heavy album act. Its music combines blues, rock and Americana with other textures, and Grossi describes parts of the material as moving towards darker Motown influences and a sound that sits somewhere between Exile on Main Street and the Allman Brothers Band. The group draws on a spirit of musical camaraderie, with songs shaped by the exchange of ideas between members and close friends.

Debut album

Supersonic Blues Machine’s debut album, West of Flushing, South of Frisco, is built around themes of peace, hope, forgiveness and empowerment. The record includes contributions from a large group of musicians with personal ties to the core trio, including Billy F. Gibbons, Walter Trout, Warren Haynes, Robben Ford, Eric Gales and Chris Duarte. Grossi states that the intention is not to make a random guest record, but to involve friends who are part of the band’s circle and sound.

The album includes songs such as “Running Whiskey”, “Remedy”, “Nightmares and Dreams”, “Can’t Take It No More”, “That’s My Way”, “Let’s Call It a Day”, “I Ain’t Falling”, “Let It Be”, “Ain’t No Love (In the Heart of the City)” and “Whatchagonnado”. Lopez takes lead vocals on some tracks, including material that ranges from bar-room blues-rock to more reflective and personal songs. “Ain’t No Love (In the Heart of the City)” is a cover of the Bobby “Blue” Bland song, and “Whatchagonnado” is framed as a response to Jesus returning and seeing his teachings interpreted in different ways.

Collaborators and guest players

Several songs on the album grow directly from relationships between the band members and their collaborators. Billy F. Gibbons helps inspire “Running Whiskey”; Warren Haynes contributes to “Remedy”; Eric Gales plays on “Nightmares and Dreams”; Walter Trout appears on “Can’t Take It No More”; Chris Duarte works on “That’s My Way”; and Robben Ford collaborates on “Let’s Call It a Day”. Serge Simic of The Slam also co-writes material and serves as a long-time friend and co-producer. The project is also connected to earlier collaborations between Grossi and artists such as Billy F. Gibbons and George Clinton, including a 2001 cover of “Voodoo Child”.

Context

Grossi describes the band as a mood and a comradeship, formed by musicians bringing their own experience into a shared project. The group’s writing often develops through demos, file exchanges and studio sessions, with songs changing as ideas pass between Grossi, Lopez, Aronoff and other contributors. The result is a blues-rock project rooted in Los Angeles but shaped by connections across the American rock and blues scene.