AUGUST 2004: Somewhere deep in an underground laboratory in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Jason Ward and his three collegues, Patrick Fleming, J. Waylon Miller, and Ali DeMersseman, set out to objectively derive the formula for the perfect pop song. Their implements of experimentation are very crude by today’s high-tech research standars: human voices, distorted guitars, electric bass, and drums mixed with an occasional organ or tambourine. Even without complex particle detection equipment or gamma ray spectometry, however, the results are startling and lead the group to postulate the importance of strong hooks and overall simplicity in composition.

DECEMBER 2004: The group, now known collectively as The Weather Machines, begins conducting exciting full-scale public demonstrations of its findings. Over the next 12 months, the ‘band’ arranges field research performances with actual touring musicians. Much is learned about youth subculture, and new haircut ideas are obtained.

JANUARY 2006: After months of meticulous experiments in recording technology and microphone placement theory, The Weather Machines release their self-produced debut album The Sound Of Pseudoscience. For such rudimentary experimental results, the album has netted the group a surprising amount of attention outside the scientific community, which includes:

* Stains Of Saints included in episode of Grey's Anatomy (5/10/07)
* SPIN.com Band of the Day (2/2/06)
* Spotlight in Entertaiment Weekly’s ‘Download This’ colum (12/23/05)
* Peak position of #70 on CMJ Radio 200 Chart (week ending 1/17/06)

Mr. Ward and Ms. DeMersseman have since opened a research facility in Portland, OR where they are conducing extensive testing regarding the effects of rainfall on music-making.