In an old Victorian house in Cleveland's Gordon Square Arts District, a two-piece band called MFrressmaker designed an entire stage show from LED strips, wire and soldering irons right from their dining room table.
Michael McFarland, the band's lead singer, and drummer Freja McNeal called their music project “a queer, arena-rock band that can fit their whole show in a Toyota hatchback.”
“We came out at our at our very first show as Messmaker with a full light show behind us that was synced up to the music, and we've been doing that ever since,” McFarland said.
Their journey, steeped in years of experience and a deep commitment to their craft, led them to create music that resonates with their fans and the vibrant community of artists around Northeast Ohio.
“We wanted to write big songs that people are going to want to sing along with, that people are going to be able to embrace as their own,” McFarland said.
From Kent’s music scene to Cleveland’s creative community
McFarland started studying classical piano at just five years old, a path he pursued for 12 years. But it was at age 13, when he heard alternative rock on the radio, that his musical world shifted.
Teaching himself guitar and writing his first song, McFarland spent his teenage years playing in bands in Kent. At the time, he said the local music landscape was very competitive.
“It was all battles of the bands and sell more tickets than the other guy, so you can get the better opening spot,” McFarland said. “That's not the way to build a music community or a thriving music scene, so why not be the change?”
While pursuing a degree in Visual Communication at Kent State University, McFarland honed his performance skills by studying footage of legendary rock acts and modern pop stars alike.
After living in North Carolina for a while, McFarland moved back to Ohio. He and longtime friend McNeal began living together in Cleveland and started working on music together around 2021.
“I asked Freja, who'd occasionally been playing bass for in a backing band for my solo project, if she'd be down to play drums with me on a new project,” McFarland said.
They called the project Messmaker and had a clear vision: Create music that fills stadiums, even if they're still playing in smaller venues.
Part of that larger-than-life live experience comes from the detailed set design that incorporates multimedia and a flashy light show.
“Around that same time, for the few years prior to that, I'd been spending a lot of time working with Ingenuity Cleveland building large-scale interactive art pieces that were part of Ingenuity Fest,” McFarland said.
He cites Ingenuity Cleveland as a great resource that taught the duo how to easily collapse their stage show and take it on the go, allowing them to transform performances in small venues into large-scale productions.
The two-piece fills the stage with backing tracks to build layers of sound set to a synchronized light show, bringing an epic, anthemic feel to every gig.
“They always say, you know, ‘Dress for the job you want, not the job you have,’ right? So, if we want to be playing to stadiums, why not dress like we're playing the stadiums? And that's putting together a full production show with lights and all of those elements,” he said.
Stretching the limits of a musical duo
McFarland said having a two-piece rock band feels special and looking at other musical duos has inspired them to think big.
“There are a decent number of bands out there that pull off the two-piece thing pretty well. A few of them are from Ohio. Would be remiss not to mention, you know, Black Keys and Twenty One Pilots,” he said.
He and McNeal started looking at the ways these rockstars pull off a big sound and production while touring to inform their approach.
The band has since bought a van for its expanding live setup and is working to expand its big sound by blending with other genres.
The duo's latest project, the EP “Is That Your Mixtape?” showcases their collaborative spirit.
"There's something really cool that happens when we bring these other flavors in and mix them into our recipe."Michael McFarland
The EP features local Cleveland-area hip-hop artists like Jinari Kimet, Jul Big Green and Might Misc, the recent posthumous winner of Cleveland Scene's Best Hip-Hop Artist award.
Not defined by a singular genre, Messmaker’s music is characterized by anthemic hooks and sing-along choruses, songs that invite listeners to embrace them as their own.
The duo’s songwriting process is very detailed — they often start with a title that becomes the central part of the song, which McFarland likens to his background in design.
“One of our songs is called ‘We Are the Architects,’ and it's this big anthem about holding on to the creativity that we're all born with,” he said.
In 2022, the Nashville Songwriters Association recognized McFarland as "One to Watch," a testament to his dedication to crafting versatile, catchy songs that resonate.
Their success on streaming platforms, particularly with songs like "Hard Act to Follow" from the album “The Pulse,” underscores Messmaker’s growing popularity.
“A lot of that I have to attribute to the collaborations that we've done with other acts,” McFarland said. “We're friends with all these musicians. Why not write songs with them?”
He said the hip-hop community’s collaborative spirit and tradition of featuring multiple rappers on songs inspired Messmaker to work with other artists and build them up.
“That has unexpectedly led to some really cool overlapping streaming numbers, and, you know, fan bases that start out as Venn diagrams and end up as circles,” he said.
He said working with other artists has also expanded the duo’s live shows as they invite their collaborators to join them on stage.
“It was like, 'Oh, there's something really cool that happens when we bring these other flavors in and mix them into our recipe. Why not do more of this?'” McFarland said.
