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For Jason Macheska, his goal was always to make it big in music. He was close, winning a Hollywood Music Award while with Daydream on Autopilot. But shortly after that, his dream came crashing back to reality when the lead singer left the band. Now Macheska’s back home, out of the music scene and completely happy. “Music stole a lot of my time that I can’t get back,” he says. Now working as a dental technician creating dentures, the 25-year-old Macheska is focused on what many consider the American dream — spending time with family and friends. He still gets his music fix by teaching guitar, bass and drums at Endless Mountains Music in Tunkhannock (give them a call at 836-7558 to set up a lesson), but his days of touring are over. Meet Jason Macheska ...

So what are you doing now that you’re out of music?

Right now I’ve fled the music lifestyle and I’m a dental technician in Olyphant. I did that a few years ago and I left for a tour with a different band, Kairos, and that was out in Pittsburgh and I toured with them as a drummer. Pretty much I’m a dental technician, have a wonderful girlfriend and we’re looking to settle down and build a normal life. I used to want to be on the road all the time and be gone and all I could think about was music. Now I don’t think about that at all.


Is that why you got out of music?

I didn’t realize it then how bad it was, but what pushed me out of it was, Daydream on Autopilot did very well. We won a Hollywood Music Award, got our CD in three national chain stores and we thought we were really great. Then a guy took our singer from us in L.A., some producer took her from us. I was like, “What’s the point of trying anymore?” As good as I am, there’s 100 way better than me in L.A., and better looking. So I figured, what’s the point? Now I just want to be around my family and that’s how I want to go to my dying day, I guess.


So what was your goal when you were in music? Were you looking for the big record deal?

Yeah, I hopped bands. Kairos was a good band; they were opening up for national acts and doing very well. They had their own little tour bus. It was fun and seemed glamorous, so I left the dental lab originally to tour with them. Then they weren’t doing so much, so I came back home and joined OurAfter, which is doing well, setting up their own tours. We did a tour with Lessen One, which was a lot of fun. I just wanted it to happen fast. I realized I wasn’t getting any younger or more attractive, so I had to hurry. So then I hopped on with Daydream on Autopilot, which my two friends started and the idea was to take all our knowledge and run as fast as we could and see how far we could get. We had a fun run. We did really good and had fun, but that’s over now and I don’t want to pursue music at all. I don’t even think about it. I saw what it was like to take it to that level and you pretty much need to cut off all communication with family and loved ones.


How disappointing was it to find out that’s what your dream turned out to be?

It was more relieving because now I’m not going to be … I met so many older men who said, “Jason, you go for it.” Or, “I’m happy with my family, but I always wonder what I could’ve done.” Now I know what it’s like and I’m never going to wonder what would’ve been. I’m going to be satisfied now settling down and just being happy day by day, enjoying my loved ones.


Did the financial aspect play a role at all?

No. There’s no money in music, really, unless you’re like … John “Guido” Phillips does really well. He taught me a lot. But I could never do what he does; he’s incredible. There’s just no money. Everything you make you sink right back into it because you’re stressing over it 24/7. I wouldn’t sleep. Every other girlfriend I’ve had I treated like crap and I didn’t even realize I was doing it. I didn’t care about them. To me, giving them 10 minutes a day was enough, just to say, “Hey, how’s it going?” But that wasn’t how it works. Now I realize I want to focus on my girlfriend – get married, have kids, a house, a normal life. Back then, it consumed all of me. That’s all I could think about.


How did you get into the dental business when you were younger?

There was a dental lab in Olyphant that needed someone at the moment in the department, not to do big jobs, just to help out. So I came in and they learned that I was good with my hands and I was able to do a job that most people go to school for. But it was basically I was getting paid “x” amount of dollars with hands-on experience. It was kind of better than school — I was getting the experience and getting paid. I was in the crown and bridge department. Then when I left for music and came back, I’m doing dentures, which touring around and driving around in different states I noticed there were denture labs everywhere. Pretty much anywhere I went now I wouldn’t be stressing for a job because I have the hands-on training for this.


So what exactly do you do now? What’s a typical day, if there is one?

A denture technician or dental technician. We have drivers who pick up the work and bring it to us, a dental impression. Then we build a denture over that impression. I’m not the best tech in the world, definitely not; I could put out maybe, if I focus, probably 10 dentures a day, five sets of dentures, uppers and lowers. That’s a normal day. It’s always a different mouth, so you have to tackle different things.


So you’re not dealing directly with the patients.

No. We deal with a ton of dentists from here to the Poconos. Our drivers go and pick up the work, bring it to us and drive it back.


So what do you do for fun now that you’re not playing music?

I love hanging out with my girlfriend Ashley. We go out to eat, usually to A/V in Minooka or Bobbio’s in DuPont once a week.
-rshemanski@timesshamrock.com