Machine Shop

Photo by Jeff Mintline

The Machine Shop
by Anne Schultz

If you’ve never been to the place, you’ve at least heard of it. You are also likely to know someone who has been there or even played there in their own band. Local bands. National bands. It doesn’t matter because it’s a venue that all bands love and want to play. It’s not just a venue. On stage, backstage, in the crowd in front of the stage – it’s a community of people who come to rock out and share their love and passion for music. You may arrive as a stranger, but you leave as one of them; it doesn’t matter where you’re from. Ever since The Machine Shop opened its doors in 2002, brothers Kevin and Craig Zink continue to prove that something authentic and good can live in a city where you’d least expect.

The Machine Shop embraces its environment and all the people who come out. The name itself pays homage to Flint being the automotive birthplace. Zink explains, “Back when we were growing up there were machine shops everywhere. It wasn’t the way it is now. When something needed to be repaired you took it to the machine shop. So, that is just a part of Flint and part of the shop rats. Plus with the motorcycles, hotrods, and the tattoos…it all revolves around machines. Rock and roll is a machine itself. It’s a legit rock club, in a legit blue collar town.”

The concert lounge is a destination. People come here with a purpose. Zink states that he understands that people pay their hard earned money to come see bands and with that in mind, he and the staff work really hard to ensure that everyone has a personable and positive experience. “I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t anything but a rock and country type of place because that is what I enjoy. I want to go to work and like what I do. People don’t come here to bump chests; they’re here because they all love the same band that is on stage. They have a common thing at every show. You’re not just showing up wondering who is going to be playing; you know who you are coming to see.”

When the place first opened, the stuff you see on the walls today is stuff came from Zink’s garage. Stuff that both he and Craig owned. Over the years, the venue has received a makeover and he says, “We just added more shit to the place. We put a fresh coat of paint on it and replaced the carpet. It’s funny, you’ll see people come in here with their feet kind of stuck to the floor sometimes. And we’ll be like sorry, Hank III was here last night. There’s nothing you can do when there’s that much beer in the place from the night before,” laughed Zink.

While the Shop has grown over the years and become a staple not only in Flint, but as a Michigan venue, Kevin is quick to point out that the success of the venue has everything to do with working collaboratively with others. One of the bands that he met before the place was even opened was Clutch. “They had our backs from the time we opened. They were willing to come here over and over again. I feel like they’ve very much been a part of this. They did a live double disc here and filmed videos. All very positive and supportive.” Even today when Clutch plays The Shop, they sell out. When asked how he thought things were going to turn out, Zink replied, “I didn’t think it would go like it did. I didn’t think we were good enough or cool enough, and shame on me, for the bands to want to come here at first. And all of the sudden after a few months, people started talking about the place and it just had positive stuff going out.”

Building relationships and helping people and organizations in the community with benefits shows is one way that Zink gives back to the community by helping them with their various causes. “As far as bands, I love to see band grow from here…like seeing the guys from It Lies Within go on a national tour, Battlecross, Frequency 54 when they went out and toured.” Even for bands like Pop Evil who are from the other side of the state, have made The Machine Shop into a place they call home. But don’t think for one minute that the venue is genre biased. The Shop has opened and welcomed several country artists such as Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, and Eric Church onto its state. Maybe not what you’d expect, the place has really been great for country music fans. “It’s like Beatle mania. When that artist walks on the stage, those people go crazy. Sometimes people make fun of us for doing country shows. Country shows are fun. That’s where rock came from is country. Eric Church, he played here a few times and he’d play Clutch before going on. It s a real rock show. Any dude making fun of country shows, all they gotta do is come to one show and realize that there are a lot of cute girls here. ” Even with burlesque shows and comedians such as Brian Posehn (October 3) and Doug Stanhope (October 24), it all fits with what The Shop is doing. You know that when you go there that you’re going to see something live and entertaining.

Like any business, there were some tough times to get through and Zink had wondered whether or not they were going to be able to make it. “My damn pride took over me and I thought, I’m going to make this work because this is very personal to me. And it’s become me. It is what I am…The Machine Shop. So if it doesn’t go, I feel like I failed. Not just as a business, but me personally. I could have moved on to other things but this is very much a passion for me to do this.” What would happen if it was said today that there’d be no Machine Shop tomorrow? There’d be a void that’s for sure. “I don’t think anyone knows that but us. It would leave a hole in my heart. And maybe it’s because we’re the underdogs. We are where we are. But, there’s a different thing here. And I like it. I like being a part of it.

To learn more about the Machine Shop and view upcoming concert dates, visit